Agilent Technologies Inc. announced that Genotypic, an Agilent Authorized Distributor and a leading genomics and bioinformatics company in India, would provide end-to-end microarray-based genomics solutions, gene-expression analysis and consulting services for India's growing life sciences market.

Indian academic institutions and pharmaceutical and biotech companies can access the sensitivity and flexibility of Agilent's DNA microarray platform by sending their samples to the Genotypic laboratory for analysis and consultation. Established by Genotypic in Bangalore, the microarray lab is equipped with Agilent instruments and software for gene-expression analysis.

"Genotypic is the first microarray-services provider in India in the area of bioinformatics and genomics services," said Sanjeev Dhar, country manager for Agilent's Life Sciences and Chemical Analysis (LSCA) business in India. "We are confident that our cooperation with Genotypic will provide complete genomics solutions to our customers in India's burgeoning life sciences market. India is now our fourth-largest country of business in Asia, and one of the fastest-growing."

"We are glad to collaborate with a leader in analytical instruments like Agilent," said Dr Raja Mugasimangalam, president and chief executive officer for Genotypic. "Through Agilent, we can provide end-to-end solutions to our customers, and expand our presence in the life sciences market."

Agilent's microarray-based genomics solutions improve the productivity of gene-expression and genomics research. Also known as DNA chips or biochips, microarrays are small pieces of glass dotted with thousands of fragments of DNA, each of which corresponds to a specific gene. In a single experiment, a DNA microarray can measure differences in gene expression across the entire genome, thereby revealing important genetic differences between diseased and healthy tissues.