Innovations Significantly Decrease Computational Burden and Increase Output

SAN DIEGO–Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN) today announced breakthrough software advancements for its sequencing platform that enable real time analysis and provide a significant reduction in computing infrastructure requirements. These software improvements, in combination with the new Genome AnalyzerIIx, enable researchers to increase their sequencing output up to 65% relative to the Genome AnalyzerII. Breaking from the industry trend, where increased data output requires increased computing power and infrastructure, Illumina is simplifying computing and data processing by enabling base calling and quality assessment on the instrument control workstation.

“Sequencing output generated by researchers using Illumina technology continues to expand rapidly. These advances in Genome AnalyzerII informatics represent the latest milestone on the path for researchers to generate 95 gigabases of data per run by year’s end,” said Scott Kahn, Chief Information Officer at Illumina. “With the increase in data output, there has been a corresponding increase in demand for computing infrastructure. We are reversing this trend by maximizing the amount of sequence information that can be extracted from a run while minimizing the computational burden. The result is a simplified data management process that will support the increasing pace of biological research.”

Illumina has further optimized image processing and data analysis to support the increase in sequencing output. Software advancements include improved cluster detection, yielding a 40% increase in reads per flow cell and lower error rates. A breakthrough in algorithm optimization enables integrated real-time base calling and data processing on the standard instrument control station, reducing the need to transfer large data files across networks, and minimizing data storage requirements. Unlike other systems that require expensive local clusters, the software innovations from Illumina require only the computing power that runs the sequencer.

The latest Genome AnalyzerIIx innovations enable significant increases in data output and quality and represent an important milestone in the development roadmap for scaling the Genome Analyzer presented by Illumina at the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology meeting in February. The new developments streamline workflow from sample prep to data analysis, increase data output and quality and expand the applications that researchers can perform with the Genome Analyzer. The new software will be available May 12, 2009.

About the Genome Analyzer

Designed for facilities of all sizes, the Illumina Genome Analyzer has been adopted across genome centers worldwide, plus individual research labs, core and service facilities, and biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. The Genome Analyzer offers the highest rate of daily output and the simplest and most user-friendly workflow. The Genome Analyzer also offers the broadest set of supported applications, including whole transcriptome profiling and discovery, epigenetic studies, whole genome resequencing, de novo sequencing, targeted resequencing, ChIP-sequencing, bi-sulfite sequencing (DNA methylation), small RNA, mRNA, tag profiling and metagenomics. For more information about the Genome Analyzer and to read what customers are doing with Illumina’s sequencing technology, please visit https://www.illumina.com/sequencing.

About Illumina

Illumina (www.illumina.com) is a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of next-generation life-science tools and integrated systems for the 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 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, (ii) to manufacture robust instrumentation and reagents 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.