Illumina Enters PCR Market with Acquisition
Illumina was an investor in Helixis and CEO Jay Flatley was a Board member. According to Illumina, the Eco costs approximately a quarter of systems on the market with the same performance. Illumina plans to introduce quantitative PCR kits as well. Mr. Flatley noted on Illumina’s second-quarter conference call that the PCR system expands the company’s offerings for lower complexity testing. He also commented that the labs using Illumina’s sequencers also use PCR, creating sales synergies.
San Diego, CA 7/27/10—Ilumina has announced that it completed the purchase of Helixis on April 30 for $70 million in cash and up to $35 million in contingent consideration. Helixis is the developer of a high-performance, low-cost real-time PCR system. Illumina will begin selling the system, the Eco, in August for a list price of $13,900. Helixis CEO Alex Dickson was named senior vice president of PCR Solutions at Illumina.
