Affymetrix Inc. of Santa Clara and Beckman Coulter Inc. of Fullerton, both in California, have entered into an agreement to develop products for genomic research. The partnership will create a range of automated target preparation methods based on an Affymetrix-specific configuration of Beckman Coulter’s Biomek FXP Dual Arm Multichannel—Span 8 Liquid Handler, for use in research and laboratory settings.