Burning Rock, a Guangzhou, China-based diagnostics company, has entered into an agreement to develop advanced clinical applications for molecular diagnostics in oncology based on Illumina’s next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology. The collaboration highlights the  importance of genomics to improve healthcare in China.

In recent years, NGS has evolved rapidly and is widely regarded as an essential technology for enabling precision medicine. The collaboration between Burning Rock and Illumina will focus on providing the most advanced and integrated sequencing solutions to the clinical market by combining Illumina sequencing technology with Burning Rock’s advanced clinical application development capabilities. In particular, the two companies will work together to develop a user-friendly, oncology molecular diagnostic kit for the Chinese market. Burning Rock will provide its nucleic acid extraction, library preparation, and data analysis software, while Illumina will provide NGS instrument components and related reagents.