Affymetrix (NASDAQ:AFFX)
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Affymetrix Inc. (Nasdaq:AFFX) today announced that it has signed an
agreement with Avesthagen Limited, a leading biotechnology company based
in Bangalore, India. Under the terms of the agreement, Affymetrix’
microarray technology will be used for The AVESTAGENOME Project™,
a comprehensive genetic study of more than 60,000 Parsi individuals. The
project will explore the genetic basis of longevity and create a
genetic, genealogic and medical database of the Parsi-Zoroastrian
population.
Thirty-one percent of the Parsi population lives beyond the age of 60,
compared to seven percent nationally1. A better
understanding of the genetic causes of longevity could have a major
impact on the Indian Government’s healthcare
budget and drug companies’ marketing efforts.
The use of Affymetrix technology will enable researchers to correlate
genes with longevity, as well as neurodegenerative conditions, breast
cancer, diabetes and other complex diseases that affect the Parsi
community. The Parsi community was selected because of its longevity and
its relatively genetically homogeneous population. The AVESTAGENOME
Project™ was designed to lead to discovery of
novel biomarkers and drug targets that can result in predictive,
preventive and personalized healthcare.
“Working closely with a global leader such as
Affymetrix provides us with access to industry-leading technology and
some of the world’s most prominent genetic
researchers,” said Villoo Morawala-Patell,
Ph.D., founder, chairperson & managing director of Avesthagen Limited. “We
believe that the combination of the Affymetrix technology and our team
of scientists will yield interesting findings that will benefit people
around the world.”
The AVESTAGENOME Project™ takes a systems
biology approach which encompasses not only genotyping but also
expression profiling and transcriptomics. The genotyping phase of the
project, which began on October 5, 2007, consists of 10,000 samples in
the first year. By the middle of 2008, the team will perform expression
profiling and transcript mapping experiments across a subset of the
samples. The project is expected to be completed before 2013.
“The AVESTAGENOME Project™
is a prime example of a community uniting to accelerate research for the
common diseases affecting one another,” said
Kevin King, president of Affymetrix. “Affymetrix
looks forward to a long-term relationship with the Avesthagen team as it
develops the Parsi database and then looks to create more effective
diagnostics and personalized treatments for patients.”
All of the genetic information for The AVESTAGENOME Project™
is being collected following informed consent. Data confidentiality is
being maintained as in accordance with the Indian Council of Medical
Research guidelines.
Spinco Biotech Pvt. Ltd. will supply the Affymetrix microarray
technology and provide technical support to Avesthagen. Since being
founded in 1981, Spinco Biotech has grown into a leading distributor of
instrumentation and reagents for the biotechnology research and
industrial markets across India.
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 1,700 systems have been shipped around the world and more than
11,000 peer-reviewed papers have been published using the technology.
Affymetrix is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., and has
manufacturing facilities in Sacramento, Calif., Cleveland, Ohio, 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: 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
relating to commercial success of the agreement with Avesthagen
discussed in this press release; risks of the company’s
ability to achieve and sustain higher levels of revenue, higher gross
margins and reduced operating expenses; uncertainties related to
technological approaches, manufacturing and product development;
personnel retention; uncertainties related to cost and pricing of
Affymetrix products; dependence on collaborative partners; uncertainties
related to sole-source suppliers; risks associated with past and future
acquisitions; 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, 2007, 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.
1 UNESCO Parsi Zoroastrian Project: http://www.unescoparzor.com/project/demographics.htm