Affymetrix (NASDAQ:AFFX) and MTI Ltd. (TSE:9438), through its
wholly-owned subsidiary, EverGene Ltd., (MTI/EG) announce that the
two companies will collaborate in genetic research and personal
genomics services in Japan. With the support of leading academics
and through this collaboration, MTI/EG plans to further expand
their business in the healthcare field.
MTI/EG, a personal genome services (PGS) provider in Japan,
announced their new research service under the supervision of Dr.
Naoyuki Kamatani, Director, Tsukuba International Clinical
Pharmacology Clinic (TICP) and Director, StaGen Co. Ltd.. One of
the research programs is a collaborative project with TICP in the
“quality of life” area. More than 10,000 volunteers from the
subscriber base of MTI’s LunaLuna, a women’s healthcare service
mobile app in Japan, have applied to participate in this research
program. The outcome of the research is expected to produce results
that will enable MTI/EG to introduce, over time, new categories of
PGS in several fields for quality of life improvement. “I am
excited to work with MTI/EG in this important work,” stated Dr.
Naoyuki Kamatani. “I believe that providing people with an easy way
to understand their genetics as it relates to quality of life will
lead to improved awareness of health and well-being, and ultimately
happier and healthier lives.”
MTI/EG announced the launch of “DearGene Starter Kit”, which is
an updated genotyping service for consumers. This service is a
comprehensive genotyping analysis that provides diseases onset risk
based on a risk calculation model developed by Dr. Kamatani.
Affymetrix’ Axiom genotyping platform will be used for generating
the individual’s genotyping data.
Affymetrix will support MTI/EG in their genetic research and PGS
programs in Japan by supplying its Axiom Genotyping Solution for
the highly accurate measurement of genetic variation. Samples from
MTI/EG will be processed exclusively by Takara Bio Inc. of Japan,
who has a excellent and long established reputation in the genomics
field. Affymetrix has begun providing MTI/EG with custom Axiom
genotyping arrays for the collaborative research program, and will
supply custom Axiom arrays for MTI/EG’s personal genomics service,
“DearGene Starter Kit”. “We feel very privileged to work closely
with MTI/EG and look forward to our Axiom technology being utilized
with the aim of providing improved quality of life for the Japanese
people,” stated Frank Witney, President and CEO of Affymetrix.
MTI Ltd. has been providing various healthcare services
addressing social and medical issues such as low birth rate,
healthy life expectancy, and reducing healthcare costs. “We are
very excited to work with Affymetrix,” stated Toshihiro Maeta,
President and CEO of MTI Ltd. “We value their long history in the
field of genetic analysis and their commitment to quality will help
us provide our customers with the best possible information that
can positively impact their lives. The strong relationship between
Affymetrix and MTI/EG is expected to advance these important
areas.”
“We are very pleased to announce the launch of our updated
genotyping service, DearGene Starter Kit. With our close
collaboration with Affymetrix and Takara Bio Inc., we look forward
to providing our Japanese customers with high quality genotyping
analysis services,” stated Masanori Akita, President and CEO of
EG.
PLEASE NOTE: Affymetrix®, the Affymetrix logo,
and Axiom® trademarks are the property of Affymetrix,
Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective
owners.
About MTI
MTI Ltd. (MTI) is a mobile content provider servicing all age
groups. MTI was founded in August 1996 and started a weather
forecast web service in the following year. Subsequently, MTI
offered various services including a music download website and a
women’s healthcare website. MTI has been expanding their services
to electronic books, weather forecasting, traffic information, and
a navigation map. Currently, MTI is focusing on their smart phone
applications and websites. They have one of the largest numbers of
paid-subscribers in Japan, and their service applications such as
“music.jp” or “LunaLuna” are well-known in Japan. MTI has been
listed with the first section of Tokyo Stock Exchange since March
24, 2015.
About EG
EverGene Ltd.(EG), one of the wholly-owned subsidiaries of MTI
Ltd., is a genotyping service provider in Japan. In April of 2014,
EG launched a knowledge based genotyping service. EG, endorsed by
academia in Japan, is a leader of PGS providers in this emerging
market. To learn more about EverGene Ltd., please visit
http://www.evergene.co.jp (in Japanese only)
About StaGen
StaGen Co. Ltd. was established based on the scientific work and
vision of Naoyuki Kamatani, MD, PhD, who served as a professor of
Tokyo Women’s Medical University and Director of Center for Genomic
Medicine in RIKEN. StaGen is an expert in the fields of statistical
genetics and statistics, and supports various kinds of research
projects conducted by academia and private companies. In addition,
StaGen is growing their healthcare business by leveraging
information and communication technology and utilizing the results
from genetic association studies for new drug development and drug
repositioning. Dr. Kamatani’s studies have covered a wide range of
topics including applied mathematics, statistics, statistical
genetics, computer technology, epidemiology, rheumatology, gout,
metabolic diseases, oncology, and drug development. He first
published the idea of personalized treatment for cancer by
targeting MTAP in 1981, and in the following year reported the
first evidence of MTAP deficiency occurring among human leukemias
in vivo. MTAP gene is associated with a known tumor suppressor gene
and its deficiency indicates a change in that tumor suppressor
gene. He also contributed to the early-phase development of
cladribine (anti-leukemic drug) and febuxostat (anti-gout drug) by
using data from human genetic studies. He published more than 600
peer-reviewed papers including 34 in Nature and Nature Genetics.
For more information about StaGen, please visit
www.stagen.co.jp.
About Takara Bio Inc.
Takara Bio Inc. is an innovative biotechnology company based in
Shiga, Japan. As a world leader in biotechnology research and
development, Takara Bio was the first company to market PCR
technology in Japan and is also the developer of RetroNectin®
reagent, which is used as a world standard in gene therapy
protocols. In addition to providing research reagents and equipment
to the life science research market, Takara Bio has active research
and product development activities in the fields of gene- and
cell-based therapy and agricultural biotechnology including
functional food and mushroom production business; and is committed
to preventing disease and improving the quality of life for
everyone through the use of biotechnology. Through strategic
alliances with other industry leaders, Takara Bio aims to extend
its reach around the world. More information is available at
www.takara-bio.com.
About Affymetrix
Affymetrix technologies enable multiplex and simultaneous
analysis of biological systems at the cell, protein, and gene
level, facilitating the rapid translation of bench-top research
into clinical and routine use for human health and wellness.
Affymetrix provides leadership and support, partnering with
customers in pharmaceutical, diagnostic, and biotechnology
companies, as well as leading academic, government, and non-profit
research institutes in their quest to use biology for a better
world. More than 2,300 microarray systems have been shipped around
the world and more than 94,500 peer-reviewed papers have been
published citing Affymetrix technologies. Affymetrix is
headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and has manufacturing
facilities in Cleveland, Ohio, San Diego, Vienna, and Singapore.
Affymetrix has about 1,100 employees worldwide and maintains sales
and distribution operations across Europe, Asia, and Latin America.
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. These and
other risk factors are discussed in Affymetrix' Form 10-K for the
year ended December 31, 2014, and other SEC reports for subsequent
quarterly periods.
AffymetrixMedia Contact:Mindy Lee-Olsen, 408-731-5523Vice
President, Marketing
Servicesmindy_lee-olsen@affymetrix.comorInvestor Contact:Doug
Farrell, 408-731-5285Vice President, Investor
Relationsdoug_farrell@affymetrix.com
Affymetrix (NASDAQ:AFFX)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jun 2024 to Jul 2024
Affymetrix (NASDAQ:AFFX)
Historical Stock Chart
From Jul 2023 to Jul 2024