Illumina partners go beyond the genome, driving cancer breakthroughs using spatial transcriptomics, epigenomics, and proteomics

Rhea-AI Summary

Illumina (NASDAQ: ILMN) highlighted customer breakthroughs in oncology on Feb. 25, 2026, using spatial transcriptomics, 5-base sequencing, proteomics, and Illumina Connected Multiomics. Key claims include whole-transcriptome spatial datasets at 1 µm resolution, >2,000 unique transcripts per cell, and integrated methylation-aware cfDNA insights for harder-to-detect tumors.

Positive

• Whole-transcriptome spatial datasets at 1 µm resolution
• >2,000 unique transcripts detected per cell in breast cancer mapping
• 5-base sequencing enabled genomic+methylation detection in rare tumors
• Integrated Protein Prep plus 5-base resolved a false positive case

Negative

• High reliance on third-party suppliers for critical components
• Customer adoption of new multiomics products remains uncertain

Key Figures

Gene transcripts per cell: more than 2,000 transcripts Spatial resolution: 1 µm resolution Advanced-stage ovarian diagnoses: Nearly 80% +2 more

5 metrics

Gene transcripts per cell more than 2,000 transcripts Breast cancer spatial study sensitivity

Spatial resolution 1 µm resolution Whole transcriptome spatial datasets for lymphatic vessels

Advanced-stage ovarian diagnoses Nearly 80% Share of ovarian cancers diagnosed at advanced stages

Advanced-stage survival About 30% Survival rate when ovarian cancer is diagnosed late

Early-stage survival Exceeds 90% Survival rate when ovarian cancer is caught early

Market Reality Check

Price: $122.90 Vol: Volume 2,321,255 is in li...

normal vol

$122.90 Last Close

Volume Volume 2,321,255 is in line with the 20-day average of 2,453,683 (relative volume 0.95x). normal

Technical Price at 122.90 is trading above the 200-day MA of 109.15 and about 21% below the 52-week high of 155.53.

Peers on Argus

ILMN is up 1.96% while key peers show mixed moves: DGX +0.83%, LH +0.68%, WAT -0...

ILMN is up 1.96% while key peers show mixed moves: DGX +0.83%, LH +0.68%, WAT -0.89%, MEDP -0.87%, PKI 0.00%. The pattern suggests a stock-specific reaction rather than a coordinated sector move.

Historical Context

5 past events · Latest: Feb 23 (Positive)

Pattern 5 events

Date	Event	Sentiment	Move	Catalyst
Feb 23	Platform roadmap update	Positive	+2.4%	Announced 18‑month NovaSeq X roadmap boosting accuracy, throughput, and speed.
Feb 17	Investor conference notice	Neutral	-0.3%	Planned webcast of TD Cowen healthcare conference fireside chat for investors.
Feb 5	Earnings release	Neutral	-0.4%	Reported Q4 2025 revenue of $1.16B and flat FY2025 revenue of $4.34B.
Feb 3	Conservation partnership	Positive	-4.0%	Sequencing deal with San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance for up to 4,000 samples.
Jan 30	Acquisition closing	Positive	-3.3%	Closed $350M SomaLogic acquisition plus up to $75M performance milestones.

Pattern Detected

Recent product and partnership news often generated modest, mixed price reactions, with some positive technology updates aligning with gains and several strategic or partnership announcements seeing negative follow-through.

Recent Company History

Over the last month, Illumina has focused on technology advancement and strategic expansion. On Jan 30, it completed the SomaLogic acquisition, adding proteomics capabilities, followed by a conservation-focused sequencing partnership on Feb 3. Q4 and FY2025 results on Feb 5 showed $1.16B in quarterly revenue and flat $4.34B for FY2025. An investor conference webcast was announced on Feb 17, and on Feb 23 the company outlined NovaSeq X improvements. Today’s multiomics oncology update extends that same narrative of expanding applications on its platform.

Market Pulse Summary

This announcement underscores Illumina’s focus on applying multiomics—spatial transcriptomics, 5-bas...

Analysis

This announcement underscores Illumina’s focus on applying multiomics—spatial transcriptomics, 5-base epigenomic sequencing, and proteomics—to challenging cancers like pediatric kidney and advanced ovarian disease. Customer data show high-resolution spatial maps and over 2,000 transcripts per cell, supporting deeper tumor microenvironment insights and potential liquid biopsy approaches. In recent months, Illumina also closed the SomaLogic deal and detailed NovaSeq X upgrades, so this update fits a broader strategy of expanding its oncology and multiomics ecosystem.

Key Terms

spatial transcriptomics, epigenomics, proteomics, tumor microenvironments, +4 more

8 terms

spatial transcriptomics medical

"driving cancer breakthroughs using spatial transcriptomics, epigenomics, and proteomics"

Spatial transcriptomics is a lab technique that measures which genes are active and where they are active inside a tissue sample, producing a “map” of cell behavior rather than a single averaged reading. For investors, this matters because those maps can reveal precise disease mechanisms, identify better drug targets, and improve diagnostic tests — potentially speeding development, reducing trial failures, and creating new commercial opportunities in biotech and diagnostics.

epigenomics medical

"driving cancer breakthroughs using spatial transcriptomics, epigenomics, and proteomics"

Epigenomics is the study of chemical marks and patterns across the genome that turn genes on or off without changing the DNA sequence, like software switches controlling the same hardware. For investors, epigenomic discoveries can point to new drug targets, diagnostics, or ways to predict who will benefit from a therapy, affecting a biotech’s potential revenue, development risk and market value.

proteomics medical

"driving cancer breakthroughs using spatial transcriptomics, epigenomics, and proteomics"

Proteomics is the large-scale study of all the proteins produced by a cell, tissue or organism, like taking a full inventory and watching how the workforce and machines inside a factory behave. For investors, proteomics matters because it helps identify drug targets, disease indicators and responses to treatments—information that can speed development, reduce risk, guide partnerships and reveal new commercial opportunities in biotech and diagnostics.

tumor microenvironments medical

"understanding of tumor microenvironments."

The tumor microenvironment is the neighborhood around a tumor — the mix of normal cells, immune cells, blood vessels, and support structure that surrounds and interacts with cancer cells. It matters to investors because this environment strongly influences whether therapies will reach and kill tumors, how cancers resist treatment, and which drugs or diagnostics are likely to succeed; understanding it is like knowing local conditions before launching a product.

ctDNA medical

"Existing translational research ctDNA assays can miss disease signals in very rare tumors"

Circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) is tiny fragments of genetic material shed by cancer cells into the bloodstream, like breadcrumbs that can reveal a tumor’s presence and genetic makeup without needing a biopsy. For investors, ctDNA matters because tests and technologies that detect and analyze these fragments can speed diagnosis, track treatment response, and signal relapse, creating commercial opportunities in diagnostics, personalized therapies, and monitoring services.

ffpe medical

"Future work will expand 5-base profiling to additional FFPE and cfDNA samples"

FFPE stands for formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded, a standard laboratory method for preserving tissue samples by chemically fixing them and enclosing them in wax so they keep their structure over time. Think of it like embedding a pressed flower in wax to preserve its shape and details. For investors, FFPE matters because many diagnostic tests, drug development studies and biomarker analyses rely on these preserved samples; their quality and compatibility with laboratory assays affect clinical validation, regulatory approval and the commercial value of pathology and diagnostics products.

cfdna medical

"Future work will expand 5-base profiling to additional FFPE and cfDNA samples"

Cell-free DNA (cfDNA) is short fragments of genetic material that float freely in the bloodstream after cells die and release their contents. Investors care because cfDNA can be sampled with a simple blood draw to reveal signs of pregnancy complications, organ damage, or cancer without invasive procedures, making it the basis for high-growth diagnostic tests, monitoring tools and companion products that can change how diseases are detected and treated.

liquid biopsy medical

"lay the groundwork for an effective liquid biopsy in particularly challenging ovarian cancers"

A liquid biopsy is a laboratory test that looks for tiny pieces of tumor or disease-related material — such as DNA, proteins, or cells — circulating in blood or other body fluids, allowing detection and monitoring without a surgical tissue sample. For investors, it matters because these tests can speed diagnosis, guide treatment choices, enable easier repeat testing, and create recurring revenue streams if adopted widely, affecting a medical company's growth and regulatory risk profile.

AI-generated analysis. Not financial advice.

At AGBT, researchers reveal new findings from studies leveraging Illumina's multiomics solutions

SAN DIEGO, Feb. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN) today announced new customer breakthroughs in oncology powered by Illumina's spatial transcriptomics, 5-base sequencing, and proteomics technologies. The ability to combine more than one omic insight reveals unprecedented biological depth and knowledge, all of which is streamlined by Illumina Connected Multiomics for multimodal data analysis. The combined portfolio delivers new insights for precision diagnostics, targeted therapeutics development, and understanding of tumor microenvironments.

"Unlocking the human genome has changed the face of cancer care and opened up demand for the next wave of biological insights," said Jacob Thaysen, chief executive officer at Illumina. "Researchers are rapidly adopting multiomics and informatics technologies that expand our understanding of biology at scale. Illumina's streamlined multiomics workflows are enabling customers to achieve game-changing breakthroughs in oncology, pharmacogenomics, and more."

Illumina Spatial Technology decodes complex tissues with ease

The human lymphatic system is notoriously difficult to map due to its size and variability among individuals. Spatial technology holds promise to probe biomolecular signatures that can improve the diagnosis and prognosis of cancer and even explain how it metastasizes in the body.

Dr. Ioannis Vlachos, PhD, director of the Spatial Technologies Unit within Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC), leveraged Illumina Spatial Technology and visualization software to investigate human lymph nodes and lymphatic channels.

"Our research as an NIH HuBMAP Tissue Mapping Center aims to shed light on the complex function of lymphatic vessels, which are exceptionally challenging samples due to their low adhesion, surrounding adipose tissue, and small size. Illumina Spatial Technology generated high-quality data from samples ranging from very small to quite sizable, producing the first ever whole transcriptome spatial datasets for human lymphatic collector vessels," said Vlachos. "The large capture area and serial sections helped us resolve single‑cell‑thick layers and reconstruct three‑dimensional representations of tissue organization with whole transcriptome capture at 1um resolution. Our institution and the broader research community can use these datasets to answer many possible research questions."

In another study conducted by Illumina researchers, Illumina Spatial Technology outperformed other competing technologies for improved sensitivity, higher resolution, and higher throughput at a lower cost.

The study mapped breast cancer progression across a range of precancerous to high-grade ductal carcinomas. Whole-transcriptome profiling revealed unexpected nuances of tumor microenvironments, including identification of a novel set of cancer-associated fibroblasts. Researchers found more than 2000 unique transcripts in each cell, showing an unprecedented level of sensitivity.

"Each tumor is unique and its gene expression is never uniform," said Cande Rogert, vice president and global head of advanced sciences at Illumina. "By interrogating a large surface area of tissue at high resolution, we were able to analyze the tumor genetics within their real context and identify new cell subtypes. The resulting multiomic insights provide additional information and have the potential to drive more precise therapeutic development."

Illumina 5-base solution delivers epigenetic context for cancer diagnostics

A team of researchers from Broad Clinical Labs, working with hospital research partners in Boston and Europe, recently explored the application of Illumina's 5-base solution to support clinical research for pediatric kidney cancer. This type of cancer typically requires invasive surgical procedures to diagnose, monitor, and treat that are not always feasible.

The researchers are seeking genomic alternative approaches. Existing translational research ctDNA assays can miss disease signals in very rare tumors such as Wilms and rhabdoid. Illumina's 5-base solution enabled simultaneous genomic and methylation profiling to add additional epigenomics signals that identify cases missed by conventional approaches. 

Illumina 5-base whole genomes from renal cancer patients were tested in methylation-based classifiers and were able to predict the presence of rhabdoid tumors missed by genomics-only methods. Future work will expand 5-base profiling to additional FFPE and cfDNA samples, with the goal of training advanced machine learning models. These efforts may ultimately provide clinicians with more accurate diagnostic insights and improve outcomes for patients. 

"Combining these molecular signals in a single, scalable process can help us develop non-invasive diagnostics for cancers," said Carrie Cibulskis, director of cancer genomics at Broad Clinical Labs. "We're working toward a minimally invasive methylation-aware assay for cancer diagnosis and treatment selection."

Integrated multiomics improves understanding of advanced ovarian cancer

Nearly 80% of ovarian cancers are diagnosed at advanced stages, where survival drops to about 30%. When caught early, survival exceeds 90%. For women presenting with an adnexal mass, accurately distinguishing between benign and malignant disease is critical to guiding appropriate referral and surgical care, yet current diagnostic tools lack sufficient accuracy to reliably support these decisions.

Bodour Salhia, PhD, a professor of cancer biology at the University of Southern California's Keck School of Medicine applied Illumina's 5-base solution, Illumina Protein Prep, and Illumina Spatial Technology to adnexal masses. The method enabled them to more easily differentiate between cancerous and benign tumor types using cell-free DNA and explore more sensitive ways to gain deeper biological context for ovarian cancer. Results included the first reported spatial analyses of adnexal masses and revealed localized tumor biology not previously reported.

"These findings create a multiomic framework for ovarian cancer research and lay the groundwork for an effective liquid biopsy in particularly challenging ovarian cancers with the potential to transform diagnostic practices and outcomes," said Salhia. "Layering the omics gave us a winning combination, providing more context for earlier cancer identification."

Illumina's 5-base solution allowed for sensitive, integrated genetic and methylation analysis of tumor samples without compromising specificity. The methylation signals separated malignant and benign samples better than traditional approaches, which can often fail to separate cell types.

Illumina Protein Prep allowed the researchers to identify novel gene sets, proteins, and pathways in ovarian cancer, creating new lines of inquiry in cancer biology research, biomarker and drug development. Layering Protein Prep and 5-base data through a custom pipeline in Illumina Connected Multiomics quickly resolved a false positive case.

The layered approach helped researchers establish parameters for targeted exploration of gene expression in spatial data. Using Illumina Spatial Technology, transcriptomic data helped to resolve signals driving false positive results.

Illumina Connected Multiomics accelerates sample-to-answer pipeline

Multimodal analytics from Illumina Connected Multiomics provides deeper insights and overcomes the fragmented, siloed views produced by isolated assays, empowering researchers with a new understanding of cancer mechanisms, tumor heterogeneity, and potential therapeutic targets.

Illumina unveiled new product updates and customer data during the Gold Sponsor Workshop at the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT) annual meeting in Orlando. Learn more about Illumina's activity at AGBT here. 

Use of forward-looking statements

This release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Among the important factors to which our business is subject that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in any forward-looking statements are: (i) challenges inherent in researching, developing and launching new technologies, including modifying and scaling manufacturing operations, and reliance on third-party suppliers for critical components; (ii) our ability to manufacture robust instrumentation and consumables and develop reliable software solutions; (iii) our ability to deploy new products, services, and applications, and to expand the markets for genomics-related products and services, and (iv) the acceptance and adoption by customers of our newly launched or updated products, which may or may not meet our and their expectations, together with other factors detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our most 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 undertake no obligation, and do not intend, to update these forward-looking statements, to review or confirm analysts' expectations, or to provide interim reports or updates on the progress of the current quarter.

About Illumina

Illumina is improving human health by unlocking the power of the genome. Our focus on innovation has established us as a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, serving customers in the research, clinical, and applied markets. Our products are used for applications in the life sciences, oncology, reproductive health, agriculture, and other emerging segments. To learn more, visit illumina.com and connect with us on X, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube.

Contacts 

Investors:
Illumina Investor Relations
858-291-6421
IR@illumina.com

Media:
Christine Douglass
PR@illumina.com

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SOURCE Illumina, Inc.

FAQ

What did Illumina (ILMN) announce at AGBT on February 25, 2026?

Illumina showcased customer oncology breakthroughs using multiomics and informatics. According to Illumina, the announcement emphasized spatial transcriptomics, 5-base sequencing, proteomics, and Illumina Connected Multiomics for integrated multimodal analysis and downstream diagnostic research.

How does Illumina Spatial Technology improve cancer tissue analysis for ILMN?

Spatial Technology delivers high-resolution, whole-transcriptome mapping at 1 µm. According to Illumina, it produced first-ever whole-transcriptome spatial datasets for lymphatic vessels and captured >2,000 unique transcripts per cell in breast cancer studies.

What advantage did Illumina's 5-base solution show for diagnostics (ILMN)?

The 5-base solution enabled concurrent genomic and methylation profiling to detect tumors missed by genomics-only assays. According to Illumina, this improved identification in pediatric kidney cancer and supported methylation-aware classifiers for rare tumors.

How did integrated multiomics influence ovarian cancer research in Illumina's data?

Layering 5-base, Protein Prep, and spatial data revealed localized tumor biology and improved malignant/benign separation. According to Illumina, this multiomic framework produced first spatial analyses of adnexal masses and aided liquid biopsy development.

What are the main business risks Illumina (ILMN) disclosed related to these technologies?

Key risks include manufacturing, scaling, and supply-chain dependence on third-party suppliers. According to Illumina, challenges in deploying new products and achieving customer adoption could cause results to differ from forward-looking expectations.