Illumina Announces Agreement for Sale of Production-Scale Genetic Analysis Laboratory
Wednesday January 19, 6:00 am ET
BeadArray(TM) Technology to Enable Landmark Genotyping And Gene Expression Studies of Cancer and Other Complex Diseases
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Jan. 19, 2005-- Illumina, Inc. (Nasdaq:ILMN - News) today announced an agreement with Mayo Clinic for the purchase and installation of an Illumina® BeadLab at the clinic's Rochester, Minnesota location. The BeadLab, a production-scale genetic analysis laboratory, will be used for research into the genetics of cancer and other complex diseases.
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While focused initially on SNP genotyping and the analysis of genetic variation, Mayo Clinic's research teams expect to use the BeadLab for a range of integrated genetic studies, including but not limited to whole-genome and focused gene expression for the analysis of biological and metabolic pathways. Many of these studies will involve the discovery and validation of disease-implicated molecular biomarkers in cancer. The BeadLab will be available to Mayo Clinic investigators at all three Mayo Clinic sites (Jacksonville, Florida; Scottsdale, Arizona; and Rochester, Minnesota).
The BeadLab is an end-to-end genetic analysis solution built around Illumina's proprietary BeadArray(TM) technology and featuring extensive automation, parallel sample throughput, high-multiplex assay protocols, low running cost per sample and industry-leading performance. When installed, the new BeadLab at Mayo Clinic will have the capacity to produce routinely one million genotypes per day. The BeadLab will also support gene expression profiling of large sample sets and new methods such as Illumina's DASL(TM) assay for profiling of degraded RNAs from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded samples.
"There are a variety of teams at Mayo who are employing breakthrough thinking to understand and fight complex diseases of all types," stated Jay Flatley, Illumina President and CEO. "We're both gratified and proud to be a part of the Mayo effort, and particularly excited that our BeadLab can help Mayo Clinic realize its vision of making a real difference for its patients."
Substantial emphasis will be placed initially on genomic studies of cancer and a variety of neuropsychiatric and cardiovascular disorders. These studies will seek to: discover new ways to predict, prevent, diagnose and treat cancer; improve the quality of life for cancer patients today and in the future; and develop more accurate ways of diagnosing and managing depression. More information about Mayo Clinic can be found at: mayoclinic.org and mayo.edu .
Illumina (www.illumina.com) is developing next-generation tools for the large-scale analysis of genetic variation and function. The Company's proprietary BeadArray technology -- now used in leading genomics centers around the world -- 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 by correlating genetic variation and gene function with particular disease states, enhancing drug discovery, allowing diseases to be detected earlier and more specifically, and permitting better choices of drugs for individual patients. |
