Covington Advises Illumina on Partnership with Genomics England

LONDON, 5 August, 2014 — Covington & Burling advised Illumina on its partnership with Genomics England to provide infrastructure and expertise for a four-year project that aims to make the UK the world leader in genetic research into cancer and rare diseases, through funding research to decode 100,000 human genomes - a patient's personal DNA code. The deal is estimated to be worth around £78 million. Over the next four years, the partnership will expand knowledge and jobs in the field of genome sequencing.

The partnership was announced by Illumina and UK Prime Minister David Cameron. According to Illumina, the project has the potential to transform the future of health care, with new and better tests, drugs and treatment. Sequencing the genome of a person with cancer or someone with a rare disease will help scientists and doctors understand how the diseases work. The project is part of the UK Prime Minister's commitment to ensure the UK’s National Health Service, as well as the UK's research and life science sector, is at the forefront of global advances in modern medicine.

Illumina is a leading developer, manufacturer, and marketer of life science tools and integrated systems for large-scale analysis of genetic variation and function. Genomics England is wholly owned by the Department of Health and was set up to deliver the 100,000 Genomes Project.

Working together with Illumina’s in-house legal team, the Covington team was led by partners Daniel Pavin and Lucinda Osborne, with assistance from associate Vishnu Shankar. The team was supported by Simon Amies, Chris Bracebridge, Dan Cooper, Hilary Prescott, Richard Mattick, Mark Young, Brian Kelly and Sarah Cowlishaw.