NEW YORK (GenomeWeb) — Affymetrix and Ariosa Diagnostics today announced that they have signed a multi-year agreement under which Affymetrix will supply arrays and instruments for use in Ariosa's Harmony non-invasive prenatal test.
The deal "opens up the possibility to further broaden access to the Harmony test via a kit decentralization strategy," Ariosa CEO Ken Song said in a statement. Under such a strategy other laboratories would be able to run the array-based test in house.
The announcement follows the publication of an Ariosa study in Fetal Diagnosis and Therapy earlier this year, which demonstrated that array-based testing of cell-free DNA in maternal blood generated more consistent data in a shorter period of time and at a lower cost than the company's existing sequencing-based assay.
Ariosa has said it believes the lower cost of array-based NIPT will allow it to fulfill its goal of providing broader access to testing. In a release, the companies said the partnership will allow Ariosa's test to be adopted and performed by other laboratories around the world.
"We are excited about the opportunity to improve prenatal care for women globally," Song said.