HQ Team
June 23, 2025: Illumina, Inc. will acquire California-based SomaLogic, a company that is involved in identifying and quantifying proteins within a cell, for $425 million, according to a company statement.
Illumina will pay the data-driven proteomics company $350 million in cash plus up to $75 million in near-term performance-based milestones and performance-based royalties, according to the Illumina statement. Illumina expects to close the transaction in the first half of 2026. Until then, the companies will continue to operate as separate and independent entities.
Proteomics technology is the study of proteins and involves technologies for identifying and quantifying proteins within a cell, tissue, or organism. It’s a field that complements genomics and transcriptomics, helping to understand protein structure, function, and interactions within biological systems.
“The acquisition of SomaLogic will enhance Illumina’s presence in the expanding proteomics market and advance the multiomics strategy,” said Jacob Thaysen, chief executive officer of Illumina.
Co-development agreement
Illumina and SomaLogic have partnered closely for more than three years, and this combination “increases our ability to serve our customers and accelerate our technology roadmap towards advanced biomarker discovery and disease profiling,” he said.
In December 2021, Illumina signed a co-development agreement with SomaLogic in December 2021 to work mutually on their platforms.
Illumina Protein Prep is currently in use with nearly 40 early-access customers globally and will become available to all customers starting in the third quarter of 2025.
Combining SomaLogic’s proteomics technology with Illumina’s scalable NGS ecosystem and Illumina Connected Multiomics will accelerate the technology development roadmap for proteomics and reduce the time and cost of proteomic research.
Protein markers
“We are taking the scalability of NGS into proteomics,” said Thaysen. “Illumina will remain an open, accessible, and enabling NGS platform. The company is committed to maintaining and supporting its existing proteomics partnerships as well as continuing to develop the sequencing ecosystem and supporting a wide variety of multiomics solutions.”
Researchers can generate significant insights with high sensitivity, high throughput, and thousands of protein markers in a single experiment, according to the statement.
SomaLogic has approximately 250 employees worldwide working in commercial, R&D, lab operations, manufacturing, and other roles.
The company’s Boulder, Colorado, facilities—including a CLIA- and CAP-certified lab, office, and manufacturing space—will be part of the purchase. SomaLogic has a global footprint serving customers.
Short DNA, RNA sequences
This transaction brings SomaLogic’s aptamer-based affinity proteomics platform into Illumina’s portfolio, enhancing Illumina’s presence in a high-growth area within the proteomics market. An aptamer-based platform uses aptamers, short DNA or RNA sequences, to bind to and quantify proteins in a sample.
The kitted NGS-based panels business will add a high-margin consumables revenue stream. Based on the projected closing date, Illumina expects this business to become profitable in 2027 on a non-GAAP operating income basis, and for non-GAAP operating margins to be in line with Illumina in 2028.
