Affymetrix (Affymetrix) Other Noninterest Expense

Affymetrix Inc was incorporated in California in 1992 and reincorporated in Delaware in 1998. The Company is a provider of life science tools and molecular diagnostic products that enable parallel analysis of biological systems at the gene, protein and cell level. It sells its products to genomic research centers, academic institutions, government and private laboratories, as well as pharmaceutical, diagnostic and biotechnology companies. The Companys operations consist of two reportable segments, Affymetrix Core and eBioscience. Affymetrix Core is divided into three business units with each business unit having its own research, development and marketing groups to better serve customers and respond quickly to the market needs. The three business units that form Affymetrix Core are; Expression, Genetic Analysis and Clinical Applications, and Life Science Reagents. Expression: This business unit develops and markets the Company's GeneChip gene expression products and services, and the QuantiGene line of low-to-mid-plex RNA measurement products; Genetic Analysis and Clinical Applications. This business unit develops and markets the Company's genotyping, such as the Axiom product line and clinical research applications, such as the CytoScan cytogenetics; Life Science Reagents; This business unit develops and sells reagents, enzymes, purification kits and biochemicals used by life science researchers. eBioscience; This reportable segment specializes in the development, manufacturing, marketing and distribution of research tools in the areas of flow cytometry, immunoassays, microscopic imaging and other protein-based analyses. The Company markets and distributes its products directly to customers in North America, Japan and major European markets. The Company is facing competition as existing companies develop new or improved products, and as companies enter the market with new technologies, such as next-generation sequencing. In the highly multiplexed genotyping and gene expression markets, existing competitive technologies include DNA sequencing, which the Company does not offer and is offered by companies such as Illumina, Inc., Life Technologies Corporation and Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. The Companys operations are subject to complex and stringent environmental, health, safety and other governmental laws and regulations.