Proteomics Booms in Pharma Industry with Multibillion-Dollar Deals

Pharmaceutical and biotech companies are expanding their use of proteomics to improve drug development. Proteomics is a technology that analyzes proteins expressed in cells or tissues, helping researchers understand how diseases progress and how drugs work.

Global pharmaceutical giants such as Amgen have signed licensing agreements worth hundreds of millions of dollars for proteomics-based technology. In January, Amgen partnered with Germany's Dewpharm to secure the technology, which analyzes proteins on cancer cell surfaces to identify new therapeutic targets.

In South Korea, local company Bertis used its proteomics technology in preclinical research on a muscle-preserving obesity drug candidate licensed out to Genentech. The analysis identified molecular pathways through which the drug preserves muscle and reduces fat.