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Applied Biosystems Announces Commercial Availability of the SNPlex Genotyping System; Reagent and Software Product for Use With Latest Generation Genetic Analyzers

1/14/04 7:00am


FOSTER CITY, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 14, 2004--

Provides Flexible Solution for Both Small and Large-scale
Genotyping Projects




Applied Biosystems Group (NYSE:ABI), an Applera Corporation business, today announced the commercial availability of the SNPlex(TM) Genotyping System, a reagent and software product designed to allow researchers to conduct ultra high throughput genotyping studies for the characterization of complex diseases using the Applied Biosystems 3730xl and 3730 DNA Analyzers. This novel system provides the life science industry a new degree of scalability, flexibility, and cost effectiveness for genotyping projects by enabling both large-scale, genomic discovery studies involving thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) as well as smaller studies involving select SNPs for targeted research, with either standard or customized assay panels.

"The SNPlex(TM) Genotyping System provides a unique combination of flexibility, labor savings, and high performance genotyping, making possible large disease association studies that were not previously executed due to budget constraints," said Michael W. Hunkapiller, Ph.D., President of Applied Biosystems. "With the introduction of this system, researchers can now perform a full range of integrated genotyping applications, including microsatellite or SNP-based linkage mapping, fine mapping of SNPs, and resequencing, on the same instrument."

With the introduction of the SNPlex(TM) System, researchers can genotype 48 SNPs simultaneously in a single biological sample and detect 4,500 SNPs in parallel in as little as 15 minutes. This analysis process equates to a capacity in excess of 400,000 genotypes per 24-hour period. Future enhancements to the SNPlex(TM) System are expected to enable production scale laboratories to analyze more than one million genotypes per instrument per day by genotyping 192 SNPs simultaneously per sample.

In the initial release of the product, SNPlex System assays are available in two formats: either as custom-designed assays based on customer-provided SNPs, or as off-the-shelf SNP assays from Applied Biosystems. The first off-the-shelf assay set is the Human Linkage Mapping set, consisting of approximately 3,500 markers based on SNPs taken from The SNP Consortium and the Applera Genomics Initiative, which have been validated across four different populations. Applied Biosystems expects to release additional fixed assay panels in the coming months. Researchers can also use the SNPbrowser(TM) visualization software to select SNP assays for linkage disequilibrium studies. The SNPbrowser software is a free, downloadable tool for viewing SNPs in the context of individual genes, chromosomal regions, and the entire human genome. SNPbrowser software is available on the Applied Biosystems Web site at http://www.allsnps.com/ snpbrowser.

"The combination of custom and fixed SNPlex assay panels offers maximum versatility for a wide range of genetic analysis projects, from whole genome linkage analysis to large-scale SNP association studies," said Catherine M. Burzik, Executive Vice President of Applied Biosystems. "The continuous assembly, annotation, and validation of the human genome sequence content from public sources and from Celera`s assembly, along with Applied Biosystems` proprietary SNPlex(TM) System design algorithms, allows us to greatly reduce experiment failures and deliver a robust multiplexed assay with a high success rate."


Customer Test Sites


The SNPlex(TM) Genotyping System was initially tested at numerous customer sites, including Baylor College of Medicine.

"We have found the SNPlex(TM) System to be a robust and easy-to-use system for genotyping projects," said Richard A. Gibbs, Ph.D., Director, Human Genome Sequencing Center, and Wofford Cain Professor, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, which was a test site for the product. "We are currently using the SNPlex Genotyping System in association studies, including testing a psychiatric disorder. This technology has offered great flexibility, and the ability to scale from just a few markers to a large study, with very short turn-around times, has been particularly advantageous."


Product Details


The SNPlex System is based on a proprietary OLA (Oligonucleotide Ligation Assay) technology combined with electrophoretic detection. The highly specific, multiplexed OLA interrogates the target SNP in a DNA sample, and then a universal PCR reaction is used to amplify the resulting ligation products. Detection is carried out using fluorescent-labeled, universal reporter probes in conjunction with high sensitivity electrophoresis technology. The data are analyzed using an enhanced version of the Applied Biosystems GeneMapper(TM) Analysis Software 3.5, which offers new tools for automated allele-calling and quality control. Additionally, BioTrekker(TM) Software, a new data-mining tool for genotyping projects, is also available for the SNPlex System.

By providing an ultra high throughput solution for SNP genotyping, the SNPlex( TM) System complements the popular Applied Biosystems Real-Time PCR Systems using TaqMan(R) probe-based chemistry, which are geared towards focused association studies, which look at a smaller number of SNPs over many samples.


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 (DNA and RNA), small molecules, and proteins to make scientific discoveries, develop new pharmaceuticals, and conduct standardized testing. Applied Biosystems is headquartered in Foster City, Calif., and reported sales of $1.7 billion during fiscal 2003. The Celera Genomics Group (NYSE:CRA), located in Rockville, Md., and South San Francisco, Calif., is engaged principally in integrating advanced technologies to discover and develop new therapeutics. Celera intends to leverage its proteomic, bioinformatic, and genomic capabilities to identify and validate drug targets, and to discover and develop new therapeutics. Its Celera Discovery System(TM) online platform, marketed exclusively by Applied Biosystems, is an integrated source of information based on the human genome and other biological and medical sources. Celera Diagnostics, a 50/50 joint venture between Applied Biosystems and Celera Genomics, is focused on discovery, development, and commercialization of novel 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/.


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," "should," and "planned," among others. These forward-looking statements are based on Applera Corporation`s current expectations. The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 provides a "safe harbor" 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 could adversely affect demand for Applied Biosystems` products, and its business is dependent on development of new products; (2) Applied Biosystems` sales are dependent on customers` capital spending policies and government-sponsored research; (3) uncertainty of the availability to Applied Biosystems of intellectual property protection and the risk to Applied Biosystems of infringement claims; (4) Applied Biosystems` dependence on the operation of computer hardware, software, and Internet applications and related technology and (5) 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.


Applied Biosystems is a registered trademark and Applera, Celera, Celera Diagnostics, Celera Discovery System, and Celera Genomics are trademarks of Applera Corporation or its subsidiaries in the U.S. and/or certain other countries.