A $100 Genome and a Courthouse Brawl:

Scrappy San Diego startup goes toe-to-toe with gene-sequencing giant Illumina – San Diego Union-Tribune

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San Diego Startup Takes On Illumina's Sequencing Empire

BLUF (Bottom Line Up Front): San Diego-based Element Biosciences, founded by three former Illumina executives, has unveiled the VITARI — a benchtop DNA sequencer promising whole-genome reads at $100, half the price of Illumina's flagship instrument. The product launch lands as both companies wage a multi-front legal war spanning California, Delaware, and Germany, with Element alleging Illumina is illegally deploying its near-monopoly to stifle competition, and Illumina alleging Element is profiting from stolen intellectual property. The conflict raises fundamental questions about competition, innovation, and the governance of a technology increasingly central to medicine and biological research.

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SAN DIEGO — On February 19, 2026, Element Biosciences announced what it calls a watershed moment in genomics: the VITARI, a high-throughput benchtop sequencer capable of delivering a complete human genome sequence for $100. VITARI is priced at $689,000 and will begin shipping in the second half of 2026, with pre-orders now open. The announcement, timed to Element's annual "Beyond" conference, directly challenges the sequencing industry's Goliath — Illumina — on the one terrain that has defined the genomics revolution: the relentless democratization of sequencing cost.

The development is both a technical milestone and the latest salvo in a corporate conflict that has moved from the research lab to the federal courthouse.

The Price War That Remade Genomics

To appreciate the stakes, consider how rapidly the field has moved. The Human Genome Project, completed in 2003, cost an estimated $3 billion and took over a decade. A $1,000 genome was once considered a landmark achievement. Element's new VITARI is the first high-throughput benchtop sequencing system capable of delivering a high-quality whole genome at $100. For context, Illumina's NovaSeq X platform has marketed whole-genome sequencing at $200, a benchmark that itself generated industry attention when it was introduced.

Element generated approximately $85 million in revenue in full-year 2025, up roughly 40 percent from $60 million in 2024. Those growth figures reflect a company whose core AVITI benchtop platform, launched commercially in March 2022, has made meaningful inroads into research institutions once considered firmly in Illumina's camp. Element's VITARI extends the product line upward in throughput — at full capacity it will deliver up to 10 billion reads per run — while the company's AVITI24 platform serves researchers requiring simultaneous examination of DNA, RNA, proteins, and cell structure within single cells.

The pricing breakthrough is not purely about hardware. It reflects Element's proprietary avidite base chemistry (ABC), which circularizes, copies, and rolls each strand into tightly bound polonies without the use of PCR, with rolling circle amplification avoiding index hopping and other PCR-induced errors while reducing reagent consumption. Independent lab evaluations have noted measurably higher alignment rates and lower duplication rates compared to competing platforms on challenging sample types.

Academic researchers are taking note. As Abraham Palmer, professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UCSD's School of Medicine, has observed: when planning a genetics experiment, scientists sometimes note that sample size is effectively a function of the budget divided by cost per sample — and lowering that denominator opens studies that previously could not be funded or scaled.

Illumina's Position: Dominant but Pressured

The giant that Element is challenging remains formidable. Illumina reported revenue of $4.3 billion for fiscal year 2024. The company holds approximately 80 percent of the global next-generation sequencing market, a dominance built over two decades through aggressive R&D, acquisitions, and an expansive installed base. Illumina spent $1.169 billion on R&D last year, a figure it contrasts with the $167 million it spent in 2011, the year it launched MiSeq.

Yet Illumina is navigating headwinds on multiple fronts. The company delivered a strong finish to 2025, marking a return to growth through disciplined execution, with momentum building in clinical markets where adoption of NGS-based testing is expanding. However, Q4 2025 revenue of $1.159 billion was only modestly above the $1.104 billion posted in Q4 2024, and the company faces ongoing complications in China, where it remains on Beijing's "Unreliable Entities List" despite a partial lifting of export restrictions. Illumina also completed the acquisition of SomaLogic to expand its multiomics portfolio, a move that signals its recognition that proteomics and multimodal analysis represent the next competitive battleground.

A Legal War on Three Fronts

The commercial competition has metastasized into litigation that industry observers describe as unusually aggressive in scope and tone.

In May 2025, Illumina filed a lawsuit against Element in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware, alleging that Element's Aviti line of sequencers infringed patents pertaining to flow cell, fluid storage, and other aspects of instrument design. Illumina sought damages for past infringement and an injunction against continued use of the patented technologies. The patents at stake are U.S. Patent Nos. 12,151,241; 8,951,781; 11,117,130; and 11,697,116, all relating to systems and methods for imaging samples for biological or chemical analysis, as well as patents covering fluid management systems.

Illumina's position is straightforward: "Element seeks to use and profit from Illumina's innovations without compensating Illumina for its tremendous investment in research and development over many decades," Illumina stated. The company characterized the suit as a legitimate defense of intellectual property that has driven industry-wide innovation.

Element's response was equally direct. Element stated that it believes Illumina's claims are unfounded and represent an anticompetitive effort to limit choice and stifle innovation in genomic sequencing, adding that the technology described in the asserted patents well predates Illumina.

Element did not stop at defense. On September 22, 2025, Element filed multiple lawsuits against Illumina, asserting violations of federal and state antitrust laws, California's unfair competition and secret allowance statutes, and related state torts, seeking both damages and injunctive relief. Element also filed two patent infringement suits — one in the U.S. District Court for the District of Delaware asserting four U.S. patents, and one before the Regional Court of Munich I asserting a German patent covering key innovations in next-generation sequencing technology, including alleged infringement by Illumina's MiSeq, NextSeq 1000/2000, NovaSeq 6000, and NovaSeq X systems.

The antitrust complaint, filed in the Northern District of California (Case No. 5:25-cv-08026), contains allegations that go beyond standard patent disputes. Element accused Illumina of threatening customers with punitive pricing on next-generation sequencing consumables and instrument services for preexisting instruments should they also acquire one of Element's Aviti instruments, and alleged that Illumina sought exclusivity pacts with certain customers. An Illumina representative allegedly told a large teaching hospital in late 2024 that "Element won't be in business for long; if Illumina needs to, we can just buy them and shut them down." Illumina categorically denied these allegations, calling them without merit or basis in fact.

Element's antitrust lawsuit seeks damages for alleged lost sales, diminished market share, and reduced profits, and accuses Illumina of artificially driving up prices for gene sequencing services, suppressing innovation, and limiting consumer choice.

The litigation structure is significant. Element is represented by Quinn Emanuel Urquhart & Sullivan, a firm known for high-stakes IP and antitrust work. This is not the first time Illumina has been accused by a competitor of antitrust violations: in 2021, BGI and its affiliates MGI Tech and Complete Genomics sued Illumina for unfair business practices, a case that settled in 2022.

The Founder Dynamic

Adding complexity to the narrative is Element's origin story. Element Biosciences was founded in 2017 by three former Illumina executives: Molly He, who became CEO; Michael Previte, now chief technology officer of advanced research; and Matthew Kellinger, vice president of biochemistry. The presence of those founders — who held senior technical and scientific roles at Illumina before departing to build a direct competitor — has colored the litigation's subtext. Illumina's complaints note the irony of former employees now contesting the validity of patents that predate their departure; Element counters that those employees brought fresh scientific ideas, not Illumina's IP.

Several patents used to reject Element's own patent applications, including a patent covering optical systems for fluorescence imaging, originally belonged to Illumina, complicating Element's assertion that its technology stands entirely independent of its competitor's portfolio. The outcome of the patent cases will turn substantially on the claim-by-claim technical analysis conducted by the courts.

Market Implications

The competitive dynamic between Element and Illumina is not occurring in a vacuum. Oxford Nanopore Technologies, Pacific Biosciences, and China's MGI Tech — a BGI subsidiary — are all active in the NGS market, each with distinct technological approaches. The emergence of long-read sequencing by Oxford Nanopore and PacBio has opened applications where Illumina's short-read dominance does not fully apply. But for the high-throughput short-read market at the core of population genomics, biobank studies, and clinical oncology research, Illumina and Element are the principal commercial rivals.

For research institutions, the price trajectory matters enormously. Element is also pursuing an IVDR-certified version of its AVITI platform and is actively working toward FDA approval, moves that would unlock clinical diagnostic applications currently dominated by Illumina's installed base. A clinical-grade Element instrument would meaningfully expand the competitive theater.

For Illumina, the challenge is to defend its consumables-driven business model — where recurring reagent sales generate margins that fund its R&D — against a competitor offering not only lower instrument prices but also, according to independent lab assessments, competitive or superior data quality on core applications. Illumina's response has been to expand its portfolio through acquisitions, accelerate its own innovation roadmap, and, critics allege, use its market power to slow a rival's commercial momentum.

Outlook

Element's VITARI, priced at $689,000 with shipments expected in the second half of 2026, will face a demanding commercial test. Research budgets remain under pressure from federal funding uncertainty, and capital equipment purchases in that price range require institutional commitment. Whether the $100-per-genome headline translates into accelerated placements — and whether those placements come at the direct expense of Illumina's installed base — will be closely watched by investors, researchers, and the parties' legal teams alike.

In the courthouse, neither side appears inclined to settle quickly. The cases are in early procedural stages, and the complexity of a multi-jurisdictional IP and antitrust battle involving both offensive patent claims and monopolization theory suggests years of litigation ahead. The FTC's broader attention to competition in life sciences tools markets — shaped by the forced GRAIL divestiture that Illumina completed in June 2024 — may also provide a policy backdrop that influences how aggressively regulators scrutinize the conduct alleged in Element's antitrust complaint.

For now, San Diego has become ground zero for a dispute that will shape who controls the instruments at the heart of twenty-first-century medicine.

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Verified Sources and Formal Citations

1. Element Biosciences. "Element Biosciences Introduces VITARI™, Redefining What High-Throughput Sequencing Makes Possible." Press Release, February 19, 2026. BusinessWire. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260219372875/en/Element-Biosciences-Introduces-VITARI-Redefining-What-High-Throughput-Sequencing-Makes-Possible

2. Element Biosciences. "Element Biosciences Files Competition and Patent Infringement Countersuits Against Illumina." Press Release, September 22, 2025. https://www.elementbiosciences.com/news/element-biosciences-files-competition-and-patent-infringement-countersuits-against-illumina

3. Element Biosciences. "Element Responds to Illumina Patent Litigation." Official Statement, May 2025. https://www.elementbiosciences.com/element-biosciences-responds-to-illumina-patent-litigation

4. GenomeWeb. Han, Andrew P. "Element Biosciences Sues Illumina Alleging Anticompetitive Behavior, Patent Infringement." September 22, 2025. https://www.genomeweb.com/sequencing/element-biosciences-sues-illumina-alleging-anticompetitive-behavior-patent-infringement

5. GenomeWeb. "Illumina Sues Element Biosciences for Patent Infringement." May 15, 2025. https://www.genomeweb.com/sequencing/illumina-sues-element-biosciences-patent-infringement

6. GenomeWeb. "Element Biosciences Highlights Pair of Forthcoming Sequencing Launches at JPM." January 12, 2026. https://www.genomeweb.com/sequencing/element-biosciences-highlights-pair-forthcoming-sequencing-launches-jpm

7. Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News. "Illumina Sues Element Biosciences, Alleging Infringement of Flow Cell, Imaging Patents." May 20, 2025. https://www.genengnews.com/topics/omics/illumina-sues-element-biosciences-alleging-infringement-of-flow-cell-imaging-patents/

8. IP Fray. "Illumina Sues Element Biosciences in Delaware over Gene Sequencing Patents." May 2025. https://ipfray.com/illumina-sues-element-biosciences-in-delaware-over-gene-sequencing-patents/

9. Reuters / TradingView News. "Illumina Sued by Rival Element over Gene-Sequencing Technology." September 22, 2025. https://www.tradingview.com/news/reuters.com,2025:newsml_L2N3V90XQ:0-illumina-sued-by-rival-element-over-gene-sequencing-technology/

10. Legal Era Online. "Element Biosciences Alleges Coercion of Customers by Illumina in Lawsuit." September 22, 2025. https://www.legaleraonline.com/ip-news/element-biosciences-alleges-coercion-of-customers-by-illumina-in-lawsuit-967518

11. Illumina, Inc. "Illumina Reports Financial Results for Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2024." Press Release, February 6, 2025. https://investor.illumina.com/news/press-release-details/2025/Illumina-Reports-Financial-Results-for-Fourth-Quarter-and-Fiscal-Year-2024/default.aspx

12. Illumina, Inc. "Illumina Reports Financial Results for Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025." Press Release, February 5, 2026. https://investor.illumina.com/news/press-release-details/2026/Illumina-Reports-Financial-Results-for-Fourth-Quarter-and-Fiscal-Year-2025/default.aspx

13. Illumina, Inc. "Illumina Reports Financial Results for Third Quarter of Fiscal Year 2025." Press Release, October 30, 2025. https://investor.illumina.com/news/press-release-details/2025/Illumina-Reports-Financial-Results-for-Third-Quarter-of-Fiscal-Year-2025/default.aspx

14. Harff, Noelle. "Scrappy San Diego Startup Goes Toe-to-Toe with Gene-Sequencing Giant Illumina." San Diego Union-Tribune, February 19, 2026. https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/02/19/scrappy-san-diego-startup-goes-toe-to-toe-with-gene-sequencing-giant-illumina/

15. Twist Bioscience and Element Biosciences. "Twist Bioscience and Element Biosciences Advance Collaboration with Launch of New Trinity Freestyle Sequencing Workflow." Press Release, October 6, 2025. https://www.elementbiosciences.com/news/twist-bioscience-and-element-biosciences-advance-collaboration-with-launch-of-new-trinity-freestyle-sequencing-workflow-for-the-aviti-system

16. Signify Research. "SPI Digital Laboratory: Illumina and Element Go Head-to-Head in Patent Case." February 2025. https://www.signifyresearch.net/signify-premium-insights/spi-digital-laboratory-illumina-and-element-go-head-to-head-in-patent-case/

Court Dockets Referenced:

• Element Biosciences v. Illumina, U.S. District Court, Northern District of California, Case No. 5:25-cv-08026 (Antitrust)
• Element Biosciences v. Illumina, U.S. District Court, District of Delaware, Case No. 1:25-cv-01175-UNA (Element Patent Infringement)
• Illumina v. Element Biosciences, U.S. District Court, District of Delaware (Illumina Patent Infringement, May 15, 2025)
• Element Biosciences v. Illumina, Regional Court of Munich I (German Patent, DE 112008000363)