March 12, 2007
Illumina
Jay Flatley
President and CEO
How has your company adapted and responded to the changing economic climate in the past five years when so many other companies did not?
We learned early on that evolving and continuously innovating our product and service offerings was critical. In 2006, Illumina launched over 25 products as part of its growing portfolio of genetic analysis tools. To do this, we listened closely to our customers and the scientific community, and anticipated where the industry was headed. Our success can be described by the researchers who have used our technology and completed studies much faster than they ever thought possible.
What is your vision for the future of the life sciences market over the next several years?
On a daily basis, the life sciences industry moves closer to understanding the genetic basis for human disease. Researchers using Illumina's technologies and platforms have recently identified genes that play a role in the development of complex diseases such as Parkinson's disease, Crohn's disease, type-2 diabetes and Lou Gehrig's disease. Additionally, the recent MicroArray Quality Consortium (MAQC) project announced that microarrays will be more widely adopted in clinical and regulatory settings in order to advance the rate of drug development.
We know that translational research will play an increasingly critical role in bridging disease discovery to clinical utility. We envision a market that will become increasingly consolidated and focused on delivering direct value to the patient from genetic discoveries.
What products and services does your company provide and what special capabilities do they offer the life sciences market?
Illumina is developing next-generation tools for genetic analysis. Since we completed our merger with Solexa, we are now the only company with genome-scale technology for genotyping, gene expression and sequencing -- the three cornerstones of modern genetic analysis. Combined with our commitment to provide support and service long after a system is installed, we offer a level of collaboration and confidence that is unique to other life science companies.
Partnerships are an effective way to track life science advances and ensure that your company delivers timely products and services. Which life sciences companies or organizations have you partnered with or invested in and why?
The life science community consists of a variety of organizations -- commercial, academic, pharmaceutical, and government. Illumina has partnered with a number of these institutions so that we can help researchers understand, prevent and ultimately cure disease.
Academic, pharmaceutical and government partners include the Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania (CHOP), the Center for Inherited Disease Research (CIDR), Genizon, Genome Quebec, the Welcome Sanger Trust Institute, deCODE genetics, Amgen and GlaxoSmithKline. We also have developed strong third party software and commercial service provider partnerships with groups such as Asuragen, Service Xpress, and GoldenHelix.
What are your most exciting products and initiatives in development, and how will they improve life science research?
Earlier this year we unveiled the industry's most comprehensive whole-genome DNA analysis solution -- the Human 1M BeadChip. This BeadChip will profile over 1 million diverse genetic variants on a single microarray. Combined with copy number variation content, this solution addresses applications beyond just traditional whole-genome association studies, and will set the new standard as being the most comprehensive and powerful tool available for genetic analysis.
In diagnostics, the company is excited to launch its VeraCode technology, which will be offered on the BeadXpress platform. Organizations like the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario and the Mayo Clinic have already initiated collaborations with Illumina to develop molecular diagnostics tests for complex diseases.
Illumina's Solexa Sequencing technology will also offer a powerful new approach to some of today's most important applications for genetic analysis and functional genomics, including sequencing and resequencing, digital gene expression, and small RNA identification.
Where do you see your company in five years?
This year Forbes ranked Illumina #1 among 2,200 U.S. high-tech companies, naming us the fastest growing company in 2006. In five years, we envision a company with a continued commitment to be the premier genetic analysis tools provider, with a substantial business in molecular diagnostics. We have shown tremendous growth this year, and will continue to deliver value for the life science community, including our customers, our investors, and our employees.