ParAllele and Affymetrix Partner to Offer New Custom and Standard Genotyping Products
May 19 2004 - 6:00PM
PR Newswire (US)
ParAllele and Affymetrix Partner to Offer New Custom and Standard
Genotyping Products Affymetrix to Distribute ParAllele Products
Under Expanded Relationship SANTA CLARA, Calif. and SOUTH SAN
FRANCISCO, Calif., May 19 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Affymetrix,
Inc. , and ParAllele BioScience today announced that they have
signed a non-exclusive distribution and marketing agreement. The
two companies are now offering early technology access to
ParAllele's MegAllele(TM) genotyping reagents for use with
Affymetrix GeneChip(R) arrays, enabling researchers to perform
large-scale genotyping in their own labs with their own panels of
single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). These SNP genotyping
products, which will be formally launched in July, are ideal for
custom genotyping projects. Researchers studying candidate genes or
other regions of the genome have typically genotyped relatively few
SNPs per experiment due to cost and ease-of-use hurdles. Assay
design is customized and comprehensive, enabling researchers to
successfully genotype more of the SNPs they want. These new
products offer the ability to genotype up to tens of thousands of
SNPs in a single, flexible assay. MegAllele(TM) products include
genotyping reagent kits and software specifically designed for use
with Affymetrix GeneChip(R) Tag Arrays and instrumentation systems.
The initial offering includes custom panels of 3,000 to 5,000 SNPs
and standard panels of up to 10,000 pre-selected SNPs. Over time,
the product portfolio will grow to include additional custom and
standard products. Under the terms of the non-exclusive agreement,
which follows a year-long research and development collaboration,
ParAllele will design assays and manufacture reagent kits and
genotyping software. Affymetrix will market the integrated reagent
kits and software together with its arrays and instrumentation. "We
are enthusiastic to partner with ParAllele to bring their
innovative new genotyping assay to the broad marketplace," said
Greg Yap, Sr. Marketing Director, DNA Analysis for Affymetrix. "The
combination of these MegAllele(TM) brand reagents with our
industry-standard GeneChip brand microarrays will give customers
real solutions for candidate gene analysis and custom genotyping,
adding to our growing portfolio of DNA analysis products that range
from whole-genome analysis to resequencing." "We are delighted to
be working with Affymetrix to bring our technology to customers
around the world, leveraging their well established commercial
organization and trusted microarray platform," said Nick Naclerio,
President & CEO of ParAllele BioScience. "This partnership
represents an important step in the execution of our strategy to
deliver 'out-of-the-box' ParAllele products to the genetics
research community and complements our full service collaborations
business." MegAllele(TM) genotyping reagent kits are based on
ParAllele's Molecular Inversion Probe (MIP) technology that allows
tens of thousands of genotyping reactions to be combined in a
single tube with unmatched accuracy and specificity. The results of
the assay can be decoded using universal tags designed by
ParAllele. This approach has been successfully proven in the
International Human Haplotype Mapping (HapMap) Project and through
ParAllele's pharmaceutical and academic collaborations. Affymetrix'
GeneChip Tag Arrays contain sets of "tag" sequences that hybridize
to complementary sequences generated in the assay, allowing
high-density multiplexing with a simple readout. Together, these
technologies are expected to provide a scalable and flexible
genotyping solution for a wide variety of DNA analysis
applications, including fine mapping and custom SNP genotyping.
About ParAllele BioScience ParAllele BioScience is accelerating
healthcare breakthroughs by providing comprehensive genetic
discovery solutions to the life science research, pharmaceutical
and diagnostic sectors. The company's products and services utilize
a unique approach that leverages novel biochemical processes rather
than complex instrumentation to discover and analyze minute
variations in the human genome. The understanding of how subtle
genetic variations contribute to disease risk, prognosis and drug
response will lead to new and more effective drugs, predictive
diagnosis, and the ability to better tailor therapies to individual
patients. To date, ParAllele has established research
collaborations with multiple large pharmaceutical companies and
prestigious academic and government institutions. Headquartered in
South San Francisco, California, ParAllele BioScience was founded
by a team of leading researchers from the Stanford Genome
Technology Center and Uppsala University. The company's investors
include Abingworth Management, Index Ventures, Mohr Davidow
Ventures and Versant Ventures. For more information about
ParAllele, please visit the company's website at:
http://www.parallelebio.com/. 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 the 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 its integrated GeneChip brand 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 Affymetrix and ParAllele collaboration),
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, 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 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. DATASOURCE: ParAllele
BioScience CONTACT: Nick Naclerio, PhD, President & CEO of
ParAllele BioSciences, +1-650-583-5833, or ; or Karen Bergman or
Michelle Corral, both of BCC Partners, +1-650-575-1509 or
+1-415-794-8662, for ParAllele BioScience; or media, Wes Conard,
Associate Director, Public Relations, +1-408-731-5791, or
investors, Doug Farrell, Vice President, Investor Relations,
+1-408-731-5285, both of Affymetrix, Inc. Web site:
http://www.paralellebio.com/
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