Today, Abbott is home to more than 5,000 of the world s top scientists and researchers, who work to improve health care through the discovery of new drugs, treatments, diagnostic tests and nutritionals. Each day, Abbott scientists are working towards ground-breaking technologies to aid the discovery process. The drug discovery involves teams of specialized scientists, working together to build safe and effective medications.
Genomics helps scientist chose the right haystack to search in.
By identifying genes that may cause a particular medical condition, scientists can define the problem they need to solve then design-targeted solutions. Abbott scientist are working on genomics in several different ways. One way is known as bioinformatics, a method of analyzing genetic data that helps scientists better understand the human genetic code. Bioinformatics uses specialized computer programs and algorithms to sort through enormous data bases of DNA sequences and make comparisons of genetic information that may explain different states. Bioinformatics allows scientist to compare healthy cells with diseased cells to isolate proteins that are involved in the disease process, thereby identify targets for future drugs.