National Geographic Channel’s Documentary, Explorer: Science of Cats, Features Illumina's^® VeraCode^® Technology

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Illumina, Inc., (NASDAQ:ILMN) today announced that on Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at 10:00pm ET/PT the National Geographic Channel will premier their latest episode of Explorer, featuring Leslie Lyons, Ph.D., and her team of scientists at the University of California, Davis as they uncover the genetic history of worldwide domestication of cats. Already, more than 700 of the project’s 2,000 samples have been analyzed using Illumina’s VeraCode technology and BeadXpress^® Reader. Dr. Lyons will present her group’s research during an Illumina-hosted webinar on July 9, 2008 at 9:00am PST. To register for this event, please visit www.illumina.com/webinars.

“This will be the largest study conducted to date investigating genetic variation in cats and the origin of the domesticated cat breads worldwide. Information abstracted from this study will help the research community better understand the development of complex diseases in cats, which are a great model organism for humans,” said Dr. Leslie Lyons, Associate Professor at the University of California, Davis. Samples for this study were collected from various regions of the world including Egypt, Kenya, Iraq, Iran, Dubai, and India. Many of the samples were in a degraded state, which imposed unique challenges on the study. “The age, storage conditions, and concentration of the samples collected ranged greatly in the study, testing the capability of the VeraCode technology in the worst of conditions. Even with those challenges, the system provided us with robust and reliable data,” commented Dr. Lyons.

“This study demonstrates the utility and robustness of the BeadXpress platform for genetic analysis applications and its flexibility for use in any species,” said Mickie Henshall, Senior Marketing Manager of Molecular Diagnostics at Illumina. “The study, performed at the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, included 50 polymorphisms associated with cat traits and diseases. It serves as a model for how this technology can be leveraged in the development of agricultural testing panels and in diagnostic panels for both veterinary and eventually human applications.”

Explorer: Science of Cats will premier in the United States only on Tuesday, June 10, 2008 at 10:00pm ET/PT. For local channel information, additional air dates, and to preview the documentary, please visit http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/explorer/3103/Overview.

About VeraCode Technology and the BeadXpress Reader

Illumina's VeraCode technology platform leverages the power of digital holographic codes to provide a robust detection method for low-cost multiplex assays requiring high precision, accuracy, and speed. This novel technology enables solution-based assays with the multiplexing power of microarrays. Comprised of cylindrical glass particles, VeraCode microbeads are inscribed with holographic elements that, when scanned with a laser beam, diffract the beam to produce a unique code image. The glass surface of the microbeads provides an ideal surface for numerous bioassays, including genotyping, gene expression, DNA methylation, and protein-based assays. Multiplex assays are created by pooling together microbeads with code diversities ranging from a few to several hundred codes that have been functionalized with capture biomolecules (e.g., oligonucleotides or protein).

The patented BeadXpress Reader is used to rapidly scan the beads in the assay for their code and fluorescence signals. The analysis software converts the code image into a decimal code, which can be interpreted to represent information such as analyte, sample ID, laboratory ID, lot numbers, reagent kits, etc. Illumina has demonstrated robust performance in several multiplex genotyping, gene expression, and protein assays.

For more information on VeraCode technology and the BeadXpress system, please visit www.illumina.com/veracode.

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 Illumina’s 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 sequencing, 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, 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.