Affymetrix
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| Type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Bioinformatics |
| Founded | 1992 |
| Headquarters | Santa Clara, California High Wycombe, UK Tokyo, Japan Shanghai, China |
| Number of locations | 13 |
| Key people | Stephen Fodor |
| Revenue |  US$327 Million (FY 2009)[1] |
| Operating income |  US$-30.6 Million (FY 2009)[1] |
| Net income | US$-23.9 Million (FY 2009)[1] |
| Total assets | US$612 Million (FY 2009)[2] |
| Total equity | US$288 Million (FY 2009)[2] |
| Employees | 1,141[3] |
| Website | www.affymetrix.com |
Affymetrix (NASDAQ: AFFX) is a company that manufactures DNA microarrays; it is based in Santa Clara, California, United States. The company was founded by Dr. Stephen Fodor in 1992. It began as a unit in Affymax N.V. in 1991 by Fodor's group, which had in the late 1980s developed methods for fabricating DNA microarrays, called "GeneChips" according to the Affymetrix trademark, using semiconductor manufacturing techniques. The company's first product, an HIV genotyping GeneChip, was introduced in 1994 and the company went public in 1996. As a result of its pioneering work and the ensuing popularity of microarray products, Affymetrix derives significant benefit from its patent portfolio in this area.
Acquisitions have included Genetic MicroSystems for slide-based microarrays and scanners,[4] Neomorphic for bioinformatics,[5] ParAllele Bioscience for custom SNP genotyping, USB/Anatrace for biochemical reagents,[6] and Panomics and True Materials to expand its offering of low to mid-plex applications.[7][8] In 2000, Perlegen Sciences spun out from Affymetrix to focus on wafer-scale genomics for massive data creation and collection required for characterizing population variance of genomic markers and expression for the drug discovery process.
[edit] Description of product
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Affymetrix makes quartz chips for analysis of DNA Microarrays. These chips are sold under the trademarked name GeneChip. Affymetrix's GeneChips assist researchers in quickly scanning for the presence of particular genes in a biological sample. Within this area, Affymetrix is focused on oligonucleotide microarrays. These microarrays are used to determine which genes exist in a sample by detecting specific pieces of mRNA. A single chip can be used to do thousands of experiments in parallel. Chips can be used only once.
Affymetrix sells both mass produced GeneChips intended to match scientifically important parts of human and other animal genomes. Affymetrix manufactures its GeneChips using photolithography. The company also manufactures machinery for high speed analysis of biological samples.
Affymetrix GeneChip Operating Software is a software system for managing Affymetrix microarray data.
Competitors in the DNA Microarray business include Illumina, GE Healthcare, Applied Biosystems, Beckman Coulter, Eppendorf Biochip Systems [1], and Agilent. There are also various inexpensive plastic-based technologies under development in small companies and laboratories around the world. It has been widely speculated that mass-produced plastic chips can be produced at lower prices than Affymetrix's quartz chips.
Affymetrix has established a licensing program to make its intellectual property accessible to stimulate the broad commercialization of genome analysis technologies. They have several collaboration relationships with other companies that utilize their patented GeneChip technology.
[edit] External links
- Affymetrix Homepage
- DNAVision, Gene Logic - Affymetrix official service provider.
[edit] References
- ^ a b c Affymetrix (AFFX) annual SEC income statement filing via Wikinvest
- ^ a b Affymetrix (AFFX) annual SEC balance sheet filing via Wikinvest
- ^ "Company Profile for Affymetrix Inc (AFFX)". http://www.zenobank.com/index.php?symbol=AFFX&page=quotesearch. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
- ^ "Affymetrix Acquires Genetic MicroSystems". Bioresearch Online. 1999-09-14. http://www.bioresearchonline.com/article.mvc/Affymetrix-Acquires-Genetic-MicroSystems-0001?VNETCOOKIE=NO. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
- ^ "Affymetrix Announces Definitive Merger Agreement With Neomorphic, Inc.". Affymetrix. 2000-10. http://investor.affymetrix.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=116408&p=irol-newsArticle_pf&ID=120125&highlight=. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
- ^ "Affymetrix Acquisition of USB — Frequently Asked Questions". Affymetrix. 2008-01-31. http://www.usbweb.com/assets/USB_Affymetrix_FAQs.pdf. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
- ^ "Affymetrix to acquire Panomics". Affymetrix. 2008-11-11. http://www.panomics.com/downloads/Panomics_Affy.pdf. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
- ^ "Affymetrix acquires bead-based technology". BNET. 2008-07-31. http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_hb6656/is_8_17/ai_n28573931. Retrieved 2009-03-12.
- "Affymetrix - Corporate History". Affymetrix. Archived from the original on 2006-11-07. http://web.archive.org/web/20061107074021/http://www.affymetrix.com/corporate/history/index.affx. Retrieved 2006-11-20. Note: reference includes all child pages and documents of this page, inclusive. There is some contradiction in specific details of the founding of Affymetrix among documents found here.
