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Illumina and Complete Genomics Competing for Sequencing Dominance

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by Aaron Saenz on January 14th, 2010
HiSeq 2000

Illumina recently unveiled it's new sequencer, which shows some significant improvements.

The ongoing race to become the household name for whole genome sequencing is speeding up. Industry giants Illumina (ILMN) and Complete Genomics have both made recent announcements which demonstrate how serious this competition really is. The most recent battleground is the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco where thousands of investors and billions of dollars are at stake. Illumina unveiled a new sequencing machine, the HiSeq 2000, which has 30x coverage and 2×100 base pair read length. Importantly, it only requires $10k in materials to process each sample and can sequence two entire genomes over a period of about 8 days. Complete Genomics has countered with some impressive news of their own. This fall they announced the sequencing of 3 individual genomes at an average materials price of just $4400, and future whole genome sequencing (WGS) will be sold at just $20k per sample with large price breaks as order sizes increase. According to their twitter feed, CG told investors at JP Morgan this week that they have delivered 50 genomes and plan to complete a whopping 5000 more in 2010. We’ll get a chance to learn more about Complete Genomics plans for this year when we interview CEO Cliff Reid at PMWC next week. It’s a fierce battle between these two genetic giants, but the war is likely to lead to some amazing benefits to you and I.

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Cows Pave the Way for Profits (Dangers?) from Genetic Testing

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by Aaron Saenz on January 12th, 2010
A new genetic test is going to increase milk production in cows and yield big profits.

A new genetic test is going to increase milk production in cows and yield big profits.

While it may take years before widespread genetic testing changes humanity, animals are experiencing a difference today. According to Forbes, a single genetic test for breeding dairy cattle has almost completely replaced older pedigree tests in less than two years. Developed by Curtis Van Tessell at the USDA and performed by Illumina, this test costs only $250, replacing the previous system’s $50,000 price tag! The cheaper testing allows smaller dairy farmers to enter into the profitable business of selling cattle eggs and sperm. Using genetic testing, milk producers predict that the annual increase in US milk production will double to 5%. We’re talking about millions of dollars of increased profit in the United States alone. Van Tessell’s new test demonstrates that the age of widespread genetic evaluation has already started.

When it comes to human genetic testing, Illumina is one of the biggest names in the business. It and competitors like Complete Genomics are aiming to bring whole genome sequencing into the price range of most individuals. Right now, more affordable genetic evaluation can focus on key genes in human DNA. These single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are cheaper to test – companies like 23andMe use them exclusively to great avail. In Van Tessell’s test, SNP tests are used to keep track of 38,000 key differences that the USDA team discovered were important in dairy cattle breeding. One wonders how whole genome sequencing will affect animal husbandry. The bovine genome was recently mapped in 2009. Could we see even more profitable breeding? Maybe greater acceptance of germline genetic engineering? The reverse also could be interesting: how will attitudes about human genome testing change when genetic evaluation becomes a staple on the farm?

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Illumina’s Genome Sequencing Service Gets First Customers

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by Aaron Saenz on September 14th, 2009

Illumina-logoThe race to provide you with access to your genome is really heating up. Industry leader Illumina (NASDAQ: ILMN) has completed its first genome sequencing service for an individual at the low-low price of $48,000. That’s almost ten times what Complete Genomics plans to charge, but Illumina is offering the service directly to private individuals, not research groups. In fact, this is the first time any one person has had their genome sequenced for less than $50k. Illumina’s performance shows that it is still one of the forces to be reckoned with in whole human genome sequencing.

What are we to make of Illumina’s successful personalized genome sequencing service? It stacks up well against Knome’s KnomeCOMPLETE™ service which is perhaps the only other successful individual genome sequencing service on the market at the moment. Knome is trying hard to remain a contender in the field, but at $99.5k, it’s more than double Illumnia’s price.  With comparable capabilities and results, price becomes the real determining factor between those two companies.

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Get Your Entire Genome From Complete Genomics For $5000

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by Aaron Saenz on August 28th, 2009

Complete Genomics is pushing down the costs of sequencing the human genome.

Complete Genomics is pushing down the costs of sequencing the human genome.

It’s getting progressively cheaper to sequence your entire genome. Earlier in June, Illumina announced it would provide sequencing for close to $50k, half of their original price. Not to be outdone, Complete Genomics just released on Monday that it had gathered $45 million dollars in funding. The Silicon Valley based company is planning to use that money to further develop their streamline sequencing operations so that they can offer a complete genome for just $5000 by next year. CG’s goal is to finish 10,000 sequences by years end 2010. Even though that’s later than we had hoped, it’s still a whole lot of DNA and at the cheapest price for a whole genome seen so far. The question is, can they really pull it off?

We’ve been looking for a company, any company really, to break the $1000 price mark for a complete genome sequencing sometime in the next few years. That’s about the point where retail sales of the service will explode. With their exponentially decreasing price tag, Complete Genomics might be on that path. However, we know of at least one company that is trying to reach that goal by the end of this year. Stay tuned for that story in the next few weeks.

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