âIllumina Aims to Push Genetics Beyond the Lab With $200 Genomeâ, 2022-09-29 ()â :
[cf. Ultima, BGI]Illumina Inc says it can read a personâs entire genetic code for as little as $200 with its new sequencing machine, bringing the company within reach of its long-promised goal of the $100 genome.
Illumina on Thursday unveiled a new line of [NovaSeq X] DNA sequencing machines it says are twice as fast and accurate as its earlier models. Together, those upgrades will bring the cost per genome down 2â3 from its current technology, Chief Executive Officer Francis deSouza saidâŚIllumina announced the machines, the NovaSeq X series, on stage in San Diego on Thursday in a splashy ceremony, with the refrigerator-sized sequencers for view in a demo roomâŚIllumina has already started previewing the new machines with some customers, including Regeneron. Illumina will start shipping the first orders early next year.
âŚMore efficient machinery and materials reduce customer cost to sequencing one genome, or the complete set of genetic material, Illumina said, adding that costs would range from less than $200 per genome, with discounts for bulk use, to $240 for a higher-quality analysis. Slashing the price of reading DNA could allow the practice to move into the mainstream, where it might be used to better tailor medications or treatments to people or have other health benefitsâŚInvestors are closely following the event for signs Illumina can change its story. Customers, mostly drug companies and research institutions, will be paying attention to price. Before the launch, nearly 3 dozen sequencing customers had estimated Illumina would set its prices at $280 per genome, according to a survey from Cowen analysts.
âŚIlluminaâs new NovaSeq X series comes in two models, with the base machine costing $985,000 and a more advanced one at $1,250,000. The new sequencers also come with new features like a simpler interface that could allow people without advanced degrees to use the machines, deSouza saidâŚThe price âwill sufficeâ, though itâs âprobably not the magnitudeâ some had expected after Ultima announced its price earlier this year, Piper Sandler analyst David Westenberg wrote Thursday in a note to clients. The new series will probably appeal more to academic researchers than clinicians, though that could still create double-digit sales and earnings growth for Illumina next year, estimates Westenberg, who has an overweight rating on Illumina⌠Still, the price isnât low enough for Regeneron to switch to exclusively whole genome sequencing. The drugmaker mostly scans only genes of key interest, which costs between one-fifth and one-tenth the price of reading all of a personâs genetic material.