New Delhi: India’s largest software firm, Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) is all set to enter into the bio-informatics market with its indigenously developed computing platforms and applications within this year.

The company, which has already invested around Rs 10 crore to nurture its 40-member team working exclusively on developing bio-informatics software solutions, is expected to launch its first database appliance specifically made for bioinformatics applications before the end of this year. Moreover, the company is now planning to develop bio-informatics software applications in collaboration with biotech and pharma companies.

"We are almost half done with the next generation database appliance and should be completing the development in next six months. We are also looking at tying up with pharma and biotech companies to collaborate for the development of software applications," TCS executive director M Vidyasagar told eFE.

The company is working on developing a comprehensive system — after combining software and hardware — so that the solution can be offered to even small companies through the subscription method, according to Mr Vidyasagar.

Although TCS is already in the process of developing a software solution called ‘Bio-Suite’ under its agreement with the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), the company will now be entering the global market with its own software solutions. Bio-Suite is being developed to be used in the New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership Initiative (NMITLI) project, jointly promoted by TCS in association with CSIR and other academic institutes.

"Our business plan is to create intellectual property assets by developing software products and solutions to cater to the high-end computing requirements of bio-tech and pharma companies," said Mr Vidyasagar.

The bioinformatics solutions are used for research activities like genome analysing, sequence analysing, 3D modelling, simulations, manipulation, structural changes, drug design, pathway modelling, SNP analysis and comparative genomics studies, etc.

TCS had announced its business interest in bioinformatics business more than a year back.

The company had entered into an agreement with the Hyderabad-based Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (CDFD), an R&D laboratory under the Department of Biotechnology, Government of India. to work in the area of bioinformatics research.

However, TCS has dedicated its full fledged team after its association with CSIR to develop the Bio-Suite. The central government’s two-year New Millennium project, is estimated to cost Rs 15 crore.

"The alpha version of the bio-suite will be ready for the release by mid 2003. The total efforts to develop the suite are expected to be around 80 person years," said Mr Vidyasagar.