the emergence of commercial genomics: analysis of the rise of a biotechnology subsector during the human genome project, 1990 to 2004

background: development of the commercial genomics sector within the biotechnology industry relied heavily onthe scientific commons, public funding, and technology transfer between academic and industrial research. thisstudy tracks financial and intellectual property data on genomics firms from 1990 through 2004, thus followingthese firms as they emerged in the era of the human genome project and through the 2000 to 2001 marketbubble. methods: a database was created based on an early survey of genomics firms, which was expanded using threeweb-based biotechnology services, scientific journals, and biotechnology trade and technical publications. financialdata for publicly traded firms was collected through the use of four databases specializing in firm financials. patentsearches were conducted using firm names in the us patent and trademark office website search engine and thedna patent database. results: a biotechnology subsector of genomics firms emerged in parallel to the publicly funded human genomeproject. trends among top firms show that hiring, capital improvement, and research and developmentexpenditures continued to grow after a 2000 to 2001 bubble. the majority of firms are small businesses with greatdiversity in type of research and development, products, and services provided. over half the public firms holdingpatents have the majority of their intellectual property portfolio in dna-based patents. conclusions: these data allow estimates of investment, research and development expenditures, and jobs thatparalleled the rise of genomics as a sector within biotechnology between 1990 and 2004.