acceleration discovery in Human Gene Expression news

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Spotfire Teams With Applied Biosystems to Accelerate Discoveries in

Human Gene Expression

SOMERVILLE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--June 28, 2004--

DecisionSite for Functional Genomics Offered With the New Applied

Biosystems Expression Array System

Spotfire Inc. announced today an agreement with Applied Biosystems

(NYSE: ABI), an Applera Corporation business, that is expected to help

life science companies streamline the study of human gene expression by

combining Spotfire data visualization and Guided Analytics with the

Applied Biosystems Expression Array System, the most sensitive system

for whole-genome expression analysis.

Applied Biosystems will build value-added analysis capabilities on top

of the DecisionSite platform in the form of DecisionSite Guides.

Applied Biosystems will offer 90-day evaluation licenses of Spotfire

DecisionSite for Functional Genomics software with its newly released

Expression Array System to give customers a more comprehensive analytic

capability for microarray research.

Gene expression analysis is a large, fast-growing application within

molecular biology research and pharmaceutical development. The Applied

Biosystems Expression Array System provides highly sensitive gene

expression detection capabilities that can detect up to 40% more genes

compared to traditional fluorescent microarray systems, together with

the most thoroughly annotated transcript data sets available.

Researchers can use the solution to visually and statistically

interrogate differentially expressed genes. DecisionSite's

easy-to-configure Guided Analytics make it easy to access and associate

the system's rich set of annotations with gene expression patterns. The

combined technologies enable scientists to more quickly understand the

scientific relevance of a broader range of low to highly expressed genes

en route to making scientific discoveries and developing new drugs.

" The study of gene expression, from whole-genome analysis to gene

quantification and single-gene analysis, has required multiple

technologies that have not been well integrated until recently, " said

W. Hunkapiller, Ph.D., president of Applied Biosystems. " With

this agreement, we can now offer customers a richer toolset for

analyzing genes for researchers involved in basic research, drug target

validation, and pre-clinical drug development. "

Spotfire DecisionSite for Functional Genomics is an analytic application

that guides pharmaceutical, biotechnology and academic research groups

through the process of quickly finding and categorizing important genes

and gene expression patterns. Its interactive, integrative analysis

environment incorporates high-impact visualization capabilities that let

users examine the expression and annotation dimensions of their data and

perform a wide array of numerical analyses.

" We are pleased to be aligned with Applied Biosystems as it expands its

footprint in the gene expression analysis market with the introduction

of the Expression Array System. Spotfire DecisionSite for Functional

Genomics is already in use by thousands of researchers conducting gene

expression analysis, " said Ahlberg, Ph.D., CEO of Spotfire.

" By combining these technologies, researchers engaged in microarray

analysis will be able to conduct more comprehensive analysis in less

time. "

The 90-day evaluation licenses of DecisionSite for Functional Genomics

are available from Applied Biosystems when customers license the

Expression Array System. Upon completion of the evaluation, DecisionSite

for Functional Genomics may be licensed directly from Spotfire.

About Spotfire

Spotfire® Inc. provides Guided Analytic applications and services

that empower extended enterprises and their end-users to make faster,

more effective decisions. More than 700 Global 2000 customers from

pharmaceutical, high tech manufacturing oil and gas, consumer packaged

goods, and academic markets and over 25,000 users gain insights with

Spotfire products worldwide. The company maintains U.S. headquarters in

Somerville, Mass., and European headquarters in Goteborg, Sweden.

Additional information can be found at www.spotfire.com.