The problem is you'll have to follow a long, winding helix to get there. Take a look at the 20 to 25 companies in an emerging field called proteomics. This involves searching for protein interactions in the body that may cause diseases ranging from diabetes to dementia to cancer. Scientists believe the secrets to many diseases lie hidden within the interactions among roughly 300,000 different human proteins. And probing the billions of interactions among these proteins for clues has become one of the hottest fields in genome research.
Proteomic stocks are likely to go up and down in wild swings.
And while some genomic stocks already command premium prices, the payoff is still a long way off, most analysts agree. Those who think the returns on this science are right around the corner will be surprised to find that it's not. But beyond the five early movers lies a host of arcane smaller players that are flush with cash, high on promise, but also fraught with risk and lacking much in the way of sales and profits. Ramseier is right. The field has much in common with the Internet startups of a few years ago.