Illumina Signs Fourth Genotyping Service Agreement with Leading UK-Based Cancer Research Group

Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN) announced today that Cancer Research UK will fund two studies designed to uncover genetic factors linked to the development of lung and ovarian cancers. These studies are part of a dual agreement with UK-based research centers that will total more than 15,500 samples. Both studies will initially use Illumina’s Infinium HumanHap550 Genotyping BeadChip, followed by customized analysis using Illumina’s iSelect Genotyping BeadChip. These studies mark the third and fourth service projects to be conducted for Cancer Research UK by Illumina’s FastTrack Genotyping Services team. Collaborating with Illumina for one study will be Richard Houlston, Ph.D., with his research team at the Institute of Cancer Research, and Tim Eisen at the University of Cambridge. More than 2,000 samples will be run on the HumanHap550 BeadChip, followed by 5,600 samples on an iSelect Custom BeadChip. Dr. Houlston and his team hope to uncover genetic risk factors associated with the development of lung cancer. A second study led by principal investigators Paul Pharoah, Ph.D., at the University of Cambridge and Simon Gayther, Ph.D., at the University of London will attempt to uncover genetic links to ovarian cancer. This study will process more than 2,000 samples using the HumanHap550 BeadChip and 6,000 samples using an iSelect Custom BeadChip. "We have invested heavily in studies that supply us with robust data, giving us the power we need to uncover variants linked to cancer, a disease which will affect one in every three people. We hope that these studies will move us another step closer to understanding the genetic variants responsible for cancer development and progression, as well as to facilitate the development of improved therapeutic approaches,” said Dr Fiona Hemsley, Cancer Research UK’s Head of Institutes Funding. "We are very pleased to work with Illumina’s FastTrack Services team again. We initiated our first study with them in 2005, which resulted in discovery and a speedy publication in Nature Genetics of a gene linked to colorectal cancer. We are eager to start the next series of studies and look forward to the high-quality data we know we can expect from Illumina’s technology,” said Dr. Houlston. Working with Illumina for the first time are Dr. Paul Pharoah and Dr. Simon Gayther. "Illumina’s genotyping technology has been shown to provide the power and quality needed for cancer research. We trust that the results will speak for themselves and look forward to achieving the same successes Dr. Houlston had during his colorectal study,” said Dr. Pharoah. "Almost every person who develops cancer requires some level of treatment, such as chemotherapy, which for some can prompt severe side-effects that ultimately may deter a person from undergoing this life-saving therapy. So there is significant incentive to understand the genetic basis of each disease,” said Marc Laurent, Director of Illumina’s FastTrack Genotyping Services group. "The demand for our genotyping services continues to grow because researchers, like those with Cancer Research UK, have come to trust the quality of our technology, service, and support. To date, we have processed over 300,000 samples and generated more than 16 billion genotypes, many of which have helped researchers identify genes linked to a number of diseases such as several mental health diseases, asthma, and diabetes.” Ovarian and lung cancer are included in the top 20 most prevalent cancers people suffer today. Yet, when detected early the prognosis of these diseases can be greatly improved. Committed to helping the research community uncover genes linked to cancer development, Illumina provides a broad range of products to facilitate the study of this very complex disease. For more information about tools and applications for cancer research, please visit Illumina’s web site at www.illumina.com. About Cancer Research UK Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to beat cancer. Cancer Research UK carries out world-class research to improve understanding of the disease and find out how to prevent, diagnose, and treat different kinds of cancer. Cancer Research UK ensures that its findings are used to improve the lives of all cancer patients. Cancer Research UK helps people to understand cancer, the progress that is being made, and the choices each person can make. Cancer Research UK works in partnership with others to achieve the greatest impact in the global fight against cancer. For more information about Cancer Research UK's work, or to find out how to support the charity, please visit www.cancerresearchuk.org.uk. About The Institute of Cancer Research The Institute of Cancer Research is Europe’s leading cancer research center with expert scientists working on cutting edge research. It was founded in 1909 to carry out research into the causes of cancer and to develop new strategies for its prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and care. The Institute works in a unique partnership with The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, forming the largest Comprehensive Cancer Centre in Europe. This relationship enables close daily contact with those on the front line in the fight against cancer—the clinicians, the caretakers, and most importantly, the patients. The Institute is a charity that relies on voluntary income and is one of the world’s most cost-effective, major cancer research organizations. About Illumina Illumina (www.illumina.com) is a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of next-generation life-science tools and integrated systems for the large-scale analysis of genetic variation and biological function. Using our proprietary technologies, we provide a comprehensive line of products and services that currently serve the sequencing, genotyping, and gene expression markets, and we expect to enter the market for molecular diagnostics. Our customers include leading genomic research centers, pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, clinical research organizations, and biotechnology companies. Our tools provide researchers around the world with the performance, throughput, cost effectiveness, and flexibility necessary to perform the billions of genetic tests needed to extract valuable medical information from advances in genomics and proteomics. We believe this information will enable researchers to correlate genetic variation and biological function, which will enhance drug discovery and clinical research, allow diseases to be detected earlier, and permit better choices of drugs for individual patients. "Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: this release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in any forward-looking statements are the costs and outcome of Illumina's litigation with Affymetrix and our ability (i) to integrate effectively our recent acquisition of Solexa, Inc., (ii) to develop and commercialize further our BeadArray™, VeraCode™ and Solexa® technologies and to deploy new gene expression and genotyping products and applications for our technology platforms, (iii) to manufacture robust microarrays and Oligator® oligonucleotides, (iv) to integrate and scale our VeraCode technology, (v) to scale further oligo synthesis output and technology to satisfy market demand derived from our collaboration with Invitrogen, together with other factors detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission including our recent filings on Forms 10-K and 10-Q or in information disclosed in public conference calls, the date and time of which are released beforehand. We disclaim any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements beyond the date of this release.