Genome Quebec Innovation Centre Purchases Production-Scale SNP Genotyping Solution From Illumina
Businesswire, Thursday, January 09, 2003 at 14:17
SAN DIEGO&MONTREAL, QUEBEC, Jan 9, 2003 (BUSINESS WIRE) --
Illumina's BeadArray(TM) Technology Will Underpin Canadian Genotyping
Contribution to the International HapMap Project
Illumina, Inc. (Nasdaq: ILMN) announced today an agreement with Genome Quebec for the purchase of Illumina's SNP genotyping solution. Illumina's solution includes all aspects of a production-scale laboratory and will be an integral component of the new Genome Quebec Innovation Centre, located on the McGill University campus in Montreal, Canada.
The genotyping solution will be used to support Canada's contribution to the International HapMap Project as well as genotyping projects for Genome Quebec, Genome Canada, McGill University and other academic institutions in Canada. The Centre, which is also funded by Genome Canada and the Ministry of Finance, Economy and Research (MFER) in Quebec, aims to create and develop world-leading capabilities for genomics and proteomics research.
The genotyping laboratory solution is built around Illumina's proprietary BeadArray(TM) technology and features high sample throughput, unprecedented multiplex levels, LIMS (laboratory information management system) control and low running cost per SNP scored. The complete offering is fully integrated to ensure optimal SNP genotyping performance. Included in the turnkey offering are Sherlock(TM) scanning equipment, GoldenGate(TM) assay protocols, LIMS and analytical software, fluid-handling robotics, and access to Sentrix(TM) array matrices and reagent supply, along with installation, start-up, training, and support services. When installed, the genotyping laboratory at Genome Quebec Innovation Centre will be able to produce routinely one million genotypes per day, the world's largest throughput of any genotyping system outside of Illumina.
Thomas Hudson, M.D., principal investigator and head of the Canadian HapMap Project team, commented,"Illumina's system enables a scale of experimentation and cost-effectiveness that is unmatched in the industry and consistent with what we need to execute our HapMap Project deliverables. We'll leverage Illumina's technology to develop over 150,000 assays and provide the Canadian HapMap contribution - ten per cent of the global total. Equally important, the system will support a wide range of additional genotyping applications, such as linkage analysis and fine chromosomal mapping, to help the Canadian genomics community contribute materially to an improved global understanding of genetic variation and function."Paul L'Archeveque, President and CEO of Genome Quebec, added,"It is exciting for all of us to be among the first to integrate this leading-edge technology to Genome Quebec Innovation Centre. This is in line with our mission, to create in Quebec within five years, one of the most important centres for genomic and proteomic research in the world."Jay Flatley, Illumina President and CEO, stated,"We're very pleased that Genome Quebec will use our BeadArray-based system as the core genotyping platform in the new Innovation Centre. As a fellow HapMap Project participant, we look forward to working closely with Tom Hudson, his colleagues, and other international contributors on this seminal post-genome initiative."Illumina (Nasdaq: ILMN; www.illumina.com) is developing next-generation tools that permit large-scale analysis of genetic variation and function. The Company's proprietary BeadArray(TM) technology provides the throughput, cost effectiveness and flexibility necessary to enable researchers in the life sciences and pharmaceutical industries to perform the billions of tests necessary to extract medically valuable information from advances in genomics and proteomics. This information will help pave the way to personalized medicine.
Genome Quebec is a not-for-profit investment organization created to implement and apply a comprehensive development strategy for the genomics and proteomics research sector in Quebec. Working with universities and many private-sector partners, Genome Quebec's mission is to establish in Quebec one of the world's ten largest research centres in this sector. Quebec, already a recognized leader in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, must invest in genomics and proteomics if it is to retain its leadership role in these fields and thus continue growing in today's knowledge economy."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 which could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements are Illumina's ability to fully develop its BeadArray and Oligator technologies, the Company's ability to successfully build international sales and support organizations to install and service its laboratory facilities at customer locations, the Company's ability to develop and deploy new applications for its platform technology, and other factors detailed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including its 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. Illumina disclaims any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements beyond the date of this release.
Editors' Note
Announced in late October in Washington, DC, the International HapMap Project will speed the discovery of genes related to common illnesses such as asthma, cancer and heart disease. The Project will identify and map blocks of DNA into which the human genome is organized. These haplotype blocks contain many SNPs (single-letter sequence variations that represent the most common source of genetic variation), only one or two of which need to be identified to know all the SNPs associated with that one block.
Project contributors include research groups representing Canada, China, Japan, Nigeria, the United Kingdom and the United States. Illumina is one of five funded U.S. organizations working on the project. The Company received the largest award of any U.S participant and will be responsible for mapping over 10% of the haplotypes in the genome. Illumina is collaborating with the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute and the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics, Oxford University.
More information on the HapMap Project and its participants at the following addresses: illumina.com genomequebec.com |
