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Illumina Announces Personal Genome Sequencing Service - Offering to Provide
Comprehensive Image of Individual Whole Genome
San Diego, Calif., June 11, 2009 - Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN) has unveiled
a service program to provide high-quality personal genome sequencing for
consumers. This is the first service to offer complete coverage of the human
genome sequence for under $50,000. The Personal Genome Sequencing Service is
performed in Illumina’s recently certified CLIA laboratory utilizing Illumina’s
industry leading Genome Analyzer technology. The offering includes sequencing of
an individual’s DNA to 30 times depth, providing information on SNP variation
and other structural characteristics of the genome such as insertions, deletions
and rearrangements.
“Rapidly decreasing costs have made sequencing a pervasive technology that can
begin to be accessed at the consumer level,” said Jay Flatley, CEO and president
of Illumina. “We are entering a new era in genomic health, where information
from an individual’s genome will begin to inform lifestyle decisions and
ultimately assist with health management. We believe that in the long-run
personal genome sequencing will become a routine practice and the information
generated will enable physicians to make better healthcare decisions for the
consumer. By providing this service now, Illumina can help catalyze the
development of the infrastructure and physician education that will be necessary
as genomic information becomes medically more meaningful.”
Illumina intends to create a social community for the education and exchange of
information for those who have had their genomes sequenced. As more information
becomes available, participants will be in a position to mine their personal
genome sequence data to understand their identity in ways which have never been
possible.
In addition to the sequencing service, Illumina is establishing a protocol,
infrastructure, and community to enable large-scale adoption of personal genome
sequencing. This includes the creation of a network of partners to offer a
variety of services. Data analysis partners, physicians and genetic counselors
will play an important role in Illumina’s Personal Genome Sequencing Service. A
physician’s network is being created as physicians will be critical to the
service – to discuss the process with the consumer, order the sequencing
service, collect DNA samples and deliver final sequencing data to the consumer.
Illumina is collaborating with a number of partners, including 23andMe, deCODE
Genetics, Knome and Navigenics, to encourage secondary data analysis such as
calculation of disease risk, ancestry, and information on traits of interest.
Genetic counselors will also play a role in counseling individuals on the
results.
As part of the CLIA certification process, Illumina sequenced Jay Flatley, CEO
and president of Illumina and is currently processing three other individuals’
genomes. Hermann Hauser, Partner, Amadeus Capital Partners Ltd, is the second
individual to have his genome sequenced through this service. “I am delighted to
be the second person to go through the process to gain the genomic knowledge
that will allow a detailed assessment of potential health risks. I hope and
believe that this will become a widespread practice as correlations between the
genome and potential illnesses become more precise,” said Hauser. Mr. Flatley
and Mr. Hauser both intend to deposit their complete genome sequence into the
public domain in order to contribute to the collective understanding of the
genome. In doing so, they will double the number of previously-named completed
genomes in the public domain.
Two additional individuals who are being sequenced using Illumina’s Personal
Genome Sequencing service include Henry Louis “Skip” Gates, Jr., Alphonse
Fletcher University Professor at Harvard and his father Henry Louis Gates, Sr.
Skip Gates is the Director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute of African and
African American Research, has published 12 books, made nine documentary film
series and is the Host and co-Executive Producer of “Faces of America”.
Illumina’s Personal Genome Sequencing Service will be offered for $48,000. For
more information, visit
http://www.everygenome.com.
About Illumina
Illumina ( www.illumina.com ) is the
leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of next-generation life-science
tools and integrated systems for the analysis of genetic variation and
biological function. Using our proprietary technologies, we provide a
comprehensive line of products and services that currently serve the sequencing,
genotyping, and gene expression markets, and we expect to enter the market for
molecular diagnostics. Our customers include leading genomic research centers,
pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, clinical research
organizations, and biotechnology companies. Our tools provide researchers around
the world with the performance, throughput, cost effectiveness, and flexibility
necessary to perform the billions of genetic tests needed to extract valuable
medical information from advances in genomics and proteomics. We believe this
information will enable researchers to correlate genetic variation and
biological function, which will enhance drug discovery and clinical research,
allow diseases to be detected earlier, and permit better choices of drugs for
individual patients.
"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act
of 1995: this release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks
and uncertainties. Among the important factors that could cause actual results
to differ materially from those in any forward-looking statements are Illumina's
ability (i) to develop and commercialize further our BeadArray™, VeraCode®, and
Solexa® technologies and to deploy new sequencing, gene expression, and
genotyping products and applications for our technology platforms, (ii) to
manufacture robust instrumentation and reagents technology, together with other
factors detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission
including our recent filings on Forms 10-K and 10-Q or in information disclosed
in public conference calls, the date and time of which are released beforehand.
We disclaim any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements
beyond the date of this release.
Source: Illumina, Inc.
Illumina, Inc.
Investors:
Peter J. Fromen
Sr. Director, Investor Relations
858-202-4507
pfromen@illumina.com
or
Media:
Philomena Walsh
Assoc. Director, Corporate Marketing
858-882-6655
pwalsh@illumina.com
College Hill
Tony Stephenson, Katie Odgaard, Jo Bowler
+44 (0)1260 296 505
illumina@collegehill.com
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