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Affymetrix Forms Research Alliance With Imperial College London and the Medical Research Council

Posted on: Wednesday, 14 December 2005, 09:00 CST

Affymetrix Inc. (Nasdaq:AFFX) announced today that it has entered into a collaboration with Imperial College London and the Medical Research Council (MRC) to discover the genetic variations associated with cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes. The agreement is part of Affymetrix' translational medicine program, an initiative designed to accelerate clinical research and improve patient care by helping to bring more effective personalized tests and therapies to market faster.

Researchers at Imperial College and the MRC will use Affymetrix GeneChip(R) technology to perform genotyping and gene-expression experiments. The microarray technology will enable them to test for genetic mutations and identify genes that are similarly expressed among a group of people who suffer from the same disease. Physicians can then use the information to test other patients for these diseases, enabling them to diagnose and treat the disease early before irreversible symptoms develop.

"It is becoming increasingly clear that understanding the relationship between genes and human health is the key to future medical breakthroughs," said Professor Stephen Smith, principal of the Faculty of Medicine at Imperial College. "This research alliance will enable us to combine our expertise with that of our partners to gain a much better understanding of a number of health problems and develop new treatments to tackle them."

"This new agreement with Affymetrix will greatly enhance our ability to undertake research into the genetics of major diseases and ultimately lead to improvements in diagnosis and treatment," said Professor Chris Higgins, director of the Clinical Sciences Centre.

"Affymetrix is working with many leading research organizations like Imperial College London and the Medical Research Council to help classify, manage and treat complex diseases," said Gareth Thomson, senior marketing manager at Affymetrix. "Scientists around the world are using our GeneChip technology to accelerate the development of a new personalized approach to medicine."

Affymetrix collaborates with academic institutions and patient advocacy groups through the company's translational medicine program to develop more effective treatments. Affymetrix GeneChip microarray technology helps researchers tailor treatments for individual patients by identifying and measuring the genetic information associated with complex diseases. The translational medicine program complements the Powered by Affymetrix(TM) program, which enables companies to license GeneChip technology to develop innovative microarray products. This custom-designed technology is being used in many applications, including diagnostics, forensics, animal, industrial and food testing.

About Affymetrix

Affymetrix scientists invented the world's first high-density microarray in 1989 and began selling the first commercial microarray in 1994. Since then, Affymetrix GeneChip(R) technology has become the industry standard in molecular biology research. 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 1,300 systems have been installed around the world and nearly 3,000 peer-reviewed papers have been published using the technology. Affymetrix' patented photolithographic manufacturing process provides the most information capacity available today on an array, enabling researchers to use a whole-genome approach to analyzing the relationship between genetics and health. Affymetrix is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., with manufacturing facilities in Sacramento, Calif., and Bedford, Mass. The company maintains important sales and marketing operations in Europe and Asia and has about 1,000 employees worldwide. For more information about Affymetrix, please visit the company's Web site at www.affymetrix.com.

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 of the Company's ability to achieve and sustain higher levels of revenue, higher gross margins, reduced operating expenses; uncertainties relating to technological approaches, manufacturing (including risks related to the Company's ability to achieve hoped-for manufacturing yields for certain array products, including the ability to identify and resolve manufacturing problems), product development (including uncertainties relating to commercial and technological success of the strategic alliance between Imperial College London, the Medical Research Council and Affymetrix discussed in this press release); 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, 2004, 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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