Illumina ($ILMN) is teaming up with Chinese diagnostic lab Kindstar Global, licensing its TruSight sequencing technology for use in the fast-growing local market.
Kindstar works with a network of more than 3,300 hospitals around China, the company said, and it plans to implement Illumina's molecular diagnostic platforms in tests for cancer, cardiomyopathy, autism and other conditions.
For Illumina, the sequencing company not getting bought for $13.6 billion, the deal is a chance to expand TruSight's adoption around the globe, and Senior Vice President Matt Posard said the company is on the hunt for similar agreements to push its platform forward.
"Kindstar's adoption of Illumina's TruSight technology across its extensive network in China speaks to the breadth and depth of content in this innovative portfolio," Posard said in a statement. "Next-generation sequencing is enabling a dramatic improvement in both coverage and accuracy for molecular diagnostics, and we look forward to additional partnerships that continue to drive this improvement forward."
Illumina remains the market leader in gene sequencing, and now that Life Technologies ($LIFE), its largest competitor, will be absorbed by Thermo Fisher ($TMO), the company is looking to maintain its double-digit revenue growth by tapping emerging markets and increasing its presence in diagnostics development.
- read Illumina's release