Illumina Acquires Edico Genome to Accelerate Genomic Data Analysis
Edico’s DRAGEN® Bio-IT Platform Delivers Faster, Streamlined Output for Next-Generation Sequencing
SAN DIEGO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–May 15, 2018– Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN) today announced that it acquired Edico Genome, the leading provider of data analysis acceleration solutions for next-generation sequencing (NGS). Edico Genome’s DRAGEN® Bio-IT Platform (DRAGEN) uses field programmable gate array (FPGA) technology in conjunction with proprietary software algorithms to reduce both data footprint and time to results.
DRAGEN can be run on premise, in the cloud, or in a hybrid mode, and is flexible and compatible for use with multiple cloud storage solutions and analysis pipelines. Edico Genome has built a strong base of NGS customers who have incorporated DRAGEN as a standard part of their sequencing workflow.
“Our acquisition of Edico Genome is a big step toward realizing the vision of reducing sequencing data acquisition and analysis to a push-button, standardized process,” said Susan Tousi, Senior Vice President of Product Development at Illumina. “We expect to build on the solid foundation of DRAGEN to deliver a more streamlined and integrated sample to answer experience for our customers.”
The DRAGEN platform complements Illumina’s sequencing portfolio and enables customers to benefit from reduced investment in compute infrastructure, and accelerated result times, to improve their overall efficiency and to allow greater emphasis on interpretation and reporting.
“The scientific community should align around standards to maximize the impact of genomics in health,” said Anthony Philippakis, MD, PhD, Chief Data Officer of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. “We are excited to collaborate with Illumina on approaches and pipelines for the analysis of NGS data. The Genome Analysis Toolkit (GATK) has been adopted by a diverse set of researchers, and we look forward to integrating these methods with Illuminasequencers to improve the overall efficiency of data analysis—enabling the community to more easily share and collaborate.”
“Thanks to Illumina, the ability to generate accurate and affordable sequencing data is rapidly expanding the market and use cases for NGS. As the scale of sequencing expands, decreasing the cost and time of analysis will be important to fuel the clinical adoption of sequencing,” said Pieter van Rooyen PhD, President and CEO of Edico Genome. “Our team is invigorated at the prospect of joining Illumina to combine our respective strengths to streamline and accelerate secondary analysis for the genomics community.”
“We have had tremendous success at Rady’s for years using Edico’s DRAGEN coupled with Illumina sequencers to accelerate the delivery of genomic insights for critically ill newborns,” said Stephen F. Kingsmore, MD, DSc, President and CEO of Rady Children’s Institute for Genomic Medicine. “Our goal is to ensure that whole-genome sequencing is available to every child who needs it. To do this, we need a rapid workflow that can scale and ultimately be accessible to hospitals around the world.”
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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.
