Fields
Techneome is a corporation with broad vision about what is possible from the biotechnology industry. Traditional applications like pharmaceuticals are excellent areas for new companies in biotech, but Techneome wishes to present its customers with options from across the board that represent new ways of using biotechnology. Innovation is the spirit of a young industry, and so Techneome avoids narrowing its vision to specific, highly publicized areas, broadening our focus to find companies with all manner of creative biotechnology products and services.
Below are examples of how biotechnology has been innovative in specific product areas.
Pharmaceuticals
Pharmaceuticals are the first products that come to mind when biotechnology is mentioned. Biotech first proved its worth by producing compounds like insulin more effectively than traditional pharmaceuticals, but the industry has come much further than that. Today's scientists have used modern genomics to identify new drug targets. Innovative biotech companies have developed vaccine platforms that can be reconfigured over a short time period to be immunogenic against different diseases. And even in small-molecule drug development, long thought to be the sole domain of Big Pharma, biotechnology companies have been able to prove themselves in identifying new drugs using high-throughput screening and creative approaches. The trend of biotechnology driving the pharmaceutical industry has become strong; pharmaceutical companies have begun to take notice and are acquiring biotechs that spark their interest. Techneome sees the problem that some companies of merit go unnoticed, while others with unworkable ideas get millions of dollars in funding, even in this high-risk product area. With our technical knowledge, we hope to help investors make informed decisions when looking at risky new pharmaceuticals-producing biotech companies.
Agriculture
Biotechnology has reached the supermarkets of the world, and despite regulations, Bt cotton and Bt corn plantings are on the rise. Several major corporations, the most notable of which are Monsanto and Dupont, have moved into AgriBiotech in force, investing billions of dollars in research and development to market products for this lucrative area. These giants have created a market for new ideas from small biotech corporations, and thus an opportunity for investors who have the proper guidance.
Alternative Energy
One of the more innovative product areas for biotechnology, having emerged only very recently, is alternative fuels. Biotechnology companies are making new enzymes that can render agricultural and food services byproducts into cleaner, cheaper fossil fuel alternatives. These companies are in high demand: Brazil is leading the world in developing biofuels, and is sending a considerable amount of money towards new research and development. Even President Bush has recognized the potential benefits from this new area for biotechnology, and the US Government is starting to fund research. In this realm, small companies are showing their strengths and coming up with new ideas that could bring them- and their investors- to the forefront of the energy market in the next decade.