Affymetrix Signs Agreement With Avesthagen Limited
March 24 2008 - 8:00AM
Business Wire
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
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