Applied Microarrays rescues CodeLink

This latest move will put the CodeLink platform in the hands of a fourth company since its conception at Motorola Life Sciences. The technology was passed to Amersham in 2002, before Amersham was acquired by GE Healthcare in 2003. GE Healthcare decided to shutter​ the microarray platform in December 2006, after struggling to make the business a success. At the time of the announcement a spokesperson for GE Healthcare told LabTechnologist.com: "It is a regrettable decision, which was not taken lightly; over the last two years we have tried to make a go of the business." ​ Applied Microarrays was formed last year by Alastair Malcolm to keep the CodeLink platform alive. "We will be hiring a group of people that were with GE, including various people that have been with the company right from the start during the Motorola days,"​ said Malcolm. Malcolm left GE last year and has been part of the operation since the start having been vice president and director of CodeLink Platform Operations at Motorola before the sale to Amersham. The CodeLink array rated highly in the US Food and Drug Administration sponsored Microarray Quality Control (MAQC) consortium report published in Nature Biotechnology​ last year. "The intention is to become a contract manufacturer for all types of arrays including custom arrays,"​ said Malcolm. ​ "We will be opening up the platform immediately to all partners to put their arrays on the platforms and will focus on being a high volume, high quality manufacturer." ​ The company has already started producing and shipping CodeLink products, and is offering special promotional pricing during the launch of the business.