Illumina Announces Breakthrough Human Genome Sequencing Studies Published in Nature

2008-11-10 01:14:00 -

www.illumina.com/ - Illumina, Inc. Investors: Peter J. Fromen Sr. Director, Investor Relations 858-202-4507 pfromen@illumina.com or Media: Maurissa Bornstein Public Relations Manager 858-332-4055 mbornstein@illumina.com Illumina (NASDAQ: ILMN) today announced that the November 6, 2008 issue of Nature published sequencing results of the first Yoruban human genome. The study was completed by Illumina scientists and collaborators at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and generated greater than 30x average coverage of the genome. Four million single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), including one million novel SNPs, and 400,000 structural variants were identified. The Yoruban study and two other papers--by researchers at Beijing Genomics Institute (BGI) and Washington University--featured in the same November 6 issue of Nature all used the Illumina Genome Analyzer to complete the sequencing studies. This marks the first time that three human genome studies--including the first Asian individual, the first cancer patient, and the first African male--have been simultaneously published in a single journal.

Findings of these three papers will be presented in greater detail by Jun Wang, Ph.D. of BGI, Rick Wilson, Ph.D. of Washington University, and Scott Kahn, Ph.D. of Illumina during a press briefing at the 58th annual meeting of the American Society of Human Genetics. Sponsored by Illumina in collaboration with Nature, the press briefing will take place on Tuesday, November 11, 2008 at 6:00pm EST.

"The Illumina publication of Accurate Whole Human Genome Sequencing Using Reversible Terminator Chemistry is a testament to the work of many individuals, who over the past 10 years contributed to the development of the Genome Analyzer. Without their tireless effort and dedication, these achievements would not have been possible," said David Bentley, Vice-President and Chief Scientist of DNA Sequencing at Illumina. "The publications and perspectives presented in this leading scientific journal confirm that it is now possible to economically and efficiently sequence human genomes to discover and profile human genetic variation."

Illumina's sequencing technology is founded on large-scale parallel sequencing of millions of nucleic acid fragments using proprietary reversible terminator-based sequencing chemistry. The Genome Analyzer has been broadly adopted by both single-investigator laboratories and genome centers to perform an extensive range of applications, including whole-genome, targeted and de novo sequencing, analysis of bisulfite converted DNA, transcriptome profiling and characterization of protein-nucleic acid interactions to publish groundbreaking studies at an unprecedented rate. Since its commercial release in early 2007, more than 120 original research studies have been published on the Genome Analyzer in peer-reviewed journals.

"The publication of three independent genomes demonstrates the utility of the Genome Analyzer in enabling groundbreaking research at a scale that was previously not possible. These studies, along with multiple ongoing efforts, including the 1,000 Genomes Project, will undoubtedly lead to new insights that will enhance our understanding of human health," said Christian Henry, Senior Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, and Acting General Manger of Illumina's Sequencing Business. "With continued improvements to the output, accuracy, and read length delivered by the Genome Analyzer, we expect human genome sequencing to become even more economical and ultimately routine."

Internally Illumina has demonstrated that the Genome Analyzer is capable of delivering paired reads in excess of 100bp each and over 20Gb of data per run. As these capabilities are broadly released, the Illumina Genome Analyzer will continue to set the standard for accurate economical sequencing that will contribute to studies aimed at understanding the genetic basis of disease.

About Illumina

Illumina (www.illumina.com) is a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of next-generation life-science tools and integrated systems for the large-scale 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(TM), VeraCode(R), and Solexa(R) 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.

Three Landmark Studies of Independent Human Genomes Carried Out on
Illumina Genome Analyzer