Agilent Technologies expands microarray platform to address new array-based genomics, disease research applications
Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) today announced plans to expand its microarray platform to include new applications in array-based genomics research. These applications hold promise for disease research, drug discovery and drug development. In related announcements, Agilent today announced the acquisition of Cambridge, Mass.-based Computational Biology Corp., plans for a collaborative research center in Cambridge, and a breakthrough cancer research technology published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science (PNAS).
“We expect that emerging applications in ChIP-on-chip analysis and comparative genomics will grow to become 10 percent, or at least $100 million, of the total microarray market by 2007,” said Fran DiNuzzo, vice president and general manager of Agilent’s Integrated Biology Solutions business. “The reason for that growth is the scientific impact these two technologies can have on medical research, particularly in the area of cancer.”
ChIP-on-chip is a microarray-based technique for understanding gene regulation in disease. It uses chromatin immuno-precipitation (ChIP) to discover how regulatory proteins interact with the genome of living cells. Regulatory proteins bind to genomic DNA to control chromosome replication and gene activity, thereby functioning as switches in the regulatory circuitry of cells. This circuitry is largely uncharted; its discovery will help researchers develop new drugs in areas such as cancer, cardiovascular disease and central nervous system disorders.
Through its acquisition of Computational Biology Corp., Agilent has acquired exclusive access to a critical patent (U.S. 6,410,243) relating to ChIP-on-chip technology. The founders of the company, Drs. Richard Young and David Gifford of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, will collaborate with Agilent to commercialize ChIP-on-chip solutions.
Array-based comparative genomic hybridization (aCGH) is a technique for studying chromosomal changes in cancer. As cancerous cells multiply, they undergo increasingly dramatic chromosomal changes, including chromosome loss, duplication, and the translocation of DNA from one chromosome to another. Scientists from Agilent, in collaboration with the National Human Genome Research Institute, published a December paper in PNAS about a new microarray platform for comparative genomics. This platform overcomes for the first time several scientific hurdles that have impeded comparative genomic studies of cancer.
Agilent in Life Sciences
Agilent’s Life Sciences and Chemical Analysis (LSCA) business is a world-leading provider of instruments, supplies, software and services to the life science and chemical analysis markets. In 2004, these markets accounted for approximately 40 percent and 60 percent respectively of LSCA’s $1.3 billion in revenue. Agilent’s LSCA business is a global organization with 3,700 employees, five international manufacturing sites, and worldwide sales and support services to more than 21,000 customer organizations in more than 70 countries. It is a leading provider of microarray, microfluidic, informatics, liquid chromatography, gas chromatography and mass spectrometry-based solutions to pharmaceutical, biotech, academic, government and chemical organizations.
About Agilent Technologies
Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is a global technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences and chemical analysis. The company’s 28,000 employees serve customers in more than 110 countries. Agilent had net revenue of $7.2 billion in fiscal year 2004. Information about Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com .
