Roche Bioscience Deal With Affymetrix

Meantime, Roche Bioscience of the USA, which is also part of the Rochegroup, has signed an agreement with Affymetrix, under which RB will evaluate the Affymetrix' GeneChip technology to monitor gene expression.

Affymetrix will supply RB with GeneChip instruments and custom DNA probe arrays containing genes selected by RB. The latter will use the Affymetrix DNA probe arrays to quantitatively detect differences in gene expression in a variety of disease states.

It is noted that this is the second agreement between the two groups; in October 1996, Hoffmann-La Roche in Basel and Affymetrix entered into an agreement to monitor expression patterns in Hemophilus influenzae and Streptococcus pneumoniae.