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Agencourt, Affymetrix Clinical Services Lab and NuGEN Technologies Collaborate to Accelerate Automated Clinical Whole Blood Sample Expression Profiling on GeneChip(R) Microarrays

Posted on: Wednesday, 25 April 2007, 15:00 CDT

Agencourt Bioscience, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Beckman Coulter, Inc., NuGEN Technologies, Inc., and Affymetrix Clinical Services Laboratory (ACSL) today announced a collaboration that has yielded a service offering for the automated isolation and target preparation of RNA from whole blood samples collected, stabilized, and stored in PAXgene Blood Tubes. The service offering enables expression analysis profiling using Affymetrix GeneChip® technology and is valuable for pharmaceutical companies focused on drug discovery and development. It is also useful for government agencies conducting biomarker discovery and cancer research and for academic centers of excellence and core labs where rapid, high-throughput applications are critical.

This service offering automates the Agencourt RNAdvance™ Blood chemistry and NuGEN's Ovation® Whole Blood Solution for RNA amplification and labeling, which utilizes the Agencourt RNAClean® Kit and the Agencourt SPRIPlate® 96R Magnet Plate. Together, the complete workflow delivers high yields from small RNA samples, while eliminating cumbersome, time-consuming steps such as globin reduction and column purification. Automation is carried out with Beckman Coulter's ArrayPLEX application on the Biomek® FX Liquid Handling Workstation. Customized methods were developed by Array Automation, LLC, a joint venture of Beckman Coulter and Affymetrix.

Demonstrating the performance of this high-throughput automated solution in a validated, reproducible, and CLIA-certified laboratory environment was critical. "We have successfully created an automated protocol that makes gene expression analysis from blood feasible for clinical research labs. NuGEN, Agencourt, and Beckman Coulter each bring a key component to the processes of RNA isolation, amplification, and target preparation for our GeneChip® microarray format," explained Cynthia French, Ph.D., MBA, vice president, Affymetrix Clinical Services Laboratory. "Because high-throughput solutions may address labor shortages in clinical research laboratories, a key advantage these companies offer is the ability to automate each of the steps using the Beckman Coulter liquid handling systems."

"Affymetrix is the leading provider of arrays for gene expression analysis and we are pleased to be part of this collaboration," said Lynn Doucette-Stamm, vice president of business development at Agencourt Bioscience. "The ability to automate Agencourt RNAdvance blood and RNAClean chemistries, combined with the throughput of the NuGEN amplification process, delivers target RNA for microarrays three to five times faster than other available methods."

"We are delighted to collaborate with Agencourt and Affymetrix on cutting-edge work in response to the promise of personalized medicine and translating today's discoveries into tomorrow's diagnostic applications," commented Sue Pandey, Ph.D., vice president of commercial operations for NuGEN Technologies. "We already had built a successful relationship with Agencourt, having packaged our WT-Ovation™ Pico Amplification System with the Agencourt RNAClean technology. This latest collaboration and the inclusion of Affymetrix brings this robust solution to new and powerful clinical applications."

Agencourt Bioscience Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Beckman Coulter, Inc., is a leading provider of nucleic acid purification products and genomic services for life science research. Agencourt reagents use the patented Agencourt SPRI® (Solid Phase Reversible Immobilization) paramagnetic bead-based technology for nucleic acid isolation and purification.

NuGEN Technologies, Inc. (http://www.nugeninc.com), based in San Carlos, CA, is focused on the development and commercialization of sensitive, rapid and high-throughput amplification and detection systems to enable the comprehensive analysis and discovery of biological mechanisms, cellular responses, and disease pathologies.

The Affymetrix Clinical Services Laboratory (ACSL) is a CLIA certified facility that offers complex microarray-based molecular diagnostic patient and clinical trial testing services designed to improve healthcare and help customers develop personalized tests and therapies faster than ever before. The Affymetrix-owned and --operated laboratory enables clinical and research laboratories, as well as diagnostic and pharmaceutical companies, to incorporate complex molecular tests into clinical practice. For more information about the Affymetrix Clinical Services Laboratory, please send an email to diagnosticsales@affymetrix.com.

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 1,500 systems have been shipped around the world and more than 8,500 peer-reviewed papers have been published using the technology.

Affymetrix Inc. (NASDAQ:AFFX) 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.

Beckman Coulter, Inc., based in Fullerton, California, develops, manufactures and markets products that simplify, automate and innovate complex biomedical tests. More than 200,000 Beckman Coulter systems operate in laboratories around the world supplying critical information for improving patient health and reducing the cost of care. Recurring revenue consisting of supplies, test kits, service and operating-type lease payments represent more than 75 percent of the company's 2006 annual revenue of $2.53 billion. For more information, visit www.beckmancoulter.com.

NuGEN, Ovation, SPIA, Ribo-SPIA, WT-Ovation, FL-Ovation, and Imagine More From Less are trademarks or service marks of NuGEN Technologies, Inc. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

Source: Business Wire

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