MADISON,
Wis.-June 21, 2004 -NimbleGen® Systems Inc. (NimbleGen) announced
today that it has entered into a commercial agreement with Affymetrix
(Nasdaq: AFFX) under which Affymetrix will commercialize new,
customized NimbleExpress™ Arrays manufactured by NimbleGen.
This relationship
combines the flexibility of NimbleGen's photolithographic Maskless
Array Synthesis (MAS) technology with the reproducibility and
ease of use of Affymetrix GeneChip® system, including reagents,
instrumentation, and analysis software. Through the agreement,
Affymetrix will commercialize made-to-order NimbleExpress Arrays
for use on Affymetrix GeneChip instrument systems.
The new NimbleExpress
Arrays enable the analysis of up to 282,000 unique oligos on a
single array and can be used for gene expression, genome tiling,
and other experiments, as well as for new applications development.
For gene expression studies, these probes can interrogate up to
12,000 transcripts.
With minimum
orders of only 10 arrays, the NimbleExpress Arrays are ideally
suited for custom experiments or pilot studies. Affymetrix will
offer a four-week lead time for these custom arrays, which are
individually produced and quality tested to ensure that they meet
both companies' high standards for quality and reproducibility.
Stanley Rose,
Ph.D., NimbleGen President and CEO, commented, "We're thrilled
to enter into this partnership with the leading company in the
microarray marketplace. This relationship will provide customers
who use the Affymetrix GeneChip platform with the ability to conduct
novel experiments of their own design, rapidly iterate designs,
and invent entirely new applications. By combining NimbleGen technology
with the now standard Affymetrix instrumentation platform, NimbleExpress
arrays will make custom microarrays available to all scientists,
encompassing the full diversity of biological research."
NimbleExpress
Arrays are available for purchase only through Affymetrix. For
more information about NimbleExpress Arrays, please visit http://www.affymetrix.com/products/arrays/specific/nimble.affx.
For more information on the MAS technology and related NimbleGen
products and services, please visit www.nimblegen.com.
About NimbleGen Systems Inc.
NimbleGen
Systems is the leading supplier of customized high-density microarray
products and services, offering unprecedented flexibility for
genomics research. NimbleGen's Maskless Array Synthesis (MAS)
technology combines photo-deposition chemistry with digital light
projection to shorten array fabrication from months to hours.
Customers benefit from extreme flexibility, optimized array design,
highly reproducible array fabrication and statistically robust
results-all with low cost and quick turnaround. NimbleGen is working
with scientists around the world to develop and deploy a wide
range of new microarray applications.
