Applied Biosystems Introduces New Version of SNP Selection Tool With Latest Data From HapMap Project; SNPbrowser Software Provides Access to More Than Five Million SNP Assays and Comprehensive Information for Disease Association Studies.FOSTER CITY, Calif. -- Applied Biosystems Applied Biosystems, Inc. (formerly NASDAQ: ABIO) is the original name of a pioneer biotechnology company founded in 1981 in Foster City, California, among the Silicon Valley cities of the southern San Francisco Bay Area. (NYSE NYSE See: New York Stock Exchange :ABI Abi (ā`bī) [short for Abijah], in the Bible, King Hezekiah's mother. (Application Binary Interface) A specification for a specific hardware platform combined with the operating system. ), an Applera Corporation business, today announced the release of a new version of its freely available SNPbrowser(TM) Software tool. Designed to simplify the selection of single nucleotide polymorphism Noun 1. single nucleotide polymorphism - (genetics) genetic variation in a DNA sequence that occurs when a single nucleotide in a genome is altered; SNPs are usually considered to be point mutations that have been evolutionarily successful enough to recur in a (SNPs) assays for disease association studies, the latest version of SNPbrowser Software incorporates approximately one million SNPs from the first phase of the International HapMap Project The International HapMap Project is an organization whose goal is to develop a haplotype map of the human genome (the HapMap), which will describe the common patterns of human genetic variation. . The software, available at http://www.allsnps.com/snpbrowser, provides a comprehensive database of more than five million SNP SNP Scottish National Party Noun 1. SNP - (genetics) genetic variation in a DNA sequence that occurs when a single nucleotide in a genome is altered; SNPs are usually considered to be point mutations that have been evolutionarily assays compatible with Applied Biosystems genotyping platforms, as well as numerous annotations and selection criteria useful for the design of disease association studies. "Today, researchers are focused on searching for genes and genetic variations involved in common diseases, such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes," said Dennis A. Gilbert, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer of Applied Biosystems. "These diseases are characterized by multiple genes and environmental factors, making disease association studies difficult and expensive to perform. The SNPbrowser Software allows researchers to streamline the process of SNP selection by offering a way to visualize assays available from Applied Biosystems and by automatically prioritizing a minimum number of assays for cost-effective and successful genetic association studies." "Researchers interested in putting into practice the results of the HapMap project now have an easy and intuitive visualization tool for use in the design of their studies," said Maria Lagerstrom-Fermer, Ph.D., Associate Director, Head of CV-GI Genetics, Molecular Pharmacology, AstraZeneca. "Further, the SNPbrowser Software provides a way to simplify the design of genetic association studies by enabling selection of an optimal set of SNPs that can be readily translated into orderable genotyping assays." Specific SNPbrowser enhancements include the ability to: --Immediately identify optimal subsets of SNPs that are available as Applied Biosystems TaqMan(R) SNP Genotyping Assays or that can be utilized in the SNPlex(TM) Genotyping System; --Easily select from the most extensive collection of putative functional coding SNPs; --Examine both HapMap and Applied Biosystems validated SNP maps and derived patterns of genetic variation; and --Export annotations and genotypes for subsets of validated SNPs, from either the HapMap Project or Applied Biosystems data sets, for use in other analyses. As part of the development of its TaqMan(R) SNP Genotyping Assays, Applied Biosystems generated a large genotype dataset from the analysis of more than 160,000 SNPs in four population samples (African American African American Multiculture A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. See Race. , Caucasian, Chinese, and Japanese), the data from which is provided through SNPbrowser(TM) Software. An analysis of these data was published recently in the April 2005 issue of the peer-reviewed journal peer-reviewed journal Refereed journal Academia A professional journal that only publishes articles subjected to a rigorous peer validity review process. Cf Throwaway journal. Genome Research. The paper represents the first multi-chromosome study analyzing patterns of statistical association among SNPs across four major human populations. About Applera Corporation and Applied Biosystems Applera Corporation consists of two operating groups. The Applied Biosystems Group serves the life science industry and research community by developing and marketing instrument-based systems, consumables, software, and services. Customers use these tools to analyze nucleic acids Nucleic acids The cellular molecules DNA and RNA that act as coded instructions for the production of proteins and are copied for transmission of inherited traits. (DNA DNA: see nucleic acid. DNA or deoxyribonucleic acid One of two types of nucleic acid (the other is RNA); a complex organic compound found in all living cells and many viruses. It is the chemical substance of genes. and 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 ), small molecules, and proteins to make scientific discoveries, develop new pharmaceuticals, and conduct standardized testing. Applied Biosystems is headquartered in Foster City, CA, and reported sales of $1.7 billion during fiscal 2004. The Celera Genomics Group (NYSE:CRA See Community Reinvestment Act. ) is engaged principally in the discovery and development of targeted therapeutics for cancer, autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Celera Genomics is leveraging its proteomic, bioinformatic, and genomic capabilities to identify and validate drug targets, and to discover and develop small molecule therapeutics. It is also seeking to advance therapeutic antibody and selected small molecule drug programs in collaboration with global technology and market leaders. Celera Diagnostics, a 50/50 joint venture between Applied Biosystems and Celera Genomics, is focused on discovery, development, and commercialization of diagnostic products. Information about Applera Corporation, including reports and other information filed by the company with the Securities and Exchange Commission, is available at http://www.applera.com, or by telephoning 800-762-6923. Information about Applied Biosystems is available at http://www.appliedbiosystems.com/. Applied Biosystems Forward Looking Statements Certain statements in this press release are forward-looking. These may be identified by the use of forward-looking words or phrases such as "believe," "expect," "plans," and "should" among others. These forward-looking statements are based on Applera Corporation's current expectations. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (PSLRA) implemented several significant substantive changes affecting certain cases brought under the federal securities laws, including changes related to pleading, discovery, liability, class representation and awards fees and of 1995 provides a "safe harbor Safe Harbor 1. A legal provision to reduce or eliminate liability as long as good faith is demonstrated. 2. A form of shark repellent implemented by a target company acquiring a business that is so poorly regulated that the target itself is less attractive. " for such forward-looking statements. In order to comply with the terms of the safe harbor, Applera Corporation notes that a variety of factors could cause actual results and experience to differ materially from the anticipated results or other expectations expressed in such forward-looking statements. These factors include but are not limited to (1) rapidly changing technology and dependence on the development of new products; (2) sales dependent on customers' capital spending capital spending Spending for long-term assets such as factories, equipment, machinery, and buildings that permits the production of more goods and services in future years. policies and government-sponsored research; (3) Applied Biosystems' dependence on the operation of computer hardware, software, and Internet applications and related technology; (4) unproven use of genomics information to develop or commercialize products; (5) the accuracy of the underlying data in the SNPbrowser(TM) Software; (6) the utility of the linkage disequilibrium linkage disequilibrium n. The nonrandom association between two or more alleles such that certain combinations of alleles are more likely to occur together on a chromosome than other combinations of alleles. map to design disease association studies; and (7) other factors that might be described from time to time in Applera Corporation's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information in this press release is as of the date of the release, and Applera does not undertake any duty to update this information, including any forward-looking statements, unless required by law. For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. Copyright(C) 2005. Applera Corporation. All rights reserved. Applied Biosystems is a registered trademark and Applera, Celera, Celera Diagnostics, Celera Discovery System, Celera Genomics, SNPbrowser, and SNPlex are trademarks of Applera Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or certain other countries. TaqMan is a registered trademark of Roche Molecular Systems, Inc. |
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