ROCKVILLE, Md. — The second-floor protein factory at Celera Genomics Corp. bears little resemblance to an industrial site.

        A row of desk-size machines churn silently in the one-room lab, surrounded by unpacked crates and technicians. Much of the floor space is empty.

        But the small machines are working on an industrial genetic scale, hunting for the thousands of proteins that do everything from construct body tissue to color hair.

        Those proteins are made under instructions from genes. When genes and their instructions are defective, the effects can be disastrous for a person's health.

        Divining the details of protein creation on the molecular level is considered key to developing potentially lifesaving treatments for diseases including cancer.

        Research is producing palpable excitement that discoveries will transform medicine, prolong life — and earn biotech companies billions.

        That is why Celera opened this second-floor lab last month.

        “This is the next phase for us,” said Celera president J. Craig Venter, surrounded by the protein sequencers. “This is equipment that didn't exist before — it's not cutting-edge, it's bleeding-edge technology.”

        It was Celera's radical approach to biology that put Mr. Venter and Celera in the spotlight as the company deciphered the human genetic code at breakneck speed.

        Mr. Venter plans to use the same bold methods that made Celera a biotech maverick to challenge the pharmaceutical world.

        Celera, which has until now focused on selling access to its gene database, is starting to read that genetic library for clues to finding new drugs and treatments — and license those discoveries to big drug companies for potentially huge royalties.

        “Celera is going to be a discovery outsourcing company, and their prospects for succeeding are high,” said Winton Gibbons, an analyst with William Blair & Co.

        The company's methods have, however, drawn criticism from scientific peers. Questions linger about Celera's “shotgun” approach to gene sequencing, one that other scientists claim has left huge gaps in the genetic map.

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