Affymetrix, Inc. (Santa Clara, CA, USA) and XRGenomics LTD (Nottingham, UK) have announced a partnership to collaborate on research and development of a new generation of diagnostic tests for age-related diseases.

According to the G8 Summit 2013, age-related diseases could bankrupt Western medicine by 2050. New solutions, such as earlier and more specific diagnosis, are required to help deliver care more effectively and efficiently. XRGenomics has utilized Affymetrix technology to develop novel gene expression-based signatures that enable translational research and biomarker test development activities in areas such as dementia, Alzheimer’s, and other age-related diseases. XRGenomics hopes that their biological age signature will become an important stratification tool for dementia research as early as 2017.

“There is a clear need to address the enormous challenge of managing complex age-related diseases that face healthcare systems globally. We believe that the work of XRGenomics will materially improve the research, diagnosis, and treatment of age-related diseases in the near future,” said Dan St. Louis, senior vice president, Expression Business Unit, Affymetrix。