Illumina aims to triple India business in five to seven years

Illumina Inc., the California-based genomics major, is sharpening its focus on India with plans to expand its business in the country three to five times over the next five to seven years. The company sees India not only as a growing market for genetic testing but also as a base for scientific innovation and global operations.

“India is not just a cost hub but an innovation centre. The GCC will move into scientific innovation, particularly in bioinformatics and panel development, where the country has strong talent,” said Ankur Dhingra, Chief Financial Officer, Illumina Inc.

The company opened its Solutions Centre in Bengaluru in 2023 and followed it up with the establishment of a Global Capability Centre (GCC). The centre has already scaled to nearly 300 employees within a year and is projected to reach about 500 people in the near term. While it began with finance, IT and global operations, Illumina is now hiring for R&D, including bioinformatics and genomic research. The move reflects a broader strategy of embedding India into the company’s global innovation ecosystem.

Illumina’s Next-Generation Sequencing technology enabled whole-genome sequencing of over 10,000 individuals in the Genome India Project, mapping population-specific variations that will make diagnostics more precise.  “Genetic disorders account for 60–70 million incident cases annually in India, and cancer incidence is around 1.5 million a year. Yet, survival rates remain poor. Genomic testing can transform outcomes if adopted more widely,” Dhingra noted.

The declining cost of sequencing is a major driver. Two decades ago, sequencing a human genome cost ten of thousands of dollars. Today, it can be done for less than USD 200. In India, the price of a test is becoming increasingly affordable, enabling larger hospital chains to pool resources and set up in-house labs. However, Dhingra pointed out that sequencing itself now makes up only about a quarter of diagnostic costs, with sample collection and preparation accounting for the bulk. The company is therefore investing in simplifying workflows and innovation so that hospitals in tier-2 and tier-3 cities can adopt the technology.

Globally, Illumina spends about 20 per cent of its revenue—over USD 1 billion annually—on R&D. Its technologies are now used not only in genetic disease diagnosis but also in cancer therapy selection, drug development, newborn screening and, increasingly, early cancer detection. In oncology, three areas are seen as critical: early detection, therapy selection and monitoring minimal residual disease after treatment. In Asia, around 40 per cent of lung cancer patients carry mutations that render the most widely used drug ineffective, making genetic profiling essential.

The Indian genomics market, estimated at USD 2.2 billion in 2024, is projected to reach around USD 9 billion by 2033, according to IMARC Group. Growth is expected to be driven largely by clinical adoption in oncology and rare diseases. Globally too, about 60 per cent of Illumina’s business now comes from clinical applications, with research accounting for the rest.

Illumina is also experimenting with new commercial models in India, including leasing instruments and reagent-based access, which reduces upfront capital requirements for hospitals. Smaller sequencers with simplified workflows are being tailored for regional centres, while room-temperature storage for reagents is removing the need for cold chain logistics. These measures are intended to improve affordability and access beyond metropolitan hospitals.

The company’s GCC strategy aligns with a broader trend. According to a NASSCOM–Zinnov report, India’s GCC sector is expected to grow from USD 64.6 billion in FY24 to between USD 99 billion and USD 105 billion by 2030, with healthcare and life sciences as important verticals.

Illumina is also supporting the local ecosystem through programmes such as the Illumina Accelerator Progamme, which invests in start-ups working on diagnostics and therapeutic applications. It provides not just funding but also access to technology and laboratories to help young firms generate data and scale research. 

“India has the scale, the patient population and the talent pool that make it central to our long-term plans. The work we do here will not just address local healthcare needs but will also contribute directly to our global business,” Dhingra said.

For the company, the immediate focus remains cancer, genetic diseases and preventive technologies. Over the next decade, Illumina expects rising chronic disease risks among India’s younger population to create new demand for early detection and precision diagnostics.