Corning Making Microarrays

Using a high-volume manufacturing process, Corning Inc. is swooping into the business of making microarrays--DNA chips used to analyze thousands of genes at once. The Corning, N.Y.-based materials company said that its new technology will speed production of microarrays at least tenfold. That could accelerate genetic research and speed the discovery of new drugs. Sales of genetic information to biotechnology companies, government and academic laboratories is expected to grow from $250 million to $1 billion in the next five years, Corning said. Shares of Corning fell $8 to close at $288 on the NYSE.