GE Healthcare's recently announced "cellular pharmacogenomics" partnership with the Phoenix, Ariz.-based Translational Genomics Research Institute may show HCS to be a useful tool for genomics-based drug development and eventually, personalized medicine.

The alliance, which is built around GE's IN Cell Analyzer high-content screening platform, is also part of the firm's broader strategy to partner with research institutions that can push its technologies into personalized medicine.