The Role of Genome Sequencing in the Identification of Novel Therapeutic Targets

Remarkable technological innovations have emerged in recent years allowing for rapid and cost-effective whole genome direct sequencing. This generation of massive amounts of genomic data was made with the assumption that the better understanding of the Genomics would aid in the identification of new causes for genetic disorders, as well as discovering new therapeutic targets. Due to this assumption, many genomes from different organisms, including humans, have been sequenced, resulting in an immense amount of genetic data. However, in order to best use this data, a similar expansion in our ability to process and analyze the data on a large scale will be necessary. The present review focuses on the impact of genome sequencing projects on the identification of novel genes and proteins, with a special focus on the role of sequencing pathogenic genomes in potential drug development.