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Affymetrix is working with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to develop a GeneChip whole genome array that will facilitate study of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacterium – the cause of serious lung infections in cystic fibrosis patients.
Classifying Cancer
Widespread acceptance of Affymetrix’ expression monitoring technology by the academic community is evidenced by the numerous peer-reviewed research papers that have been published featuring the use of GeneChip technology. One powerful example shows how the Company’s expression arrays may be used to improve cancer treatment choices. For instance, current classification methods for subtyping leukemia are expensive, time-consuming, and subject to error. Since AML (acute myeloid leukemia) requires chemotherapy and possibly a bone marrow transplant, while ALL (acute lymphoblastic leukemia) is treated with long-term radiation therapy and chemotherapy, correct diagnosis could improve the outcome and reduce complications for patients. Drs. Eric Lander and Todd Golub of the Whitehead Center for Genome Research at MIT showed, in a proof-of-principle experiment, that GeneChip technology can be used to distinguish between these two subtypes of leukemia.
Support for Mouse Genome Consortium
In October, Affymetrix joined a $58 million public-private initiative to accelerate the sequencing of the mouse genome to ensure that the resulting data is broadly available to the scientific community. The Mouse Sequencing Consortium is also supported by the National Institutes of Health, GlaxoSmithKline, Merck & Co., and the Wellcome Trust. The mouse genome is considered a vital guide to understanding the human genome because of shared mammalian functions. Affymetrix intends to fully annotate the mouse genome for use with GeneChip arrays to help researchers leverage important model systems to understand the human condition.
Collaboration with Cystic Fibrosis Foundation
Affymetrix is collaborating with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to create a GeneChip whole genome array based on the sequence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa – the most common cause of respiratory infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients. CF is a life-threatening genetic disease that affects over 30,000 children and adults in the U.S. alone. Nearly all CF patients acquire life-long Pseudomonas lung infections that eventually prove fatal. By making this genetic tool available, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation aims to facilitate the study of this bacterial genome with the goal of discovering better treatment options.