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Children's Hospital of Philadelphia Selects Affymetrix SNP Array 6.0 for Series of Whole-Genome Association Studies Across 7,000 Samples

Posted on: Wednesday, 25 July 2007, 09:19 CDT

Affymetrix Inc. (Nasdaq: AFFX) announced today that the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia will use the Affymetrix Genome-Wide Human SNP Array 6.0 for a series of whole-genome association studies. Researchers at the Children's Hospital are extending their collaborations to investigators who have preference for the Affymetrix genotyping platform to identify the genes responsible for complex medical disorders, such as cardiovascular, metabolic and central nervous system (CNS) disorders. The results of these studies will enable scientists from around the world to develop more effective, personalized treatments.

The research team at Children's Hospital will use the Affymetrix technology to conduct whole-genome association studies on DNA samples from 7,000 individuals in these early studies. The Affymetrix SNP Array 6.0 is a single microarray that simultaneously measures more than 1.8 million markers for genetic variation. The array enables researchers to perform the most powerful whole-genome association and copy number studies ever by genotyping more markers across more individuals at a lower cost per sample. These higher-powered studies increase the probability of discovering genes associated with adverse drug response or complex diseases.

"The increased genetic coverage, expanded content and affordability of the Affymetrix SNP Array 6.0 enables us to perform highly powered association and copy number studies, which will provide us with a better understanding of the role of genes and genetic variants in complex diseases," said Hakon Hakonarson, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Center for Applied Genomics at Children's Hospital. "The results from these projects will open the door to new genetic studies and help us extend current collaborations with other investigators around the world."

"For more than 150 years, the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia has made numerous discoveries and innovations that have improved pediatric medicine and helped save lives," said Kevin King, president of life sciences business and executive vice president at Affymetrix. "Because of its superior performance, the Affymetrix SNP Array 6.0 is quickly becoming the gold-standard tool for these types of large-scale, whole-genome association studies."

For more information about the SNP Array 6.0, please visit: http://www.affymetrix.com/genechip/snp6.affx.

For more information about recent whole-genome association studies using Affymetrix technology, please visit:

Genetic Association Information Network Selects Affymetrix SNP Array 6.0 for Latest Series of Studies: http://investor.affymetrix.com/ phoenix.zhtml?c=116408&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1021780

Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium Completes World's Largest Whole-genome Association Project Using Affymetrix Technology: http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=AFFX&script =410&layout=-6&item_id=1012959

Korea NIH to Use Affymetrix Technology for Groundbreaking Genome-wide Association Study: http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ ir_site.zhtml?ticker=AFFX&script=410&layout=-6&item_id=1014264

Research Team Uses Affymetrix Technology to Identify New Alzheimer's Gene: http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml ?ticker=AFFX&script=410&layout=-6&item_id=1012611

(Due to the length of the above URLs, it may be necessary to copy and paste these hyperlinks into your Internet browser's URL address field.)

About the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia was founded in 1855 as the nation's first pediatric hospital. Through its long-standing commitment to providing exceptional patient care, training new generations of pediatric healthcare professionals and pioneering major research initiatives, Children's Hospital has fostered many discoveries that have benefited children worldwide. Its pediatric research program is among the largest in the country, ranking third in National Institutes of Health funding. In addition, its unique family-centered care and public service programs have brought the 430-bed hospital recognition as a leading advocate for children and adolescents. For more information, visit http://www.chop.edu.

About Affymetrix

Affymetrix GeneChip® microarray technology is the industry-standard tool for analyzing complex genetic information. After inventing microarray technology in the late 1980s, Affymetrix scientists have been dedicated to developing innovative products that provide researchers with a more complete view of the genome. These products continue to accelerate genetic research and enable scientists to develop diagnostics and tailor treatments for individual patients by identifying and measuring the genetic information associated with complex diseases.

Today, Affymetrix technology is used by the world's top pharmaceutical, diagnostic and biotechnology companies, as well as leading academic, government and not-for-profit research institutes. More than 1,600 systems have been shipped around the world and more than 9,500 peer-reviewed papers have been published using the technology.

Affymetrix is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., and has manufacturing facilities in Sacramento, Calif., and Singapore. The company has about 1,100 employees worldwide and maintains sales and distribution operations across Europe and Asia. For more information about Affymetrix, please visit the company's website at www.affymetrix.com.

Forward-looking Statements

All statements in this press release that are not historical are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act as amended, including statements regarding Affymetrix' "expectations,""beliefs,""hopes,""intentions,""strategies" or the like. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially for Affymetrix from those projected, including, but not limited to: risks and uncertainties associated with the agreement with the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia discussed in this press release, including the use of the results of the studies to be conducted pursuant to such agreement; risks of the company's ability to achieve and sustain higher levels of revenue, higher gross margins and reduced operating expenses; uncertainties relating to technological approaches, manufacturing and product development; personnel retention; uncertainties related to cost and pricing of Affymetrix products; dependence on collaborative partners; uncertainties relating to sole-source suppliers; uncertainties relating to FDA and other regulatory approvals; competition; risks relating to intellectual property of others and the uncertainties of patent protection and litigation. These and other risk factors are discussed in Affymetrix' Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2006, and other SEC reports, including its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for subsequent quarterly periods. Affymetrix expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in Affymetrix' expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based.

NOTE: Affymetrix, the Affymetrix logo and GeneChip® are registered trademarks owned or used by Affymetrix Inc.

Source: Business Wire

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