Illumina to Develop DNA Tech Sought in Failed PacBio Deal (1)

Gene-sequencing giant Illumina Inc. will develop its own technology for sequencing long stretches of DNA two years after antitrust authorities forced it to abandon the purchase of the biggest company in the long-read field.

The news, announced Monday by Illumina chief executive Francis deSouza at the virtual gathering of the JPMorgan Healthcare Conference, moves Illumina into an increasingly hot space for companies that decode DNA, the molecule that carries information for making cells, tissues and organisms. While costly, long-read sequencers like those made by Pacific Biosciences of California Inc. can decode extensive stretches of DNA with extreme accuracy, machines ...