As the bioscience market develops, it will also have a dramatic impact on markets and technologies that are enablers, in particular information technology. IDC sees this market driving incremental revenue into IT, particularly high-performance computers and servers, storage and data management, database technologies, visualization, and application software for at least the next 10 years. However, IDC expects the evolution of this market to be rocky as scientific, technical, and ethical issues are likely to be persistent and complex. While some of these issues may prove to be very challenging, we do not believe they will negate the growth or scope of this market opportunity. The emerging bioscience industry is truly global in nature, and although the United States, for example, may ban research activities in certain sensitive areas, other nations may have less stringent restrictions.
Cloning is a case in point.
A medical record will include a person's complete genome as well as variations that can be used to predict responses to certain drugs, chemical and environmental substances, and the person's propensity to certain diseases. Gene therapy will be targeted at single-gene diseases. Specific rogue genes will be replaced with proper-functioning versions. A growing industry will develop in pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine in which drugs are geared to the specific genetic traits of groups or individuals. Microbes will target even the most noxious environmental disaster or biological threat.