BioInformatics Set for a growth spurt

The bioInformatics segment, which is the smallest of industry segments constituting barely two percent of the market share in the overall industry revenue, grew by 4.95% in FY 2010-11. The segment clocked 242.43 crore in this fiscal as compared to 231 crore in FY 2009-10. The major players in the segment, Strand Life Sciences and Ocimum Biosolutions collectively contributed 107 crore to the overall revenue.
The factors contributing to this growth include tracking of discovery activities, data analysis, and pharma research. The different sub verticals covered under it are Informatics, Omics, Lab information, Clinical Data Management and Biostatistics.
Most of the companies in this segment are small-scale enterprises located in cities such as Pune, Mumbai, Bangalore and Hyderabad. Innovative companies such as Strand Life Sciences, Ocimum Biosolutions, V Life Sciences, SysArris, Cell works, CytoGenomics and Molecular Connections are working towards speeding up the cause of the core life science business.
The segment is also getting a push with large IT companies such as Cognizant, HCL, Wipro, TCS joining the fray. However, BioSpectrum Survey 2011 does not include revenues of these IT companies in its analysis, as that will skew the survey results.
The latest trends in the field that can contribute to the future growth of the segment include translational bioinformatics, personalized medicine and genomics. Next five years will see the sector wriggle out of its current position and take the centerstage. Host of developments are taking place in the genomics and molecular research that will likely boost the bioinformatics industry. Significant advances in the field of proteomics and related technologies will influence the way research and diagnostic analysis are performed. With the increase in R&D investments by various companies and the government support, it is clear that in the years to come, the bioinformatics market will post a steady growth.
During the year, Ocimum Biosolutions, a leading bioinformatics company has closed funding worth $8 million from multiple sources, including founders and existing shareholders, in order to cater to the growing demand for its integrated genomic services and to provide unparalleled, hassle-free user experience by enhancing its RaaS (Research as a Service) platform. The company is in the process of building a state-of-the art integrated campus in Patancheru, Hyderabad. Part of the funds will be utilized into completing  the 360,000 sq ft facility spread across four blocks.
Ocimum started providing BioIT consulting services to enable R&D for organizations in the life sciences industry. It also launched its quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) services in India. This technology is already in use at Gene Logic, an Ocimum Biosolutions company.
In the last quarter of 2010, Strand Life Sciences, another leading name in the sector, announced the creation of a US-based subsidiary Strand Scientific Intelligence, Inc (Strand SI) to commercialize its innovative Scientific Intelligence solutions at the global level. The company also announced the worldwide release of Avadis NGS, a software application for next-generation sequence (NGS) analysis.

Top 3 BioInformatics Companies by Revenue (2010-11)

Rank	Company	Revenue in Crore 2010-11	Revenue in Crore 2009-10	Revenue in Crore 2008-09	Change over 2009-10 (%) 2010 (%)	Change over 2008-09 (%) 2011 (%)
1	Ocimum Biosolutions	65.00	41.40	47.57	-12.97	57.00
2	Strand Life Sciences	42.00	35.00	35.00	0.00	20.00
3	Geschickten	0.65	—	—	—	—