Illumina Launches Billion Cell Atlas, World's Largest Genetic Perturbation Dataset, Partnering With AstraZeneca, Merck And Eli Lilly To Accelerate AI-Driven Drug Discovery

The Atlas will enable the validation of genetic targets and training of AI models at unprecedented scale

SAN DIEGO, Jan. 13, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Illumina, Inc. (NASDAQ:ILMN) today introduced the world's largest genome-wide genetic perturbation dataset, being built to accelerate drug discovery through AI across the pharmaceutical ecosystem. The Illumina Billion Cell Atlas is the first tranche of its program to build a 5 billion cell atlas over three years, and will be the most comprehensive map of human disease biology to date.

 

Under an alliance framework with AstraZeneca, Merck, and Eli Lilly and Company leading as founding participants, the Atlas is already in build for a curated set of cell lines to drive drug target validation, train advanced AI models at scale, and advance research into fundamental disease mechanisms that have previously been out of reach.