10 Most Interesting Companies In The World

#10 Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN)

We’ll start with gene sequencing firm Illumina, which has been in the news this week after the unveiling of a new product at the JP Morgan Healthcare Conference on Tuesday, NovaSeq, which the company anticipates could one day be used to sequence entire genomes for just $100 and in less than an hour. Compared to Illumina’s first such machine, which came out in 2006 and cost $300,000 to sequence an entire genome, it’s startling and exciting how far the technology has come in a mere decade.

Why is this good news for everyone? Because the vastly reduced price point will open up genomic sequencing to everyone, and the potential benefits of that to individuals is immeasurable. Our genomes can tell us what debilitating conditions we’re more likely to develop, which could allow us to take enhanced preventative measures against them. There’s also the potential that advances in gene therapy will eventually allow us to correct those genetic defects entirely (more on that when we get to #7 on the list).

Giving us the ability to map out our individual DNA, something which would’ve been unthinkable for the average person just a few years ago, makes Illumina one of the most interesting companies in the world.

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