If there was a single word that defined the proteomics world in 2003, it would have to be ‘biomarker.’ Nearly all of the 11 leading researchers interviewed for this issue named biomarkers, and in particular their application to pattern-based clinical diagnostics and toxicology, as one of the most memorable developments of 2003 — and pointed to 2004 as a defining year for determining whether the trend will continue to boom, or whether it will bust.

The Explosion