Center for Inherited Disease Research Adds Affymetrix Platform for Large-Scale Genotyping Services

Affymetrix Inc. (Nasdaq:AFFX) today announced that the Center for Inherited Disease Research (CIDR) has adopted its Genome-Wide Human SNP Array 6.0 for large-scale genotyping and copy number projects. CIDR is making Affymetrix-based genotyping available to supporting members of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The first study to take advantage of this new CIDR offering is a NIDDK-funded project to identify the genetic causes of type 2 diabetes in African-Americans. Donald W. Bowden, Ph.D. is director of the Wake Forest University School of Medicine Diabetes Center and the principal investigator of the study. His team will examine more than 2,200 samples in its first phase. "The combination of the expertise at CIDR and the SNP and copy number content of the Affymetrix platform will enable us to maximize the data from our samples to uncover the true genetic causes of diseases like type 2 diabetes,” said Dr. Bowden. Dr. Bowden added: "In particular, the SNP Array 6.0 is the only platform to offer comprehensive coverage of both common genetic variation and structural variation across different ethnicities, enabling us to better understand the genetic components of specific diseases affecting African-Americans. We hope that our work serves as an example to investigators worldwide so that we can better understand the role of genes and genetic variants in complex diseases.” Affymetrix genome-wide mapping arrays have been used in three other recent groundbreaking studies on genetic associations for diabetes, in which researchers are using the technology to discover genes connected to type 2 diabetes in both Nordic and Parsi populations.1,2,3 "Affymetrix is excited that another proven leader in genetic research like CIDR has adopted our microarray platform. We look forward to working with the team at CIDR on a number of innovative research projects that will explore the genetic links to many widespread illnesses,” said Kevin King, president of Affymetrix. "Because of its superior performance, the Affymetrix SNP Array 6.0 continues to propel researchers towards a clearer understanding of common diseases like type 2 diabetes.” The Affymetrix SNP Array 6.0 is a single microarray that simultaneously measures more than 1.8 million markers for genetic variation. The array enables researchers to perform the most powerful whole-genome association and copy number studies ever by genotyping more markers across more individuals at a lower cost per sample. These higher-powered studies increase the probability of discovering genes associated with adverse drug response or complex diseases. For more information about the SNP Array 6.0, please visit: http://www.affymetrix.com/genechip/snp6.affx. About Center for Inherited Disease Research The Center for Inherited Disease Research (CIDR) is a centralized services facility supported through a federally funded contract to Johns Hopkins University. CIDR provides genotyping and statistical genetics services for investigators seeking to identify genes that contribute to human disease. CIDR concentrates its efforts on the study and understanding of multifactorial hereditary diseases. CIDR is available to all investigators through competitive peer review. More information can be found at http://www.cidr.jhmi.edu/. About Affymetrix Affymetrix GeneChip® microarray technology is the industry-standard tool for analyzing complex genetic information. After inventing microarray technology in the late 1980s, Affymetrix scientists have been dedicated to developing innovative products that provide researchers with a more complete view of the genome. These products continue to accelerate genetic research and enable scientists to develop diagnostics and tailor treatments for individual patients by identifying and measuring the genetic information associated with complex diseases. Today, Affymetrix technology is used by the world’s top pharmaceutical, diagnostic and biotechnology companies, as well as leading academic, government and not-for-profit research institutes. More than 1,700 systems have been shipped around the world and more than 12,000 peer-reviewed papers have been published using the technology. Affymetrix is headquartered in Santa Clara, Calif., and has manufacturing facilities in Sacramento, Calif., Cleveland, Ohio, and Singapore. The company has about 1,100 employees worldwide and maintains sales and distribution operations across Europe and Asia. For more information about Affymetrix, please visit the company’s website at www.affymetrix.com. Forward-looking Statements All statements in this press release that are not historical are "forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act as amended, including statements regarding Affymetrix’ "expectations,” "beliefs,” "hopes,” "intentions,” "strategies” or the like. Such statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially for Affymetrix from those projected, including, but not limited to: risks and uncertainties relating to commercial success of the agreement with the Center for Inherited Disease Research discussed in this press release; risks of the company’s ability to achieve and sustain higher levels of revenue, higher gross margins and reduced operating expenses; uncertainties related to technological approaches, manufacturing and product development; personnel retention; uncertainties related to cost and pricing of Affymetrix products; dependence on collaborative partners; uncertainties related to sole-source suppliers; risks associated with past and future acquisitions; uncertainties relating to FDA and other regulatory approvals; competition; risks relating to intellectual property of others and the uncertainties of patent protection and litigation. These and other risk factors are discussed in Affymetrix’ Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2007, and other SEC reports, including its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for subsequent quarterly periods. Affymetrix expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements contained herein to reflect any change in Affymetrix’ expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statements are based. NOTE: Affymetrix, the Affymetrix logo and GeneChip® are registered trademarks owned or used by Affymetrix Inc. 1 Affymetrix signs agreement with Avesthagen Limited: http://investor.affymetrix.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=116408&p=irol-newsArtic le&ID=1121053&highlight. (Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.) 2 Saxena R., et al. Genome-wide association analysis identifies loci for Type 2 diabetes and triglyceride levels. Science Magazine 316: 5829, 1331 – 1336 (2007) 3 Zeggini E., et al. Replication of Genome-Wide Association Signals in UK Samples Reveals Risk Loci for Type 2 Diabetes. Science Magazine 316: 5829, 1336 – 1341 (2007)