Stockholm, Sweden – Renowned genomics pioneer, Bob Kain, has joined Single Technologies as an advisor to support the commercialization of their 3-D DNA sequencing system.

Kain is perhaps most famous for his work at Illumina from 1999 to 2014. During this time, he not only helped the company grow from a 30-employee start-up into a commercial giant with more than $1.5bn in annual revenues, but also helped invent and commercialize the first modern, high throughput genome sequencer.

Kain’s work has helped bring the cost of sequencing a full human genome from several millions of dollars to less than $1000, transforming biomedical research and healthcare. Bob is lead inventor on 28 U.S. patents which led to the breakthroughs that have revolutionized genome sequencing.

While at Single, Kain will advise the company on the development and commercialization of its Theta 3-D sequencer, which relies on volume rather than area analysis to greatly increase the number of DNA reads in a run.

Moreover, Theta’s 3-D capability means that more clusters can be processed with each ‘unit’ of reagent, vastly lowering costs. It also has the unique ability to sequence and image cells and tissue in 3-D, uniting next generation sequencing with spatial biology.

Speaking on the news, Single Technologies CEO, Johan Strömqvist said: “We are delighted to have Bob Kain join our board of advisors. Not only is it a huge vote of confidence in us and our technology, but also a vote of confidence in the future of sequencing.”

Kain added, speaking about Single’s 3-D sequencing:

“It is the first truly disruptive architecture I have seen that has the ability to reach the $10 per genome price point.”

Since starting work on its Theta 3-D sequencer in 2019, the company has raised a total of €16m ($17m) through a mixture of traditional fundraises and equity financing.