Santa Clara, California and St.
Louis, Missouri
March 26, 2002
Affymetrix, Inc.,
(Nasdaq: AFFX) and Monsanto
Company (NYSE: MON) announced today that Monsanto has
entered into a custom supply agreement for GeneChip(R)
technology which it will use to study plant development and
disease. Monsanto will use the GeneChip platform in its research
to improve food quality while enhancing crop yield and reducing
the need for chemical inputs. As part of this supply agreement,
Monsanto and Affymetrix have collaborated to create a single
microarray representing the Arabidopsis genome. Monsanto will
use this proprietary microarray as part of its
high-throughput discovery program.
"Monsanto has long been a pioneer in applying genetic technology
to improve their products, and that far reaching vision has made
them a leader in agriculture," said Robert Lipshutz, Ph.D., Vice
President of Corporate Development and Licensing at Affymetrix.
"Their decision to use Affymetrix technology underscores our
position as the preferred microarray platform for studying a
wide range of organisms -- from human to plant. "
Chris Burnley, Monsanto's Vice President of Strategy and
Alliances, said moving to pre-synthesized arrays would allow
Monsanto to shift valuable resources to direct research and
ultimately allow it to bring better products to market faster.
"Our priority is creating the best agricultural products
possible and getting them to market as soon as we can," said
Burnley. "Affymetrix' technology will help us spend less time
managing enabling technology and more time on what we do best --
discovering products."
Affymetrix is a market leader in creating breakthrough tools
that are driving the genomic revolution. By applying the
principles of semiconductor technology to the life sciences,
Affymetrix develops and commercializes systems that enable
scientists to alleviate human suffering and improve the quality
of life. The Company's customers include pharmaceutical,
biotechnology, agrochemical, diagnostics and consumer products
companies as well as academic, government and other non-profit
research institutes. Affymetrix offers an expanding portfolio of
integrated products and services, including its integrated
GeneChip platform, to address growing markets focused on
understanding the relationship between genes and human health.
Monsanto Company is a leading provider of agricultural
solutions to growers worldwide. Monsanto's employees provide
top-quality, cost-effective and integrated approaches to help
farmers improve their productivity and produce better quality
foods.
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