The Geonomics Podcast

Andrew Han (ex-GenomWeb) and I recorded our first podcast last week, breaking down AGBT 2026. Andy was on the ground on the ground in Orlando, and I was camping out by the pool at the Biltmore Miami, providing remote moral support 🤣
 
My biggest takeaway: the sequencing market is splitting into two camps. One side wants beautiful, integrated, clinical-grade systems. The other side is saying: just give me lots of cheap reads and get out of my way - I'll build the value layer myself.

Roche's pricing made this concrete. $150 for a duplex genome, sure. But $0.06/million simplex reads?! That's the number that got people talking. 

Some highlights from the conversation:
- Illumina's TruPath (formerly known as Constellation) TruePath had impressive data but it's still early access (and it's their 4th attempt at this)
- Ultima Genomics quietly won a lot of people over. New instrument, no more monster ePCR cabinet. But what's the CPM Gilad?!
- The Complete Genomics/Swiss Rockets AG deal raised as many questions than it answered
- A core lab director said she "can't afford to wait a year" for a new mid-throughput instrument from Illumina
- Someone floated a wild rumor about an Illumina nanopore sequencer
- The best SWAG and (not-so) secret parties

Many of us grew up with the scent of Johnson's Baby Powder as one of our earliest memories. Trusted by moms since 1894, the product has built an extraordinary trusted brand (rooted in deep scent associations with motherly love) for one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies, Johnson and Johnson.

But in 2018 Reuters published an investigation showing J&J had known for decades that its talc-based powder contained asbestos. Imagine a corporate culture so corrupted that it not only kept shipping a carcinogenic mother/baby product and even refused to adopt a safe alternative ingredient (corn starch).

All this - and much, much more - is covered in the powerful new The New York Times best seller "No More Tears: The Dark Secrets of Johnson & Johnson". by my friend Gardiner Harris. Gardner is a former healthcare and political reporter for the NYT and WSJ, so it's no surprise I that Gardiner uncovered that the baby powder catastrophe wasn't an isolated incident - J&J has time and time again shipped products that have killed customers ranging from drugs for cancer patients that gave them more cancer, to opioids far more damaging than those shipped by the (far less PR savvy) Sackler family.

It was amazing to have the opportunity to talk NGS with Matt Sause, the CEO of Roche Diagnostics, the world's largest clinical diagnostics provider with $17B in sales. Matt's businesses range across the full spectrum of DX products and services from diabetes CGM to Foundation Medicine oncology testing.
It was also great to find Josh Lauer on the call! Josh heads up the $4B (ie about the same size as Illumina) Molecular Diagnostics division, home to Roche's new SBX NGS technology. Josh came to Roche from Ultima Genomics, so he's very plugged in to the NGS ecosystem.

Pierre Arsene, CEO of liquid biopsy company Mursla Bio

I talked with Molly He and Michael Previte, founders at Element Biosciences, the day after Illumina announced it was suing Element for patent infringement. Definitely was top of mind for them, but not of course something they could opine on directly. Nevertheless provided very interesting context for the conversation, and proof in my opinion of their disruptive impact on the life science industry. They certainly didn't seem to be the least bit intimidated 🤔

A great weekend listen!

Some key points:

- Their goal was not just to challenge incumbents (e.g., Illumina) but to fundamentally expand what sequencing and associated instruments can do. Mike characterized Aviti as akin to Monty Python's "Trojan Rabbit": a known entry point with NGS, then expanding usage into broader biological insights.

- Element's global revenue mix (over half from outside the US) and substantial industry client base insulate them from NIH budget cuts and US market shocks.

- Operations: Developed a resilient supply chain (mostly US-based suppliers; multiple vendors for critical parts) to shield company from tariff and supply chain risks.

- Emphasize that biology is highly context-dependent—just sequencing the genome is like reading a dictionary without understanding the story. Element focuses on enabling multi-omic analysis (DNA, RNA, spatial, etc.) from the same sample, aiming for richer, more actionable insights.

- Insist that successful future models (e.g., AI/ML for drug discovery) require diverse, unique, and integrated data—not just more of the same data.

- Express concern about declining NIH and public research funding, warning of long-term risks to innovation and US leadership. Affirm that cuts cause near-term paralysis (“deer in the headlights” effect for researchers) and pose incalculable long-term harm.

- Suggest that new computational and AI capabilities are finally enabling the shift from sequence-obsessed biology to holistic understanding. Reiterated need for “digital twins” of cells—capturing all relevant modalities, not just DNA sequence.

- Despite litigation, funding uncertainty, and market upheaval, Element leadership remains optimistic and driven by curiosity. They champion “smart science”: maximizing impact per resource, maintaining transparency and trust with users, and powering discovery through accessible, integrated tools.