The Formation of Bioinformatic Knowledge Markets: an 'economies of knowledge' approach

<jats:p>The paper explores how the emergence of bioinformatics has disrupted existing forms of economic organisation and the boundaries between market and non-market activities. New combinations of capabilities have emerged at the interface of biology, computer science and mathematics leading to the development of distinctive kinds of bioinformatic knowledge. The ways that bioinformatics spans public and private sectors, raise questions about what is tradable and not tradable, and the flows of knowledge and resources between sectors provide further evidence of the multiple character of economic processes. We develop an "economies of knowledge" framework to analyse the tensions and economic challenges presented by these complex interactions involved in the formation of bioinformatic knowledge markets.</jats:p>