Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1997. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
San Francisco Chronicle - The Voice of the West, 901 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94119 - Monday, January 27, 1997 - Page E2
Peter Sinton, Chronicle Senior Writer
The collaboration, to be announced today, will use Affymetrix' GeneChip, a tiny slice of silica embedded with DNA probes, to determine which medications work best against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) in an individual patient.
New research has shown that multiple drug regimens, sometimes called AIDS cocktails, can dramatically reduce the amount of HIV in a patient's blood.
But the ability of the virus to change over time to elude the effects of drug therapies can leave doctors guessing which drugs might be effective and for how long.
Under the research program with Affymetrix, Glaxo Wellcome -- one of the leaders in AIDS treatments -- will purchase the GeneChip to test 4,000 patient samples.
If the initial database proves useful in correlating drug treatment with viral resistance, the program would be expanded.
Ultimately, it could help make treatments more effective, while lowering costs and reducing side effects.
By bringing advances in the field of genetics to bear on the thorniest clinical problems, Glaxo Executive Director James Niedel said, "We hope to improve the current utilization of anti-HIV therapies in a way that will benefit patients through tailor-made treatment."
The pact with Glaxo, which owns 34 percent of Affymetrix, will be the first clinical application of the GeneChip.
But Affymetrix has about a dozen other licensing agreements. Roche Bioscience in Palo Alto is using its genetic probes to detect gene activity in different cells. BioMerieux Vitek is using the GeneChip to develop diagnostic kits for identifying bacteria and analyzing antibiotic resistance. "We're trying to get the technology into as many hands as possible to generate new applications," said Kenneth Nussbacher, chief financial officer of Affymetrix.
Shares of the company, which had its first public offering last June, have shot from $15 to $29 last Friday -- a new high. Although the company has only about $12 million annual revenues, its market value tops $650 million.
Besides promising products, Affymetrix also has an impressive pedigree.
It is one of five companies started by scientist/entrepreneur Alejandro Zaffaroni. (The others are Syntex, Alza, Affymax and Symyx.)
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