Affymetrix (NASDAQ:AFFX)
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Affymetrix Inc. (NASDAQ:AFFX) announced today that it is
collaborating with leading researchers around the world as part of the
Affymetrix Control Program. The program will provide free, public
access to control cohort data for whole-genome association studies
using Affymetrix GeneChip(R) genotyping arrays. Participating
organizations include GlaxoSmithKline, the National Genome Research
Network (NGFN) in Germany, Erasmus MC in the Netherlands, the
Karolinska Institute in Sweden, the Centre National de Genotypage in
France and the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium (WTCCC) in the
UK.
Genotype data from more than 12,000 samples is in the process of
being committed to this unique project, which will make this the
world's largest population genetics resource. Use of appropriate
control data can reduce the number of control samples required.
Researchers can also add age- and sex-matched controls from similar
ethnic backgrounds as their cases to increase the genetic power of
their current studies.
The data on 9,000 samples will be released through the National
Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) over the next few months
to qualified scientific investigators. In addition, control data from
1,500 samples from the 1958 British Birth Cohort and 1,500 consented
blood donors of the UK Blood Services will be released by the WTCCC to
qualified scientific investigators. The WTCCC data will be linked to
and from the NCBI database. For more information on the WTCCC control
data, please visit www.wtccc.org.uk.
"The NCBI's mission is to serve as a public repository for data to
help advance scientific research," said Steve Sherry, Ph.D., staff
scientist at NCBI. "We are pleased to partner in this program, to not
only to distribute the data, but more importantly, to help ensure that
they are as useful as possible in benefiting the public health."
"The database will enable researchers from both academia and the
pharmaceutical industry to gain a better understanding of population
stratification, and how to correct for it when performing large-scale
association studies or pharmacogenomics studies," said Professor
Stefan Schreiber M.D., one of the two speakers of the NGFN in Germany
and researcher from the Christian-Albrechts-University in Kiel,
Germany. "The NGFN will provide almost 3,000 control datasets with the
two population collections, popgen and KORA-gen.
A multinational team of researchers, organized by Professor
Michael Krawczak, Ph.D., and his University colleague Professor
Schreiber, are collaborating to create a genetic map of Europe as part
of the Affymetrix Control Program. The group is analyzing data to
discover markers that could be used to identify different genetic
sub-populations on the continent.
To watch a two-part Affymetrix UserForum interview with Professors
Schreiber and Krawczak, please visit:
http://www.affymetrix.com/userGroup/news/collaborations/schreiber.html
"We have almost finished typing 1,800 samples from the KORA-gen
population (www.gsf.de/kora-gen) that will go into the Affymetrix
Control Database," said Professor Thomas Meitinger, M.D., director of
the Institute of Human Genetics at the GSF - Forschungszentrum fur
Umwelt und Gesundheit and member of the NGFN in Germany. "We have
started genotyping cases from several diseases for investigators who
will use the KORA-gen data as controls."
"We plan to also make our control sample from KORA-gen available
in association with P3G (www.p3gconsortium.org), the public population
project in genomics," said Professor Erich Wichmann, M.D., Ph.D., GSF
Institute of Epidemiology and head of the KORA study.
Affymetrix continues to look for more eligible samples and
anticipates that an additional 5,000 to 10,000 samples will be added
to this control program over the next year. A sample will be eligible
for the controls program if it represents the general population or a
control population, and was not selected for having a particular
disease phenotype.
"We plan on expanding the Affymetrix control program to include
data from populations around the world to better support the broad
spectrum of sample types used for genetic studies," said Tom Willis,
Ph.D., vice president, DNA Marketing at Affymetrix. "This program,
which consists of half a million SNPs across thousands of individuals,
will complement the database constructed by the International HapMap
Project that included four million SNPs across 210 individuals. It
will serve to increase the genetic discovery power for all customers
using our whole-genome association products."
To watch the two-part UserForum interview featuring Greg Marcus,
Ph.D., senior product manager, DNA Analysis at Affymetrix, please
visit:
http://www.affymetrix.com/userGroup/analysis/software/marcus.html
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 1,400 systems have been
installed around the world and nearly 4,000 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 1,100 employees worldwide. For more information
about Affymetrix, please visit the company's website 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:
uncertainties relating to the commercial and technological success of
the 500K Array Set Control Program discussed in this press release;
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,
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, 2005, 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.