BGI Purchases an Additional 12 Illumina Genome Analyzers, Expanding Their Shenzhen and Hong Kong Branches

Scale-up of Illumina`s Next-Generation Sequencing Platform Increases BGI`s Total
Genome Analyzer Capacity to 29 Units
SAN DIEGO--(Business Wire)--
Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN) today announced that BGI purchased 12 additional
Genome Analyzers, expanding their installed base of Illumina`s next-generation
sequencing platforms to 29 units. Of the new units, four will be installed at
BGI, Shenzhen and eight will be installed at BGI, Hong Kong. This added capacity
will help researchers at BGI expedite efforts around key programs such as the
1000 Genomes Project, the Chinese Cancer Genome project, the Tree of Life
project, and other initiatives that accelerate BGI`s work in agriculture, human
health, and biofuels.

"Purchasing 12 Genome Analyzers from Illumina is the first step in a multi-phase
scale-up effort we plan to carry out in the near future. And with the opening of
our new research facility in Hong Kong we wanted to arm our team of scientists
with what we believe is the best in class sequencing technology," said Xiuqing
Zhang, Ph.D., Director of Sequencing Division at BGI.

BGI is among the world's leading scientific organizations committed to helping
researchers understand biology and medicine through the use of large-scale
sequencing and bioinformatics analysis. The Institute also offers sequencing
services to the international community. BGI promotes the use of genome-scale
scientific approaches and strongly supports collaborative efforts in order to
achieve this goal. Besides Shenzhen, Hong Kong, and Beijing, BGI recently set up
another five branches in China, one branch in the United States, and one branch
in Europe; for both sequencing service and scientific collaboration.

"BGI`s decision to exclusively scale-up with the Genome Analyzer further
validates their confidence in our sequencing technology and our ability to
improve read length, data density, and ease of use," said Matt Posard, Vice
President of Sales at Illumina. "Earlier this year we announced a clear and
demonstrable path for researchers to generate 25x coverage of a human genome for
less than $10,000 in 2009. By following this path, we hope to enable researchers
to embark on ambitious projects that they never thought possible."

About the Illumina Genome Analyzer

Designed for facilities of all sizes, the Illumina Genome Analyzer has been
adopted across genome centers worldwide, plus individual research labs, core and
service facilities, and biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies. The Genome
Analyzer offers the highest rate of daily output and the simplest and most
user-friendly workflow. The Genome Analyzer also offers the broadest set of
supported applications, including those used to profile and discover novel
transcripts, to create a high-resolution genome-wide map of DNA-protein binding
sites and to sequence entire human genomes to greater than 30x coverage.

For more information about the Genome Analyzer and to read what customers are
doing with Illumina's sequencing technology, please visit
http://www.illumina.com/sequencing.

About Illumina

Illumina (www.illumina.com) is a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer
of next-generation life-science tools and integrated systems for the analysis of
genetic variation and biological function. Using our proprietary technologies,
we provide a comprehensive line of products and services that currently serve
the sequencing, genotyping, and gene expression markets, and we expect to enter
the market for molecular diagnostics. Our customers include leading genomic
research centers, pharmaceutical companies, academic institutions, clinical
research organizations, and biotechnology companies. Our tools provide
researchers around the world with the performance, throughput, cost
effectiveness, and flexibility necessary to perform the billions of genetic
tests needed to extract valuable medical information from advances in genomics
and proteomics. We believe this information will enable researchers to correlate
genetic variation and biological function, which will enhance drug discovery and
clinical research, allow diseases to be detected earlier, and permit better
choices of drugs for individual patients.

"Safe Harbor" Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of
1995: this release may contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and
uncertainties. Among the important factors that could cause actual results to
differ materially from those in any forward-looking statements are Illumina's
ability (i) to develop and commercialize further our BeadArray, VeraCode, and
Solexa technologies and to deploy new sequencing, gene expression, and
genotyping products and applications for our technology platforms, (ii) to
manufacture robust instrumentation and reagents technology, together with other
factors detailed in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission
including our 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 disclaim any intent or obligation to update these forward-looking statements
beyond the date of this release.

Illumina, Inc.
Media:
Maurissa Bornstein
Public Relations Manager
858-332-4055
mbornstein@illumina.com
or
Investors:
Peter J. Fromen
Sr. Director, Investor Relations
858-202-4507
pfromen@illumina.com

Copyright Business Wire 2009