Transgenic knockouts as part of high-throughput, evidence-based target selection and validation strategies

The worldwide genome sequencing projects are helping to define the size and complexity of the expressed genome and are thereby identifying an unprecedented number of genes of uncertain disease alignment and unknown function. It is widely recognized that, within the pharmaceutical industry, a significant commercial advantage will accrue to those companies that most effectively gather and integrate additional biological information into their therapeutic target selection and drug progression strategies. This article presents the rationale for including comparative phenotypic information obtained from transgenic gene knockouts as an integral part of any future therapeutic target selection strategy.