Affymetrix, Beckman Coulter Collaborate To Provide Automated Target Preparation Solutions

Affymetrix and Beckman Coulter have entered into an agreement to offer researchers co-developed products from the market leaders in microarrays and automated liquid handlers. The collaboration will provide scientists with optimized solutions for genomic research, fortified by end-to-end support.

The partnership is exoected to yield an expanding list of Affymetrix-validated automated target preparation methods, developed on an Affymetrix-specific configuration of Beckman Coulter’s Biomek FXp Dual Arm Multichannel–Span 8 Liquid Handler. This platform will provide researchers with standardized systems that include all components necessary to run Affymetrix genotyping and gene expression assays.

Kevin King, president and CEO of Affymetrix, said: “These products not only provide a much needed target prep solution for our large installed base of GeneChip Array cartridge users, but very importantly, this agreement aligns with our strategic goals to reengineer the Affymetrix platform. With automated target prep robotics in front of our GeneTitan™ System, our customers will benefit from walk-away automation from prepared samples all the way through array processing and data generation.”