Affymetrix and Iconix Collaborate to Develop New Solutions for Assessing Drug Toxicity.SANTA CLARA, Calif. & MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. -- Affymetrix Inc. (Nasdaq:AFFX) and Iconix Pharmaceuticals Inc. announced today that the companies have signed a collaborative agreement to develop solutions to aid in the study of the toxicological and pharmacological properties of drugs and drug candidates. The collaboration will aim to significantly accelerate the drug development process by combining Affymetrix' GeneChip(R) microarray technology with Iconix' DrugMatrix(R) 640 compound reference database and analysis software. Together, Affymetrix' GeneChip expression arrays and Iconix' analysis methods will provide detailed information on a drug candidate's toxicological liabilities and pharmacological properties. Using such tools, researchers will be able to quickly compare gene expression profiles to the Iconix' Drug Signatures(R) library to help predict the impact that gene expression changes may have on biological pathways critical to the body's toxic response to drugs. This information will help scientists to better prioritize candidates and make preclinical development decisions faster than ever before. "We are pleased to work with Affymetrix on this program which we believe will remove what has been a major hurdle to the widespread application of toxicogenomics to drug discovery," said Don Halbert, Ph.D., executive vice president of Research and Development at Iconix Pharmaceuticals. "The new paradigm New Paradigm In the investing world, a totally new way of doing things that has a huge effect on business. Notes: The word "paradigm" is defined as a pattern or model, and it has been used in science to refer to a theoretical framework. will streamline all the steps required to help companies put gene expression data into the context of toxicology. Arming pharmaceutical companies with the fullest available chemogenomic and pharmacologic data is expected to better enable candidate prioritization and move development decisions earlier in the drug development process." "We are pleased to join forces with Iconix to further explore the area of toxicogenomics because we are convinced that it will help revolutionize the drug discovery and development process," said John E. Blume, Ph.D., vice president of RNA RNA: see nucleic acid. RNA in full ribonucleic acid One of the two main types of nucleic acid (the other being DNA), which functions in cellular protein synthesis in all living cells and replaces DNA as the carrier of genetic Products at Affymetrix. "By combining our gold-standard GeneChip microarray technology with Iconix' toxicology expertise, we believe we can accelerate research and improve the quality of drug candidates." About Iconix: Iconix Pharmaceuticals, Inc. is pioneering the new field of chemogenomics, the integration of chemistry and genomics to profile drug candidates. Iconix' chemogenomic capabilities enable pharmaceutical companies to increase the odds of advancing the right compounds to the clinic, reducing attrition rates and the costs of drug discovery. Iconix provides reference systems and know-how to predict toxic liabilities, side effects Side effects Effects of a proposed project on other parts of the firm. and mechanisms of drug candidates. The company has collaborations with Bristol Myers Squibb, Abbott Laboratories, ICOS, Eli Lilly, Schering-Plough (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :SGP SGP Singapore (ISO Country code) SGP Schering-Plough (stock symbol) SGP Stability and Growth Pact SGP Southern Great Plains SGP Staatkundig Gereformeerde Partij SGP Speedway Grand Prix ), AstraZeneca, Taisho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd., Eisai Co., Ltd. and other leading companies. Iconix also provides research, training and support to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, Center for Drug Evaluation and Research The Center for Drug Evaluation and Research is a division of the FDA that deals with the approval of drugs. CDER reviews New Drug Applications to ensure that the drugs are safe and effective. It is one of five Centers at the United States Food and Drug Administration. (CDER CDER Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (US FDA) CDER Centre de Développement des Energies Renouvelables (French) CDER Client Development and Evaluation Report ) under an agreement to advance CDER's study of the application of genomic technologies in the regulatory approval process. Iconix' DrugMatrix system has been installed at the FDA FDA abbr. Food and Drug Administration FDA, n.pr See Food and Drug Administration. FDA, n.pr the abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration. for use by CDER scientists and reviewers in a diverse range of chemogenomics applications. The company also has strategic partnerships with leading life sciences companies including MDS MDS, n See temporomandibular pain-dysfunction syndrome. MDS 1 Maternal deprivation syndrome, see there 2 Myelodysplastic syndrome, see there Pharma Services (TSE See Tokyo Stock Exchange. TSE 1. See Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE). 2. See Toronto Stock Exchange (TSE). :MDS; NYSE:MDZ MDZ Mendez MDZ Moskauer Deutsche Zeitung (Moscow German newspaper) MDZ Maritime Defense Zone MDZ Musik Der Zukunft (music label & community) MDZ Mendoza, Mendoza, Argentina - El Plumerillo ) and GE Healthcare. Headquartered in Mountain View, California For the census-designated place, see Mountain View, Contra Costa County, California. For other places called "Mountain View", see . Mountain View is a city in Santa Clara County, in the U.S. state of California. The city gets its name from the views of the Santa Cruz Mountains. , Iconix was founded in 1998 and is privately held. For more information, visit www.iconixpharm.com. About Affymetrix: Affymetrix scientists invented the world's first microarray in 1989 and began selling the first commercial microarray in 1994. Since then, Affymetrix GeneChip(R) technology has become the industry standard in molecular biology molecular biology, scientific study of the molecular basis of life processes, including cellular respiration, excretion, and reproduction. The term molecular biology was coined in 1938 by Warren Weaver, then director of the natural sciences program at the Rockefeller research. 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 1,300 GeneChip systems have been shipped around the world and more than 4,000 peer-reviewed papers have been published using the technology. Affymetrix' patented photolithographic manufacturing process provides the highest information capacity available today on an array, enabling researchers to use a whole-genome approach to analyze the relationship between genetics and health. Affymetrix is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., with manufacturing facilities in Sacramento, Calif., and Bedford, Mass. The company maintains important sales and marketing operations in Europe and Asia and has about 1,000 employees worldwide. For more information about Affymetrix, please visit the company's website at www.affymetrix.com. 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 of the Company's ability to achieve and sustain higher levels of revenue, higher gross margins, reduced operating expenses Operating expenses The amount paid for asset maintenance or the cost of doing business, excluding depreciation. Earnings are distributed after operating expenses are deducted. ; uncertainties relating to technological approaches, manufacturing (including risks related to the Company's ability to achieve hoped-for manufacturing yields for certain array products, including the ability to identify and resolve manufacturing problems), product development (including uncertainties relating to commercial and technological success of the strategic alliance between Iconix and Affymetrix discussed in this press release); personnel retention; uncertainties related to cost and pricing of Affymetrix products; dependence on collaborative partners; uncertainties relating to sole source suppliers; uncertainties relating to FDA and other regulatory approvals; competition; risks relating to intellectual property of others and the uncertainties of patent protection and litigation An action brought in court to enforce a particular right. The act or process of bringing a lawsuit in and of itself; a judicial contest; any dispute. When a person begins a civil lawsuit, the person enters into a process called litigation. . These and other risk factors are discussed in Affymetrix' Form 10-K Form 10-K A report required by the SEC from exchange-listed companies that provides for annual disclosure of certain financial information. Form 10-K See 10-K. for the year ended December 31, 2004 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. |
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