Full Press Release Details
PRESS RELEASE DATED JUNE 10, 2002
QIAGEN and Affymetrix enter into Supply Agreement for Nucleic Acid
Purification Solutions for GeneChip? Arrays
Venlo, The Netherlands, June 10, 2002 - QIAGEN N.V. (Nasdaq: QGENF, Neuer Markt:
QIA) and Affymetrix, Inc. (NASDAQ: AFFX) today announced that they have entered
into a supply agreement for nucleic acid purification products from QIAGEN for
use with Affymetrix GeneChip(R) arrays for target labeling in expression
analysis. The new agreement follows the companies' previous research
collaboration pursuant to which certain nucleic acid purification technologies
from QIAGEN have been optimized for use with Affymetrix' GeneChip expression
Affymetrix' GeneChip technology is widely used by researchers to acquire,
interpret and manage complex genetic information from applications including
sequence analysis, genotyping and gene expression monitoring. QIAGEN's sample
preparation solutions complement Affymetrix GeneChip technology by standardizing
and streamlining the sample preparation process, saving researchers time and
effort in the lab by creating standardized solutions that require fewer
Under this supply agreement, QIAGEN will manufacture products customized for use
with Affymetrix' GeneChip expression analysis. The products will be distributed
by Affymetrix for use on the GeneChip systems. Financial terms were not
"We are pleased that Affymetrix has selected QIAGEN's nucleic acid purification
technology for use with its GeneChip arrays," said Dr. Helge Bastian, QIAGENs
Global Vice President of Strategic Marketing. "This agreement is the logical
extension of our collaboration with Affymetrix on standardizing nucleic acid
purification steps for microarray analyses. QIAGEN has built a leading
technology and product portfolio, offering proprietary solutions for the
separation, purification and handling of nucleic acids. Agreements such as this
one with Affymetrix emphasize that the depth and breadth of QIAGEN's nucleic
acid purification technology expertise allows optimal solutions to serve any
analytical platform, such as real-time amplification instrumentation, biochips
or sequencers," he added. "Affymetrix is the latest of our fast growing list of
analytical tools suppliers that offer an optimized QIAGEN nucleic acid
purification product as a reliable and state-of-the-art pre-analytical solution.
We are very confident that QIAGEN technology will further increase its
impressive leadership in the area of nucleic acid purification."
QIAGEN N.V., a Netherlands holding company with subsidiaries in Germany, the
United States, Japan, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, France, Italy, Australia
and Canada, believes it is the world's leading provider of innovative enabling
technologies and products for the separation, purification and handling of
nucleic acids. The Company has developed a comprehensive portfolio of more than
320 proprietary, consumable products for nucleic acid separation, purification
and handling, nucleic acid amplification, as well as automated instrumentation,
synthetic nucleic acid products and related services. QIAGEN's products are sold
in more than 42 countries throughout the world to academic research markets and
to leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. In addition, the Company
is positioning its products for sale into developing commercial markets,
including DNA sequencing and genomics, nucleic acid-based molecular diagnostics,
and genetic vaccination and gene therapy. QIAGEN employs approximately 1,700
people worldwide. Further information on QIAGEN can be found at www.qiagen.com.
Certain of the statements contained in this news release may be considered
forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S.
Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. To the extent that any of the
statements contained herein relating to QIAGEN's products and markets and
operating results are
forward-looking, such statements are based on current expectations that involve
a number of uncertainties and risks. Such uncertainties and risks include, but
are not limited to, risks associated with management of growth and international
operations (including the effects of currency fluctuations and risks of
dependency on logistics), variability of operating results, the commercial
development of the DNA sequencing, genomics and synthetic nucleic acid-related
markets, nucleic acid-based molecular diagnostics market, and genetic
vaccination and gene therapy markets, competition, rapid or unexpected changes
in technologies, fluctuations in demand for QIAGEN's, products (including
seasonal fluctuations), difficulties in successfully adapting QIAGEN's products
to integrated solutions and producing such products, the ability of QIAGEN to
identify and develop new products and to differentiate its products from
competitors, and the integration of acquisitions of technologies and businesses.
For further information, refer to the discussion in reports that QIAGEN has
filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).