Illumina Launches MyGenome® App for iPad®

Illumina, Inc. has announced the availability of its MyGenome application for the iPad, available for download on the App Store(SM) for 99 cents.

Illumina's MyGenome app empowers users to explore a real human genome and view reports about important genetic variations through a simple, intuitive, and educational interface for genetic data exploration and learning.

"Illumina's vision of a future where healthcare is made more precise through the use of genetic information, together with our position as a sequencing technology leader, puts us in an ideal position to stimulate interest in a mainstream tool for genomic exploration," said Jay Flatley, Illumina's President and CEO.

Flatley continued, "The MyGenome app is an exciting educational tool that enables consumers to learn how much we already understand about variation in the human genome, served up in a graphically accessible format. This first version of the app provides a glimpse of what we think could become a clinical tool for use by physicians with their patients to improve understanding and communication of genetic data."

Key features of the MyGenome app include:

• Genome Map - for touring the landscape of chromosomes and visualizing how genetic variants in different locations translate into health impacts or biological traits. Users can view individual genes, their locations, and biological impacts, as well as visualize where and how genome sequences differ from the "reference" human genome. Illumina's Flatley donated his genome as the first example of a consumer genome that is compared to the reference genome for educational purposes.
• Health Cards - for exploring genetically determined conditions and predispositions, and carrier traits. Users can discover how different genetic variants can contribute to health risks and can be passed on to children, as well as find out how changes in the genome may affect drug response.
• Reports - for investigating the possible health impacts of genetic variants for more than 250 conditions. These reports illustrate how genetic information will likely be delivered in the future and used by medical professionals to interpret and understand the human genome.

As new genomic discoveries occur, or as more becomes known about existing conditions, updates to the application will contain and "flag" those new pieces of information - making the MyGenome app an ever-evolving tool.

Future versions of the MyGenome app also will enable the download of consumer data in a secure fashion.

Specifically, as part of its Individual Genome Sequencing (IGS) service in the CLIA-certified laboratory, Illumina plans to deliver genetic data to the ordering physician via the MyGenome app.

The physician will access a consumer's genomic information from the app, allowing them to visualize the genome and interrogate it for issues such as Mendelian disorders and pharmacogenomic drug response, before providing direct access to the consumer.