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Illumina's up-and-coming constellation innovation delivers accuracy, speed, and ease of use in trial by GeneDx
Constellation outperformed orthogonal methods in identifying select difficult-to-map variants
SAN DIEGO, Oct. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN) announced that GeneDx, a leader in genetic testing for rare diseases, is piloting Illumina's emerging constellation mapped read technology, evaluating its performance on regions of the genome that traditional short-read technologies historically have not resolved. GeneDx's early results illustrate the ability of constellation to rapidly identify hard-to-detect variants implicated in rare disease. GeneDx's Director of Laboratory Innovation Joe Devaney presented on the company's early experiences with the constellation technology at the American Society for Human Genetics (ASHG) Annual Meeting in Boston.
"Illumina is unlocking ways to access the most difficult regions of the genome, as we simultaneously lead the industry into a new era of multiomics," said Steve Barnard, chief technology officer of Illumina. "Genomic insights remain critical to advance diagnosis and treatment for many rare and complex diseases, and our constellation technology provides the research insights that enable our customers to tackle these challenging conditions on the platforms they already use."
For the pilot project, GeneDx used its fleet of NovaSeq X Plus Systems with constellation kits to evaluate 160 DNA samples from individuals with known genetic disease. GeneDx compared samples run with constellation to orthogonal methods, like long-read sequencing, arrays, and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification. Constellation was able to accurately uncover repeat expansions, complex structural variants, and elusive regions of the genome, demonstrating the technology's ability to meet or exceed the capabilities of established alternative methods.
Constellation was able to quickly identify difficult-to-detect, biologically relevant variants, including those in:
- DMPK, which is associated with myotonic dystrophy and is caused by large repeat expansions;
- SMN1, which is associated with spinal muscular atrophy but is difficult to detect based on the highly homologous SMN2 gene;
- NCF1, which is associated with an inherited immune disorder called chronic granulomatous disease, but is challenging to identify due to highly homologous pseudogenes; and
- Mosaic aneuploidy, which causes some cells to have chromosomal abnormalities. It can cause developmental delays and increase the risk of some childhood cancers.
Deep and rapid insights from whole-genome sequencing can help researchers understand and better identify potential treatments for these hard-to-diagnose conditions. Constellation is emerging as a flexible solution that performs accurately across a variety of sample types—including buccal, blood, and chorionic villus (prenatal) samples—and extraction kits.
"Innovation and patient centricity fuel everything we do at GeneDx," said Devaney. "We're continually looking to advance research and clinical genomics to drive the future of precision medicine and better health outcomes for all. The level of detail we can achieve with constellation provides promising insight into some of the world's most complex and difficult-to-diagnose diseases. By combining speed, simplicity, and scientific rigor, this technology has the potential to transform how we understand rare disease, helping improve how we diagnose and treat patients."
How constellation mapped read technology works
Constellation builds on Illumina's industry-leading sequencing-by-synthesis chemistry to unlock long-range genomic insights with unmatched simplicity. Long sequences of unfragmented DNA are applied directly to the flow cell for cluster generation. This on-flow-cell library prep eliminates manual library preparation and enables a streamlined workflow with fewer validation steps. Proprietary informatics extract long-distance data from the proximity of resulting neighboring clusters. This novel data allows for accurate mapping of homologous or repetitive regions of the genome, resolving mapping ambiguities, and resolving complex variant types.
Constellation was first introduced at the 2024 ASHG conference. The first commercially available product based on constellation technology is slated for release in the first half of 2026, compatible with the NovaSeq X Series.
Joe Devaney presented the results of GeneDx's expanded, 160-sample study with constellation on October 15 at the ASHG Annual Meeting in Boston. His talk, "Mapping the Future of Whole Genome Sequencing with Illumina Constellation Technology," was held in Room 153ABC from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM ET. To preregister for access to the replay, follow this link. You can see all of Illumina's multiomics solutions that are in development or commercially available 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 developing and launching new products and services, 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 (iii) the acceptance by customers of our newly launched 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.
About GeneDx
GeneDx (Nasdaq: WGS) is the global leader in rare disease diagnosis, transforming the way medicine is practiced by making genomics the starting point for health, not the last resort. We bring together unmatched clinical expertise, advanced technology, and the power of GeneDx Infinity™ – the largest rare disease dataset – built over 25 years from millions of genomic tests and deep clinical insights. This unparalleled foundation powers our ExomeDx™ and GenomeDx™ tests, giving clinicians the highest likelihood of delivering a timely, accurate diagnosis. GeneDx is shaping the future of healthcare by moving the standard of care from sick care to proactive healthcare. While our roots are in rare disease diagnosis, our commitment extends beyond – growing with the families we serve – as a trusted partner at every stage of life. For more information, visit genedx.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
Illumina's up-and-coming constellation innovation delivers accuracy, speed, and ease of use in trial by GeneDx
Constellation outperformed orthogonal methods in identifying select difficult-to-map variants
SAN DIEGO, Oct. 17, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ: ILMN) announced that GeneDx, a leader in genetic testing for rare diseases, is piloting Illumina's emerging constellation mapped read technology, evaluating its performance on regions of the genome that traditional short-read technologies historically have not resolved. GeneDx's early results illustrate the ability of constellation to rapidly identify hard-to-detect variants implicated in rare disease. GeneDx's Director of Laboratory Innovation Joe Devaney presented on the company's early experiences with the constellation technology at the American Society for Human Genetics (ASHG) Annual Meeting in Boston.
"Illumina is unlocking ways to access the most difficult regions of the genome, as we simultaneously lead the industry into a new era of multiomics," said Steve Barnard, chief technology officer of Illumina. "Genomic insights remain critical to advance diagnosis and treatment for many rare and complex diseases, and our constellation technology provides the research insights that enable our customers to tackle these challenging conditions on the platforms they already use."
For the pilot project, GeneDx used its fleet of NovaSeq X Plus Systems with constellation kits to evaluate 160 DNA samples from individuals with known genetic disease. GeneDx compared samples run with constellation to orthogonal methods, like long-read sequencing, arrays, and multiplex ligation-dependent probe amplification. Constellation was able to accurately uncover repeat expansions, complex structural variants, and elusive regions of the genome, demonstrating the technology's ability to meet or exceed the capabilities of established alternative methods.
Constellation was able to quickly identify difficult-to-detect, biologically relevant variants, including those in:
- DMPK, which is associated with myotonic dystrophy and is caused by large repeat expansions;
- SMN1, which is associated with spinal muscular atrophy but is difficult to detect based on the highly homologous SMN2 gene;
- NCF1, which is associated with an inherited immune disorder called chronic granulomatous disease, but is challenging to identify due to highly homologous pseudogenes; and
- Mosaic aneuploidy, which causes some cells to have chromosomal abnormalities. It can cause developmental delays and increase the risk of some childhood cancers.
Deep and rapid insights from whole-genome sequencing can help researchers understand and better identify potential treatments for these hard-to-diagnose conditions. Constellation is emerging as a flexible solution that performs accurately across a variety of sample types—including buccal, blood, and chorionic villus (prenatal) samples—and extraction kits.
"Innovation and patient centricity fuel everything we do at GeneDx," said Devaney. "We're continually looking to advance research and clinical genomics to drive the future of precision medicine and better health outcomes for all. The level of detail we can achieve with constellation provides promising insight into some of the world's most complex and difficult-to-diagnose diseases. By combining speed, simplicity, and scientific rigor, this technology has the potential to transform how we understand rare disease, helping improve how we diagnose and treat patients."
How constellation mapped read technology works
Constellation builds on Illumina's industry-leading sequencing-by-synthesis chemistry to unlock long-range genomic insights with unmatched simplicity. Long sequences of unfragmented DNA are applied directly to the flow cell for cluster generation. This on-flow-cell library prep eliminates manual library preparation and enables a streamlined workflow with fewer validation steps. Proprietary informatics extract long-distance data from the proximity of resulting neighboring clusters. This novel data allows for accurate mapping of homologous or repetitive regions of the genome, resolving mapping ambiguities, and resolving complex variant types.
Constellation was first introduced at the 2024 ASHG conference. The first commercially available product based on constellation technology is slated for release in the first half of 2026, compatible with the NovaSeq X Series.
Joe Devaney presented the results of GeneDx's expanded, 160-sample study with constellation on October 15 at the ASHG Annual Meeting in Boston. His talk, "Mapping the Future of Whole Genome Sequencing with Illumina Constellation Technology," was held in Room 153ABC from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM ET. To preregister for access to the replay, follow this link. You can see all of Illumina's multiomics solutions that are in development or commercially available 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 developing and launching new products and services, 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 (iii) the acceptance by customers of our newly launched 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.
About GeneDx
GeneDx (Nasdaq: WGS) is the global leader in rare disease diagnosis, transforming the way medicine is practiced by making genomics the starting point for health, not the last resort. We bring together unmatched clinical expertise, advanced technology, and the power of GeneDx Infinity™ – the largest rare disease dataset – built over 25 years from millions of genomic tests and deep clinical insights. This unparalleled foundation powers our ExomeDx™ and GenomeDx™ tests, giving clinicians the highest likelihood of delivering a timely, accurate diagnosis. GeneDx is shaping the future of healthcare by moving the standard of care from sick care to proactive healthcare. While our roots are in rare disease diagnosis, our commitment extends beyond – growing with the families we serve – as a trusted partner at every stage of life. For more information, visit genedx.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Illumina constellation mapped read technology uncovers hard-to-see genomic insights in GeneDx pilot
SINGAPORE, Jan. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Toku Ltd. ("Toku" or the "Company"), a Singapore-incorporated AI-powered customer experience (CX) platform, today registered its offer document (the "Offer Document") in connection with the proposed initial public offering (the "IPO") and listing of its ordinary shares in the capital of the Company on the Catalist Board ("Catalist") of the Singapore Exchange Securities Trading ("SGX-ST").[1]
PrimePartners Corporate Finance Pte. Ltd. is the Sponsor, Issue Manager, Underwriter and Co-Placement Agent for the IPO, while CGS International Securities Singapore Pte. Ltd. is the Co-Placement Agent.
The Company has received indications of interest from Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, Lion Global Investors Limited (as investment manager for and on behalf of its clients), Amova Asset Management Asia, Ginko-AGT Global Growth Fund and pre-IPO investors, namely Asdew Acquisitions Pte Ltd, ICH Synergrowth Fund and Mr Han Seng Juan to participate in the offering. Mrs Lim Hwee Hua is the Non-Independent, Non-Executive Chairman of the Board of the Company.
Toku provides enterprise customers with a comprehensive 360° customer experience (CX) platform to seamlessly orchestrate all conversations across voice, chat, email and other digital channels, while navigating complex regulatory, linguistic and infrastructure requirements.
Building AI-Powered Solutions for Complex and Fragmented Markets
Incorporated in Singapore in December 2017, Toku develops technology specifically designed for complex and fragmented markets. Unlike global incumbents who typically prioritise standardised solutions deployed uniformly across all markets, Toku differentiates through deep telecommunications expertise, localised AI, and compliance-driven delivery. Toku's products and solutions suite includes transcription, summarisation, sentiment analysis, and conversation analytics, which deliver high accuracy in multilingual environments such as those across APAC. The end-to-end platform also integrates conversational AI along with Agentic AI for reasoning, multi-step autonomy, and API-driven actions, enabling enterprises to manage customer interactions securely and at scale across channels and jurisdictions.
"The way enterprises manage customer engagement is undergoing a fundamental shift. What were once separate systems for operations, sales, and marketing interactions are now converging into unified platforms, with AI acting as an accelerant," said Thomas Laboulle, Founder and CEO of Toku. "This shift is particularly significant in regions like Asia Pacific, where local complexity has historically limited the effectiveness of global incumbents. Toku is built to capture this opportunity. We combine cloud communications expertise with AI designed specifically for markets with multiple languages and diverse regulatory environments."
The platform serves enterprise clients across diverse industries including financial services, healthcare and shared economy services as well as government agencies, with operations spanning 34 countries in Asia Pacific, Latin America, the Middle East and North Africa.
The company controls its entire technology and solution delivery stack, from connectivity infrastructure through to AI applications and professional services implementation, reducing reliance on third-party providers and enabling faster innovation cycles.
Addressing a Growing Market
According to Frost & Sullivan, the global contact centre solutions market is projected to reach US$21.58 billion in revenue by 2030, growing at a compound annual growth rate of 12.8% from US$10.52 billion in revenue in 2024. In Asia Pacific specifically, Contact Centre as a Service (CCaaS) revenue is expected to grow at 13.6% CAGR from 2025 to 2030.
Mr Laboulle added: "As enterprises increasingly prioritise intelligent, compliant customer engagement, the market opportunity continues to expand. This listing enables us to accelerate investment in AI, grow our partner ecosystem, and pursue strategic acquisitions. We welcome new shareholders to join us as we capitalise this significant growth opportunity."
Mrs Lim Hwee Hua, Non-Independent Non-Executive Chairman of Toku, said: "With data sovereignty and responsible AI becoming strategic priorities across both public and private sectors, Toku is well-positioned to meet the region's growing demand for trusted, compliant citizen and customer engagement. I am pleased to support a homegrown company building for these realities."
The Invitation
The Invitation is in respect of 65,000,000 Invitation Shares, comprising of 2,000,000 Public Offer Shares at S$0.25 per share and 63,000,000 Placement Shares at S$0.25 per share. The offer period opens on 14 January 2026 immediately upon registration of the Offer Document and closes on 20 January 2026, 12:00 noon SGT. Trading of the Company's Shares is expected to commence on a "ready" basis at 9:00 am SGT on 22 January 2026.
For further information regarding the Invitation, please refer to the Offer Document. Copies of the Offer Document and the Application Forms may be obtained on request, subject to availability, during office hours from the offices of the Issue Manager and the Co-Placement Agents. Anyone wishing to subscribe for or acquire any of the Invitation Shares will need to make an application in the manner set out in the Offer Document.
The Offer Document and Product Highlights Sheet are also available on the SGX-ST website at http://www.sgx.com.
Use of Proceeds
The Company expects to allocate a portion of the proceeds towards accelerating the expansion of its AI-powered 360° CX platform, including investments in proprietary technology development, research and development initiatives, talent acquisition, channel partner ecosystem development, and expansion into strategic markets across APAC, LATAM, MENA and Europe.
In addition, part of the proceeds will be set aside as a cash reserve to strengthen the Company's financial position, enhance liquidity, and ensure sufficient working capital to support ongoing operational requirements.
The Company also expects to deploy a portion of the proceeds towards potential strategic acquisitions, partnerships and general corporate purposes, in line with its broader growth and market expansion strategy.
A portion of the proceeds will further be used for the repayment of shareholders' loans.
Business Strategies and Future Plans
Toku plans to accelerate growth through a partner-led go-to-market model designed for scale, continued investment in its AI capabilities, and geographic expansion into the Middle East, Europe and North America. The Company is also pursuing strategic acquisitions that complement its technology portfolio or accelerate entry into new markets.
| [1] Capitalised terms used herein shall, unless otherwise defined, bear the same meanings ascribed to them in the Offer Document |
[1] Capitalised terms used herein shall, unless otherwise defined, bear the same meanings ascribed to them in the Offer Document
About Toku
Headquartered in Singapore, Toku Ltd. ("Toku") is a cloud-native, AI-powered customer experience platform purpose-built for enterprises operating in complex, multi-market environments. With deep roots in the APAC region and an expanding global footprint, Toku's modular 360° CX Platform orchestrates customer interactions across voice, chat, email and digital channels while managing regulatory, linguistic and infrastructure complexity at scale.
Built on end-to-end ownership of its technology stack, from carrier-grade connectivity to AI applications, Toku delivers enterprise-grade security, reliability and deployment flexibility across commercial cloud, private data centres and hybrid environments. Its AI capabilities include transcription, summarisation, sentiment analysis, conversation analytics and governed virtual agents, designed to integrate seamlessly with enterprise systems and customer data.
Trusted by leading enterprises and public-sector organisations, Toku helps organisations streamline operations, scale customer engagement and deliver consistent experiences across fragmented markets.
For more information about Toku, visit toku.co
This advertisement or publication has not been reviewed by the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Singapore's AI-Powered Customer Experience Platform Toku Launches First SGX IPO of 2026
Singapore's AI-Powered Customer Experience Platform Toku Launches First SGX IPO of 2026
Singapore's AI-Powered Customer Experience Platform Toku Launches First SGX IPO of 2026
