By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    benefits of using protein powder to build muscles
    Protein Powder for Muscle Mass: Everything You Need to Know
    December 12, 2021
    changes brought on by blockchain in healthcare
    Technology In The Healthcare Industry
    March 28, 2022
    What Does Core Body Temperature Say About Health?
    August 17, 2022
    Latest News
    7 Most Common Healthcare Accreditation Programs: Which Should You Use?
    August 20, 2025
    Hospital Pest Control and the Fight Against Superbugs
    August 20, 2025
    Hygiene Beyond The Clinic: Attention To Overlooked Non-Clinical Spaces
    August 13, 2025
    5 Steps to a Promising Career as a Healthcare Administrator
    August 3, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Media Begin Focus on Next Iteration of ACA
    December 13, 2012
    Washington State Care
    Using Homecare for Positive Change in Healthcare
    August 14, 2017
    Do Electronic Health Records Reduce Malpractice Claims?
    February 2, 2013
    Latest News
    How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
    August 22, 2025
    How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
    August 22, 2025
    How One Fall Can Lead to a Long Road of Medical Complications
    August 22, 2025
    How IT and Marketing Teams Can Collaborate to Protect Patient Trust
    July 17, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Roche’s Proposed Takeover of Illumina—Game On for Universal DNA Sequencing?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Technology > Medical Innovations > Roche’s Proposed Takeover of Illumina—Game On for Universal DNA Sequencing?
BusinessDiagnosticsMedical Innovations

Roche’s Proposed Takeover of Illumina—Game On for Universal DNA Sequencing?

Shane Climie
Shane Climie
Share
6 Min Read
SHARE

There appears to be a full-scale race underway to bring affordable next-gen DNA sequencing into diagnostics and clinical medicine, as demonstrated over the past week or so by Roche’s hostile $5.7 billion-dollar bid for Illumina.  Roche’s move should come as no shock. The multi-national healthcare giant has been a leader in diagnostics by virtue of several earlier acquisitions.

There appears to be a full-scale race underway to bring affordable next-gen DNA sequencing into diagnostics and clinical medicine, as demonstrated over the past week or so by Roche’s hostile $5.7 billion-dollar bid for Illumina.  Roche’s move should come as no shock. The multi-national healthcare giant has been a leader in diagnostics by virtue of several earlier acquisitions. But this action signifies a formal acknowledgment that next-gen sequencing will be part of the diagnostic and clinical toolbox—perhaps sooner than we thought.

Roche’s aggressive move may be motivated by an optimism that arose from whole genome-sequencing on the individual level. We noted this rising tide of optimism early last year, and many advances have been reported since then. We’re certainly seeing many examples of the application of next-gen sequencing to diagnose disease and to help match the right drugs to the right patients. Examples of companies that are staking claims over the early application of targeted sequencing of specific panels of genes for diagnostics include our client Multiplicom, which develops CE-marked, multiplexed PCR kits to generate templates for next-gen sequencing, and Foundation Medicine, which is using targeted sequencing to help diagnose certain cancers and to guide the treatment of cancer patients.

But when viewing the widespread adoption of DNA sequencing, there’s a vast difference between the targeted sequencing of selected panels of genes, exome sequencing, and whole genome sequencing. As noted in our coverage of the 2011 Molecular Med Tri-Con, the challenge of interpreting the large reams of data gathered from scanning the full genome remains the elephant in the room.  We will be attending this year’s Tri-Con later this month and look forward to hearing about progress in this regard.

More Read

patient documentation
How to Train Your Dragon: Patient Documentation in the 21st Century
CDC’s Anti-Smoking Campaign Catches Fire
The PCMH and Home Care Data: An Interview with Melissa McCormack
3 Video Concepts: Creative, Low Cost, Compelling Hospital Marketing
4 Things You Need To Know Before Launching A Health Restaurant

In addition to the challenge of data analysis, we still face some persistent technical issues. Although the cost of DNA sequencing is declining rapidly, there are significant improvements to the technology that are yet to be realized. Speed, cost, and accuracy will be key drivers of clinical and diagnostic DNA sequencing. Although costs are declining rapidly, most next-gen sequencing platforms are somewhat error prone and they have relatively slow cycle times. The accuracy problem is overcome by re-sequencing samples to a high level of coverage or redundancy to help eliminate stochastic errors.  High sequence coverage is also needed to identify cancer causing mutations that are present at low frequency and in samples that often contain a mixture of both healthy and cancerous cells.

In clinical applications where patients’ lives are at stake, an accurate diagnosis is crucial. So improved accuracy will not only generate more reliable data, but will also reduce the computational burden, and lower the overall cost and the time required for analysis. Achieving the 1000x sequencing coverage that is required for cancer-related applications is a weighty burden. Sequencing platforms with higher levels of accuracy, lower cost and higher speed will provide a significant advantage. LaserGen is a forward-thinking company (and Popper and Co client) that has developed advanced sequencing chemistry with greatly improved accuracy, reduced cycle times, and lower cost relative to existing next-gen chemistries. This combination of improved speed, cost, and accuracy could help to drive more widespread adoption of next-gen sequencing for clinical and diagnostic applications.

Also, as noted in a recent Bloomberg News article about young twins whose illness was clearly identified via genome sequencing, many obstacles, including lack of health insurance coverage for sequencing, will likely impede progress. Until payers wrestle with a future that includes a populace that is well-informed about their genetic predispositions, even affordable gene-sequencing may find itself relegated to a pile of non-insurable “preventative” claims. And as mentioned earlier—we still do not fully understand the function of every part of the genome.

Ultimately, I believe Roche’s acquisition of Illumina—if it goes through—will be good for the gene sequencing industry, good for Roche’s competitors and good for healthcare consumers. The buyout of Illumina helps validate the idea that sequencing will become part of the diagnostic and clinical toolbox in the near future. Whether companies realize this and plan accordingly, or whether the wave simply carries everyone along, remains to be seen.

Do you agree that this is a good move for the diagnostics and sequencing industry as a whole? What might it mean for your company or your spot in the life science industry? Please share your thoughts with us here.

 


TAGGED:DNA sequencinggenomesIlluminaRoche
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

travel nurse in north carolina
Balancing Speed and Scope: Choosing the Nursing Degree That Fits Your Goals
Nursing
September 1, 2025
intimacy
How to Keep Intimacy Comfortable as You Age
Relationship and Lifestyle Senior Care
September 1, 2025
engineer fitting prosthetic arm
How Social Security Disability Shapes Access to Care and Everyday Health
Health care
August 20, 2025
a woman explaining the document
How a DUI Lawyer Can Help When Your Future Health Feels Uncertain
Public Health
August 20, 2025

You Might also Like

First Female to Be Nominated USAR Surgeon General

May 5, 2011

Can Your Organization Pioneer a Fundraising and Wellness Campaign, Reaching More Than 1.7 Million Viewers?

October 27, 2011
health technology
BusinessFinanceMedical DevicesTechnology

Wearable ReWalk Device Finds Partner in Japanese Robotics Firm

October 9, 2013
Image
Global HealthcareHospital Administration

Covering the Needs of Patients in Nizhny Novgorod

December 17, 2013
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?