Agilent Technologies Introduces First Gene Expression Bioinformatics System...

Agilent Technologies Introduces First Gene Expression Bioinformatics System Offering Guided Workflows

Agilent Technologies Inc., (NYSE: A), today introduced GeneSpring GX 9.0. This edition of Agilent's leading visualization and analysis system for gene expression data includes new guided workflow features for major microarray platforms, helping new users quickly produce results.

"GeneSpring GX is considered the gold standard in desktop expression analysis, and we introduced the concept of 'guided workflows' to make all of this power easily accessible to a wider group of scientists," said Thon de Boer, Agilent GeneSpring product manager. "Now, the user is guided through choices that lead to better results, faster than ever."

GeneSpring GX 9.0 offers gene expression guided workflows for Agilent SurePrint microarrays, Affymetrix(r) GeneChips and Illumina Beadchips, with additional applications planned.

GeneSpring GX 9.0 also provides an advanced mode, offering full control over the complete set of features for all array types and technologies.

Advanced Statistical Tools

GeneSpring GX 9.0 enables users to ask detailed questions about complex data sets, including t-tests, two-way and three-way ANOVA tests, and one-way post-hoc tests for reliably identifying differentially expressed genes. The system's class-prediction analysis tools help users identify genes capable of discriminating between one or more experimental parameters or sample phenotypes.

Scientists can employ a broad assortment of pattern-recognition techniques to uncover the most abundant patterns in gene expression data, and to recognize how those patterns are related. Gene trees, experiment trees, self-organizing maps and a variety of k-means clustering metrics are provided in GeneSpring GX 9.0.

After statistical analysis, GeneSpring GX 9.0 can be used to highlight enriched pathways or gene ontology categories for insight into how the data relates to the biology. The system supports the BioPAX pathways/network exchange format (OWL) and lets users import hundreds of networks and pathways from a large number of sources such as KEGG (requires license), The Cancer Cell Map and BioCyc.

This is the first GeneSpring release on the Avadis platform, developed by Strand Life Sciences under an agreement announced in August 2007. More details are available at www.chem.agilent.com under "Informatics and Software."

About Agilent Technologies

Agilent Technologies Inc. (NYSE: A) is the world's premier measurement company and a technology leader in communications, electronics, life sciences, and chemical analysis. The company's 19,000 employees serve customers in more than 110 countries. Agilent had net revenues of $5.4 billion in fiscal 2007. Information about Agilent is available on the Web at www.agilent.com.