Affymetrix Inc. has granted Veridex, LLC, a Johnson & Johnson company, long-term and comprehensive access to its GeneChip technology to create and market in-vitro diagnostics for cancer.

The agreement, made under the Powered by Affymetrix programme, gives Veridex non-exclusive rights to Affymetrix' patented arrays, instrumentation systems and planned improvements to these key technologies. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed, the Affymetrix release said here.

"Microarrays are an important technology for clinical oncology in this era of molecular medicine," Robert Lipshutz, senior vice president, Molecular Diagnostics and Emerging Markets at Affymetrix said.

Under the Powered by Affymetrix programme, Affymetrix provides technology and expertise for products that are developed, branded and marketed by diagnostic companies. This includes the GeneChip System 3000Dx, which has been granted regulatory clearance by the US Food and Drug Administration and CE marked in the European Union for in-vitro diagnostic use.1