Major milestone in human genome story: Affymetrix launches the whole human genome on a single chip

Affymetrix Announces Commercial Launch of Single Array for Human Genome Expression Analysis

— More than 1 million probes analyze expression level of nearly 50,000 RNA transcripts and variants on a single array the size of a dime —

Affymetrix, Inc., (NASDAQ: AFFX) today launched its new GeneChip® brand Human Genome U133 Plus 2.0 Array, offering researchers the transcribed human genome on a single commercially available catalog microarray. The HG-U133 Plus 2.0 Array analyzes the expression level of nearly 50,000 RNA transcripts and variants with 22 independent probes per transcript, providing superior data quality unmatched by technologies using a just single probe per transcript.

“With over 1 million probes on a commercial chip the size of a human thumbnail, the Human Plus array represents a leap in array technology data capacity, and further demonstrates the unique power and potential of our technology to explore vast areas of the genome,” said Trevor J. Nicholls, Ph.D., Chief Commercial Officer. “Using multiple independent measurements for each transcript ensures that our data quality remains industry standard even as our data capacity increases dramatically.”

The HG-U133 Plus 2.0 Array combines the content of the previous HG-U133 two-array set with nearly 10,000 new probe sets for a total of nearly 50,000 RNA transcripts and variants. This new information, verified against the actual genome map, provides researchers the most comprehensive and up-to-date genome-wide gene expression analysis. The probe design strategy of the HG-U133 Plus 2.0 Array is identical to the previous HG-U133 set and there is a very strong data concordance between the two arrays. With more than double the data capacity of the previous-generation Affymetrix human array, the HG-U133 Plus 2.0 Array can significantly cut processing and analysis time for scientists in the lab, freeing up valuable resources and accelerating research.

The HG-U133 Plus 2.0 Array offers the most genes and transcripts on any commercially available single array for human gene expression analysis, while maintaining Affymetrix’ unrivaled data quality. Affymetrix uses 22 independent data points to measure the hybridization of each transcript on the array, more than a million data points in all and more than 30 times that of any other microarray technology. Using multiple measurements provides optimal sensitivity and specificity, and the most accurate, consistent and statistically significant results possible.

“More data points produce more reliable results and ultimately, better science,” said Nicholls. “Our powerful probe set strategy gives our customers the assurance that what they see on the array reflects what is happening in their sample.”

Affymetrix is also launching an updated 11-micron version of its popular HG-U133A Array called the GeneChip HG-U133A 2.0 Array. By reducing the feature size from 18-microns to 11-microns, the new HG-U133A 2.0 Array will enable researchers to use smaller sample volumes while maintaining its industry-standard performance. The new array represents over 14,000 well-characterized human genes that can be used to explore human biology and disease processes. All probe sets represented on the original GeneChip HG-U133A Array are identically replicated on the GeneChip HG-U133A 2.0 Array.

More information on the design of the HG-U133 Plus 2.0 Array and the HG-U133A 2.0 Array may be found on the Affymetrix website — www.affymetrix.com.