Instead of making drugs, they would use the high-tech tools of gene chips, high-throughput screening, combinatorial chemistry (the rapid mixing and matching of chemicals) and bioinformatics (software that analyzes data)--to develop entirely different compounds.

FORBES: Breaking a Sweat

The method requires a series of advanced laboratory procedures, microarray chips and a high-speed gene-sequencing machine to assemble the strands in the proper order, correct any errors and then read the final text.

WSJ: Harvard Researchers Turn Book Into DNA Code

Merck (nyse: MRK - news - people ), the world's third-largest drug company, is using gene expression arrays, also known as DNA chips, to keep clinical duds from reaching expensive animal or human trials.

FORBES: Magazine Article