PE Biosystems Designs TaqMan Gene Expression Reagents for All Drosophila -- Fruit Fly -- Genes; Assay reagents developed using Celera Genomics information
FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BW HealthWire)--July 12, 2000--The PE Biosystems Group (NYSE:PEB), a PE Corporation business, today announced that it has designed a suite of TaqMan(R) assay reagents that monitor the expression of all Drosophila melanogaster (fruit fly) genes.
This development, using Drosophila gene sequences developed by the Celera Genomics Group (NYSE:CRA), highlights the complementary relationship of PE Corporation's two business groups.
"This is an important milestone for PE Biosystems and Celera Genomics and demonstrates the synergistic relationship that we envisioned when Celera was first formed," said Michael Hunkapiller, Ph.D., president of PE Biosystems. "These gene expression reagents are the first step of a continual process which should enable PE Biosystems to rapidly design products based on the genomic information provided by Celera."
The new TaqMan(R) assay reagents, designed for use with the ABI PRISM(R) 7700 and the GeneAmp(R) 5700 sequence detection systems, are immediately available to scientists engaged in Drosophila research. Drosophila has been studied for nearly a century and is considered a model organism in biological research because it shares similar DNA sequences with humans.
PE Biosystems' ability to develop further products based on information from Celera Genomics' growing database is expected to benefit pharmaceutical researchers as well. The 7700 and 5700 sequence detection systems allow customers to quantify gene expression. The delivery of new genetic information should enable more advanced and accelerated research on diseases and drugs to combat them.
In a joint publication (Science, March 24, 2000), Celera and the Berkeley Drosophila Genome Project (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory) reported their findings relating to sequencing and annotation of the complete Drosophila genome, composed of an estimated 13,600 genes. The Drosophila genome shares many sequence and gene similarities to the human genome. Of 289 genes known to cause disease in humans -- including cancer and cardiovascular diseases -- researchers discovered about 175 in Drosophila.
"A key business goal at Celera has been to create a linkage between our information databases and tools used by researchers in the lab. In this way Celera's information databases add further value to the researcher. The creation of this product is the first in this regard," said J. Craig Venter, Ph.D., president and chief scientific officer of Celera Genomics.
Researchers can utilize Celera's database to identify Drosophila transcripts and genes for further study by visiting Celera's web site at celera.com. The PE Biosystems TaqMan(R) Gene Expression Reagents for Drosophila are the tools being offered to further analyze those genes of interest.
PE Corporation comprises two operating groups. The PE Biosystems Group (NYSE:PEB), with sales of $1.2 billion during fiscal 1999, develops and markets instrument-based systems, reagents, software and contract services to the life science industry and research community. PE Biosystems is headquartered in Foster City, CA, and comprises four divisions: Applied Biosystems, PE Informatics, PerSeptive Biosystems, and Tropix. The Celera Genomics Group (NYSE:CRA), headquartered in Rockville, MD, intends to become the definitive source of genomic and related medical information. Information about the company, including reports and other information filed by the company with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, is available on the World Wide Web at www.pecorporation.com or by phoning 800/762-6923.
Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking. These may be identified by the use of forward-looking words or phrases such as "believe," "expect," "intend," "anticipate," "should," "planned," "estimated," and "potential," among others. These forward-looking statements are based on PE Corporation's current expectations. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" for such forward-looking statements. In order to comply with the terms of the safe harbor, PE Corporation notes that a variety of factors could cause actual results and experience to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements. The risks and uncertainties that may affect the operations, performance, development, and results of PE Biosystems businesses include but are not limited to (1) rapidly changing technology and dependence on new products; (2) sales dependent on customers' capital spending policies and government-sponsored research; (3) claims for patent infringement; (4) significant overseas operations; (5) future growth strategy; (6) earthquakes; and (7) other factors that might be described from time to time in PE Corporation's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Celera, PE, PE Biosystems, PE Corporation, and PE Informatics are trademarks, and ABI PRISM and its design, Applied Biosystems, PerSeptive Biosystems, and Tropix are registered trademarks of PE Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and certain other countries.
GeneAmp and TaqMan are registered trademarks of Hoffmann-La Roche, Inc.
The PCR process and 5' nuclease process are covered by patents owned by Roche Molecular Systems, Inc. and F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd.
For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures.
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