Affymetrix

Affymetrix, Inc.
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryBiotechnology
Founded1992
HeadquartersSanta Clara, California, U.S.
Number of locations
11
Key people
Stephen Fodor, Frank Witney (CEO)
RevenueIncrease US$327 Million (FY 2009)[1]
Decrease US$-30.6 Million (FY 2009)[1]
Decrease US$-23.9 Million (FY 2009)[1]
Total assetsDecrease US$612 Million (FY 2009)[2]
Total equityDecrease US$288 Million (FY 2009)[2]
Number of employees
1,141[3]
ParentThermo Fisher Scientific
Websitehttps://www.thermofisher.com/us/en/home/life-science/microarray-analysis.html

Affymetrix is now Applied Biosystems, a brand of DNA microarray products sold by Thermo Fisher Scientific that originated with an American biotechnology research and development and manufacturing company of the same name.[4] The Santa Clara, California-based Affymetrix, Inc. now a part of Thermo Fisher Scientific was co-founded by Alex Zaffaroni and Stephen Fodor. Stephen Fodor and his group, based on their earlier development of methods to fabricate DNA microarrays using semiconductor manufacturing techniques.[5][6]

In 1994, the company's first product under the "GeneChip" Affymetrix trademark, an HIV genotyping chip was introduced,[7] and the company went public in 1996.[8]

After incorporation, Affymetrix grew in part by acquiring technologies from other companies, including Genetic MicroSystems (slide-based Microarrays and scanners)[citation needed] and Neomorphic (for bioinformatics) in 2000,[9] ParAllele Bioscience (custom SNP genotyping),[citation needed] USB/Anatrace (biochemical reagents) in 2008,[10] Panomics (low to mid-plex applications) in 2008,[citation needed] and eBioscience (flow cytometry) in 2012.[11] Affymetrix spun off Perlegen Sciences in 2000,[12][13] as a discrete business focusing on wafer-scale genomics to characterize population-variance of genomic markers.[14]

In January 2014, the Food and Drug Administration approved Affymetrix's postnatal blood test, CytoScan Dx Assay, looking at whole-genome correlates of congenital abnormalities and other causes of childhood developmental delay.[15]

On January 8, 2016, Thermo Fisher Scientific announced its acquisition of Affymetrix for approximately $1.3 billion,[16] which closed on March 31, 2016.[17]

  1. ^ a b c Affymetrix (AFFX) annual SEC income statement filing via Wikinvest
  2. ^ a b Affymetrix (AFFX) annual SEC balance sheet filing via Wikinvest
  3. ^ "Company Profile for Affymetrix Inc (AFFX)". Archived from the original on 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
  4. ^ "Thermo Fisher Scientific to acquire Affymetrix". Grainews. Retrieved 2022-03-23.
  5. ^ "Affymetrix and Illumina Settle Their Patent Disputes". fiercebiotech.com. 10 January 2008. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  6. ^ "Stephen Fodor, Jami Nachtsheim". genomeweb.com. 30 January 2015. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  7. ^ "Affymetrix and bioMérieux Extend Their Agreement on GeneChip® Technology to Breast Cancer Diagnostics". biomerieux.com. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  8. ^ "AFFX Meaning AFFX Stock Meaning". acronym.io. Retrieved 2022-01-12.
  9. ^ "Affymetrix to Acquire Neomorphic In a Deal Valued at $70 Million". Wall Street Journal. 2 October 2000. Retrieved 2022-01-14.
  10. ^ "Affymetrix Sells Anatrace Unit to Investment Firm StoneCalibre". genomeweb.com. 15 October 2013. Retrieved 2022-01-28.
  11. ^ "Affymetrix Completes eBioscience Acquisition". genomeweb.com. 26 June 2012. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  12. ^ "Perlegen Signs Its First Big Pharma Deal with GlaxoSmithKline, Finishes Fifty Genomes". genomeweb.com. 27 September 2002. Retrieved 2022-02-02.
  13. ^ "National Library of Medicine". Retrieved 2024-09-19.
  14. ^ "A Guide to HIV-1 Reverse Transcriptase and Protease Sequencing for Drug Resistance Studies" (PDF). hivdb.stanford.edu. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  15. ^ "FDA OKs Postnatal Blood Test for Intellectual Disabilities". medscape.com. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  16. ^ Armental, Maria (8 January 2016). "Thermo Fisher Scientific to Buy Affymetrix in $1.3 Billion Cash Deal". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 14 January 2016.
  17. ^ "Thermo Fisher Scientific Completes Acquisition of Affymetrix Following Approval of Transaction by Affymetrix Stockholders". ir.thermofisher.com.