Illumina Expands into Proteomics with $350 Mn SomaLogic Deal

Both parties plan to make the necessary filings under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act in the US, and Illumina expects the deal to close in the first half of 2026.

Illumina, a global leader in DNA sequencing and array-based technologies, has announced a definitive agreement with Standard BioTools to acquire SomaLogic, a key player in data-driven proteomics.

As per reports, the partnership deal amounts to $350 million in cash, plus up to $75 million in potential performance-linked milestone payments and royalties.

Jacob Thaysen, CEO of Illumina, stated that the acquisition will support the company’s strategic expansion into proteomics and accelerate its multi-omics vision.

"The acquisition of SomaLogic will enhance Illumina's presence in the expanding proteomics market and advance the multiomics strategy we announced in 2024. This will strengthen the value of the NovaSeq X product today and unlock greater capabilities in the future," Thaysen said.

"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 added.

The acquisition builds upon a co-development partnership initiated in December 2021, which aimed to integrate SomaLogic’s SomaScan Proteomics Assay with Illumina’s high-throughput next-generation sequencing (NGS) platforms.

As part of this initiative, Illumina Protein Prep is currently deployed with nearly 40 early-access customers globally and is expected to become widely available in Q3 2025.

By combining SomaLogic’s proteomics technologies with Illumina’s NGS ecosystem, DRAGEN bioinformatics software, and the Illumina Connected Multiomics platform, the company aims to streamline development timelines and reduce the cost of proteomics research.

SomaLogic’s platform, which uses aptamer-based affinity proteomics, is backed by scientific studies highlighting its capabilities in high-plex, scalable, and technically reproducible protein detection. The technology enables researchers to generate large-scale insights with high throughput and sensitivity, detecting thousands of protein markers in a single experiment.

The company has approximately 250 employees across commercial, R&D, manufacturing, and lab operations roles. SomaLogic’s headquarters in Boulder, Colorado, including a CLIA- and CAP-certified lab, office, and manufacturing facility, will be included in the acquisition. The company also maintains a global customer base.

Incorporating SomaLogic’s kitted NGS-based panels business is expected to add a high-margin consumables revenue stream to Illumina’s portfolio.

Illumina anticipates this segment will become profitable on a non-GAAP basis by 2027, with operating margins aligning with those of the broader company by 2028.

The acquisition remains subject to standard closing conditions, including regulatory approval. Both parties plan to make the necessary filings under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act in the US, and Illumina expects the deal to close in the first half of 2026.

Until the transaction is finalised, Illumina and SomaLogic will continue to operate as independent entities.

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