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Biotech / Medical : Illumina (ILMN) Optics for Genomics -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: mopgcw who wrote (88)	5/18/2004 11:11:53 PM
From: mopgcw	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 276

Illumina Announces Breakthrough Pricing for Whole-Genome 2004-05-18 16:25 (New York) Expression Arrays; New BeadChips Redefine Experimental Scale SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 18, 2004 Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN) today released pricing for two recently announced Sentrix(R) BeadChips that will enable large-scale gene expression experiments for as low as $100 per array. The Company also provided details on a new sample evaluation and early buyer program that will introduce researchers to the power and quality of these products. The Sentrix Human WG-6 BeadChip, with probes to query approximately 48,000 transcripts per sample, will be priced at $160 for each of the six samples, or $960 per BeadChip. The Sentrix Human RS-8 will contain probe sequences to query eight samples, each for 24,000 transcripts derived from the consensus RefSeq database. The RefSeq microarray will be priced at $100 per sample. The Sentrix Human WG-6 BeadChip will contain over ten million beads, or features, leveraging the extremely dense geometries of Illumina's BeadArray(TM) technology. Each of the 48,000 bead types is represented on average more than thirty times per array, providing a new level of intrinsic feature redundancy and data quality for the microarray market. Beads are spaced six microns apart from center to center, representing nearly four times the density of any other commercial microarray technology. Higher density leads to significantly smaller array footprints and, as a result, substantial reductions in sample volumes and costs for customers. The optimal probes for each gene are identified using Illumina's bioinformatic design algorithms followed by functional screening. In addition, the probes incorporate data from the latest release of RefSeq (March 2004), ensuring that customers are using arrays based on the most current genome information available. The new BeadChips are scanned on the same BeadArray Reader that is used for the Company's SNP genotyping arrays. Special pricing is available as part of an early buyer program (http://www.illumina.com/whole_genome_purchase.asp), the terms of which provide significant incentives for researchers and organizations who want to have priority access to Illumina's whole-genome Sentrix BeadChips and related systems. The Company has identified and begun working with beta sites with full product availability expected in mid-2004. "Pricing for our new whole-genome gene expression solutions will enable life scientists to expand their experimental scale to unprecedented levels within existing budget and project constraints, while achieving high levels of array performance, reproducibility and statistical confidence," stated Jay Flatley, Illumina President and CEO. "We will continue to deliver high value to the expression marketplace in the same way that we have in the SNP genotyping and DNA synthesis markets." "The '$100-array' for large-scale expression profiling has been viewed by many as the critical breakthrough price for commercial arrays. We are extremely pleased to be the first to reach this industry milestone with our 24K RefSeq BeadChip," added Todd Dickinson, Illumina's Gene Expression Market Manager. "These new BeadChips offer a compelling, cost-effective alternative for those scientists who spot arrays on a daily basis, freeing them to focus on biology rather than array manufacturing." Sentrix whole-genome expression arrays are a further example of Illumina's strategy to build a comprehensive offering of scalable, multi-application systems. At the foundation of our systems are the Sentrix Array Matrix, the Sentrix BeadChip, the BeadArray Reader and our Oligator(R) DNA synthesis capability. The BeadStation system addresses moderate-throughput requirements and complements Illumina's production-scale BeadLab. Both systems can be scaled in multiple dimensions, providing customers the flexibility to perform SNP genotyping or gene expression experiments on the same platform, with content ranging from whole genomes to focused sets, at various levels of throughput and automation. Illumina (www.illumina.com) is developing next-generation tools that permit 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 to enable researchers in the life sciences and pharmaceutical industries to analyze the billions of data points necessary to extract valuable information that will help pave the way to personalized medicine.