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Biotech / Medical : AFFYMETRIX (AFFX) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: nigel bates who wrote (1606)	3/18/2003 9:49:50 AM
From: tuck	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1728

>>PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Affymetrix, Inc. (Nasdaq: AFFX - News), and ParAllele Bioscience today announced an agreement under which Affymetrix will supply ParAllele with GeneChip(R) Tag Arrays for use in combination with ParAllele's proprietary "lab in a tube"(TM) assay technology for custom single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping. Under the terms of the three-year, non-exclusive agreement, Affymetrix will supply catalog and custom-designed tag arrays to ParAllele for use in its commercial genotyping service business, and with its pharmaceutical collaborators. The companies also entered into a research and development agreement in which ParAllele will use Affymetrix' GeneChip® Brand Tag Arrays to develop a range of SNP assays that ParAllele will make available to its customers. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Affymetrix GeneChip® Tag Arrays are universal detection devices that can be utilized with a number of different assays. Each array contains sets of unique "tag" sequences that hybridize to complementary sequences generated in the assay. ParAllele's Molecular Inversion Probe (MIP) assay technology allows up to 10,000 genotyping reactions to be combined in a single tube. Together, these technologies provide a scalable and flexible genotyping solution for a wide variety of DNA analysis applications, including fine mapping and custom SNP genotyping. "Affymetrix has introduced innovative new products for DNA analysis -- the GeneChip Human Mapping 10K Array for whole genome mapping and the GeneChip CustomSeq(TM) Array Program for resequencing," said Greg Yap, Affymetrix' Senior Marketing Director, DNA Analysis. "In addition, we look forward to supplying our Tag Arrays to ParAllele to enable them to provide services to customers such as refining linkage regions or undertaking candidate gene studies." "ParAllele is now positioned to deliver a wide range of SNP discovery and genotyping solutions," said Tom Willis, Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of ParAllele. "This agreement ensures us access to a high-quality, high-content microarray platform and allows ParAllele to focus on its reagents and collaborations-based business model. We have been using Affymetrix GeneChip Tag Arrays in our collaboration with Baylor University on the NIH-funded International HapMap Project and we are very pleased with the results." 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, agrichemical, 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 ParAllele Bioscience: ParAllele BioScience is developing and commercializing new products and technologies that will fundamentally transform comprehensive genomic analysis. ParAllele's proprietary "lab in a tube"(TM) methodology enables researchers to unravel the molecular basis of disease and drug response, providing a definitive solution for extracting valuable genomic information from a single streamlined infrastructure. The company's tools allow thousands of targets to be screened in a single tube assay with increased accuracy and speed while reducing costs and DNA sample usage. With a grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), ParAllele is using its proprietary technologies in collaboration with the Baylor College of Medicine's Human Genome Sequencing Center, to contribute to the creation of a public haplotype map (or "HapMap") of the human genome. Headquartered in South San Francisco, California, ParAllele BioScience was founded by a team of leading researchers from the Stanford Genome Technology Center and Uppsala University in 2001. The company's Series A financing was led by Versant Ventures and Abingworth Management and was joined by seed investor Index Ventures. For more information about ParAllele, please visit the company's website at: www.p-gene.com. << snip Cheers, Tuck

To: nigel bates who wrote (1606)	5/8/2003 11:26:56 AM
From: tuck	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 1728

>>ARLINGTON, Va., May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- As in other areas where DNA microarrays have been applied, this remarkable technology is now playing a major role in defining the field of toxicogenomics. Looking for faster and more accurate ways to assess potentially harmful compounds, toxicologists are exploiting microarrays as never before to look at gene expression patterns on a genomic scale in response to potentially toxic stimuli. The thousands of data points generated from a single toxicogenomics study allow researchers to elucidate mechanisms of toxicity and map toxicity profiles of new compounds with a level of precision that was previously impossible. This technology should enable drug companies to screen out losing compounds far earlier in the drug discovery/development process, bringing new pharmaceuticals to the market faster and cheaper than ever before. To help life science suppliers capitalize on this burgeoning field, BioInformatics, LLC recently published, "The Market for Toxicogenomics Products & Services." Based on a detailed 38-question survey of over 300 scientists involved in toxicogenomics, the report provides a look at service providers, microarrays, databases and informatics products from the end-user's perspective. DNA microarrays are essential to toxicogenomics research. In fact, approximately two-thirds of the scientists who conduct toxicogenomics experiments utilize microarrays, with little variation between academic and industry segments. "While most researchers report using 1 to 10 microarrays per month, heavy users -- primarily those in industry -- account for 78% of total usage. Over the next year, the use of microarrays for toxicogenomics is expected to grow approximately 33% among existing users," notes Dr. Robin Rothrock, Director of Market Research at BioInformatics. Report findings indicate that glass chips, glass slides and membranes are the predominant microarray platforms used by toxicogenomicists. 68% of the scientists surveyed purchase microarrays from a commercial provider. Affymetrix's (Nasdaq: AFFX - News) GeneChip® platform has a leading market position as it was the first mass-market high-density DNA microarray and is currently considered the industry standard. Toxicogenomicists also obtain microarrays through non-commercial sources such as collaborators and by printing them in- house, cited by 12% and 20% of the respondents, respectively. "Toxicogenomics will not be more widely adopted until suppliers decide who their customers are and how to meet their needs," says Rothrock. Indeed, survey results indicate that scientists are not overwhelmingly satisfied with the microarrays they are currently using. The attributes of DNA microarrays that are most important to customers are directly related to microarray quality, including detectable fold-change, reproducibility, specificity and linear dynamic range. "One can argue that improved microarray quality can lead to enhanced reproducibility thus increasing customer satisfaction. Suppliers who can consistently produce high-quality arrays should be able to support satisfied and loyal customers as well as encourage platform 'lock- in'," speculates Rothrock. "The Market for Toxicogenomics Products & Services" provides an in-depth understanding of the challenges facing toxicogenomicists, which is integral to suppliers trying to employ strategies that successfully meet and exceed customer needs and expectations. By understanding their experiences, preferences and expectations, life science suppliers can better position themselves to appeal to researchers' diverse needs. For a complimentary Executive Summary of this report, please visit gene2drug.com ABOUT BIOINFORMATICS, LLC BioInformatics, LLC is a market research firm located in Arlington, Virginia. BioInformatics supports marketing, sales and R&D executives in the life science, medical device and pharmaceutical industries through published research reports, custom research and consulting. BioInformatics sponsors the world's largest market research panel of scientific customers -- The Science Advisory Board (http://www.scienceboard.net) -- which consists of more than 14,700 scientists, physicians and other life science and medical professionals from 62 countries who participate in surveys that address emerging technologies, test customer reactions to new product concepts, measure brand awareness and assess advertising effectiveness. For more information, please contact: Alyssa Martin BioInformatics, LLC 2111 Wilson Blvd., Suite 250 Arlington, VA 22201 703.778.3080 x12 (phone) 703.778.3081 (fax) a.martin@gene2drug.com gene2drug.com << Cheers, Tuck