AFFX Affymetrix, Inc.

IBM and Affymetrix Team to Deliver Tools to Accelerate Information-Based Medicine Initiative to Help Drive Open Standards for Integrating Genomic Research with Clinical Patient Data SOMERS, N.Y. and SANTA CLARA, Calif., March 30 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- IBM and Affymetrix, Inc., , today announced a global initiative to speed the adoption of a new information-based approach to medicine. The far-reaching collaboration is designed to help medical centers, pharmaceutical companies, and research institutions use advanced technologies to integrate genomic research data with patient clinical data, to help reduce healthcare costs, improve patient care and provide more targeted treatment solutions. (For an interactive version of this press release withadditional information, please go to http://www.corporate-ir.net/ireye/ir_site.zhtml?ticker=AFFX&script=400 and click on the release title) Under the agreement, IBM and Affymetrix will combine powerful open standards technologies, including the Affymetrix GeneChip(R) technology and IBM professional services in areas such as regulatory compliance, business integration, and systems integration. The IBM/Affymetrix initiative directly aligns with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Roadmap for accelerating medical discovery and applying knowledge about the human genome to diagnosing and treating diseases and improving health. The H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute at the University of South Florida is collaborating with IBM and Affymetrix to design innovative clinical trials that take into account the latest genetic research findings and determine tailored treatment options for Moffitt patients. "At Moffitt, we're committed to adopting the latest technologies to help researchers and clinicians speed cancer screening and diagnosis," said William Dalton, MD, Ph.D., CEO, Moffitt Cancer Center. "In order to quickly identify patients at risk and select potential clinical trial participants, we constantly seek out new solutions. Taking advantage of IBM's data integration services and life sciences expertise along with the Affymetrix GeneChip technology could lead to revolutionary ways to target cancer treatment." The IBM/Affymetrix solution is being designed to enable genetic data, such as how genes are expressed in a disease state, to be cross-referenced with patient data, including medical histories and lab tests. This data integration will make it quicker and easier to translate research findings into new, more individualized therapies and diagnostics. It will also help clinical trial investigators choose the best potential candidates for clinical trials -- and help improve trial successes -- by matching patient history with a particular genetic profile. "The Mayo Clinic Cancer Center is a pioneer in translating biomedical research discoveries into the improvement of patient care," said Frank Prendergast, MD, Ph.D., and director, Mayo Clinic Comprehensive Cancer Center. "The future of cancer care lies in the convergence of well characterized clinical data on clinical specimens and high-throughput research information. The IBM and Affymetrix partnership is an important demonstration of the platforms that will be needed to realize this vision." IBM and Affymetrix plan to work with research organizations, pharmaceutical companies, academic medical research institutions, and other organizations to promote open standards and new protocols for cross- organizational and cross-disciplinary integration of patient information with genomic and molecular research data. These collaborative efforts can help to build the infrastructure required to take advantage of the NIH Roadmap. This initiative will enable the type of cooperative research envisioned by the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies (FOCIS). FOCIS has Centers of Excellence comprised of clinician scientists from 28 major US medical centers in numerous fields of study who are exploring the use of similar treatments for dissimilar diseases. "The integration of different types of data, from different FOCIS Centers around the country is crucial for our group to study diseases in detail across organ and disease boundaries," said Garry Fathman, Professor of Medicine at Stanford and Chairman of FOCIS. "The collaborative work that FOCIS is doing, and which this IBM/Affymetrix initiative is enabling, represents the future of research in immune mediated diseases and we are very excited about its potential to drive discovery at FOCIS." About IBM Healthcareand Life Sciences IBM Healthcare and Life Sciences brings together IBM resources, including information technology, deep industry insights, and research expertise, to help clients develop and deliver safer, more affordable and more effective diagnostics, drugs and medical care. For more information about IBM Healthcare and Life Sciences, please visit http://www.ibm.com/industries/healthcare or http://www.ibm.com/lifesciences/ . About Affymetrix Affymetrix is a pioneer in creating breakthrough tools that are driving the genomic revolution. By applying the principles of semiconductor technology to the life sciences, Affymetrix develops and commercializes systems that enable scientists to improve quality of life. The Company's customers include pharmaceutical, biotechnology, agrichemical, diagnostics and consumer products companies as well as academic, government and other non- profit research institutes. Affymetrix offers an expanding portfolio of integrated products and services, including itsintegrated GeneChip platform, to address growing markets focused on understanding the relationship between genes and human health. Additional information on Affymetrix can be found at http://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, product development, market acceptance (including uncertainties relating to product development and market acceptance of the collaboration agreement and initiative between Affymetrix and IBM as discussed in this 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' Form10-K for the year ended December 31, 2003 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 toany 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 of Affymetrix, Inc. DATASOURCE: Affymetrix, Inc. CONTACT: Theo Chisholm of IBM Corporation, +1-914-766-3336, or ; or Wes Conard, +1-408-731-5791, or , or investors, Doug Farrell, +1-408-731-5285, or , both of Affymetrix, Inc. Web site: http://www.affymetrix.com/

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