SANTA CLARA, Calif. and MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec. 9/PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Affymetrix, Inc., (Nasdaq: AFFX - News) and Arcturus
Engineering, Inc. announced today that they have entered into a strategic
relationship linking the premier provider of microarray technology with the
market leader in laser capture microdissection. Arcturus will gain broad
access to Affymetrix' standard and custom GeneChip(R) brand arrays,
instrumentation and software to monitor gene expression for use in research
and discovery efforts to develop novel microgenomics array-based diagnostic
products. Affymetrix made a $3 million equity investment in Arcturus, as a
part of Arcturus' recent $11 million private financing.
"We see microgenomics as an important enabling technology for a broad set of applications in research and diagnostics. Thus, we are very pleased that Arcturus has selected our technology as the array platform-of-choice," said Robert Lipshutz, Ph.D., Senior Vice President of Corporate Development at Affymetrix. "We believe our relationship with Arcturus will have strategic importance for jointly capturing the business opportunity in microgenomics and will create new opportunities in clinical genomics."
"We are delighted that Affymetrix has chosen Arcturus to be a strategic partner for microgenomics, and we expect our mutual customers to benefit from the relationship," said Dr. Thomas M. Baer, CEO and President of Arcturus. "By coupling Arcturus' state-of-the-art microgenomics systems with Affymetrix' superior high-density GeneChip technology we are now poised to increase our leadership in the life science research market and to expand rapidly into the drug development and clinical diagnostic areas."
About Affymetrix:
Affymetrix is a pioneer in creating breakthrough tools that are driving the genomic revolution. By applying the principles of semiconductor technology to the life sciences, Affymetrix develops and commercializes systems that enable scientists to improve the quality of life. The Company's customers include pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agrochemical, diagnostics and consumer products companies as well as academic, government and other non-profit research institutes. Affymetrix offers an expanding portfolio of integrated products and services, including its integrated GeneChip platform, to address growing markets focused on understanding the relationship between genes and human health. Additional information on Affymetrix can be found at www.affymetrix.com.
About Arcturus:
Located in Mountain View, CA and founded in 1996, Arcturus is a private company that manufactures and markets a complete line of integrated instruments and reagents for microgenomics -- the extraction and analysis of nucleic acids and proteins from laser captured cells. The company has developed a unique technology platform for enabling the next generation of molecular diagnostic tests and has applied its platform to discover cell-specific molecular signatures associated with human diseases such as cancer. The company's Laser Capture Microdissection systems are installed in over 500 laboratories worldwide. Additional information on Arcturus can be found at arctur.com. |
