Omics

The branches of science informally referred to as omics are various disciplines of biology whose names end in the suffix -omics (omiks), such as genomics, proteomics, metabolomics, metagenomics, phaenomics and transcriptomics. Omics aims at the collective characterization and quantification of pools of biological molecules that affect the structure, function and dynamics of an organism or organisms.

The related suffix -om is used to denote the objects of study in these areas, such as the genome, proteome or metabolome. The suffix -om, as used in molecular biology, refers to a kind of totality; it is an example of a "neo-suffix" formed by abstracting from various Greek terms in -ωμα, a sequence that does not form an identifiable suffix in Greek.

For example, functional genomics aims to determine the functions of as many genes of a particular organism as possible. It combines various -omics techniques such as transcriptomics and proteomics with saturated mutant collections.

The related suffix -ome is used to refer to the objects of study in these areas, such as the genome, proteome and metabolome respectively. The suffix -ome, as used in molecular biology, refers to a kind of totality; it is an example of a "neo-suffix" formed by abstracting from various Greek terms in -ωμα, a sequence that does not form an identifiable suffix in Greek.

Functional genomics aims to determine the functions of as many genes of a particular organism as possible. It combines various -omics techniques such as transcriptomics and proteomics with saturated mutant collections.