Illumina Announces a New Genotyping Array and Scientific Contribution to Three Genome Centers to Support the All of Us Research Program

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Illumina, Inc.. (NASDAQ: ILMN) today announced the launch of its new high-density genotyping array, the Infinium™ Global Diversity Array. This new array was developed for and inspired by the All of Us Research Program. The All of Us Research Program is a historic effort to gather data from one million or more people living in the United States, to accelerate human disease research and improve health. The All of Us Research Program is one of the country’s most ambitious biomedical research efforts ever undertaken. It aims to build a nationwide community of at least one million participants from all walks of life, including groups that have been historically underrepresented in research.

In September, the All of Us Research Program awarded funds totaling $28.6 million to three genome centers around the country. These centers will generate genomic data from biosamples contributed by the program’s participants. Ultimately, this information will become a critical component in the program’s precision medicine research platform, a national resource to support studies on a variety of important health questions. The All of Us Research Program is funded and led by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Recognizing the significant impact that this project will have on the future of healthcare, Illumina is making a scientific contribution to the program by providing the new Infinium™ Global Diversity Array to process up to 1 million samples to the three genome centers, at no charge. The new array will be a high-density chip that has been designed to enable achievement of the primary genotyping-based goals of the project. Those goals are unparalleled coverage of a highly diverse cohort and the ability to return results to participants such as those indicated by the ACMG-59 Gene List and key pharmacogenomic variants. Some of these genes are associated with potentially life-threatening health conditions, ranging from familial hypercholesterolemia, to breast and ovarian cancer. The array will become commercially available for others to use in mid-2019.

“A core value of the All of Us Research Program is to reflect the rich diversity of the United States. Including people who have been underrepresented in biomedical research will help researchers understand existing health disparities and ensure that everyone can benefit from future breakthroughs,” commented Eric Dishman.

In addition to the new genotyping array, the awarded genome centers will employ Illumina’s NovaSeq 6000 Sequencing Platform to conduct the whole genome sequencing for the All of Us Research Program.

“This contribution to the selected All of Us Genome Centers will allow the program to accelerate the unprecedented effort to complete genotyping and sequencing for all 1 million or more people who participate in the program,” said NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D.

“We are privileged to make this scientific contribution to the All of Us Research Program Genome Centers,” shared Francis deSouza, President and Chief Executive Officer of Illumina. “This landmark initiative will build awareness of the unprecedented benefits that DNA sequencing can have on improving the human condition. It is an innovative program that will contribute to driving down the cost of sequencing, while further unlocking the power of the human genome.”

About Illumina

Illumina is improving human health by unlocking the power of the genome. Our focus on innovation has established us as the global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, serving customers in the research, clinical, and applied markets. Our products are used for applications in the life sciences, oncology, reproductive health, agriculture, and other emerging segments. To learn more, visit www.illumina.com and follow @illumina.

Use of forward-looking statements

This release contains forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. These forward-looking statements are based on our expectations as of the date of this release and may differ materially from actual future events or results. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in any forward-looking statements are (i) our ability to further develop and commercialize our instruments and consumables, including our diagnostic kit products, and to deploy new products such as the MiSeq™Dx System, services and applications, and expand the markets for our technology platforms; (ii) our ability to manufacture robust instrumentation and consumables; (iii) our ability to successfully identify and integrate acquired technologies, products or businesses; (iv) the future conduct and growth of the business and the markets in which we operate; and (v) challenges inherent in developing, manufacturing, and launching new products and services, together with other factors detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most 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 undertake no obligation, and do not intend, to update these forward-looking statements, to review or confirm analysts’ expectations, or to provide interim reports or updates on the progress of the current quarter.

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