Illumina and China's Novogene today announced an agreement to jointly develop next-generation sequencing applications for reproductive health and oncology.

Under the terms of the agreement, the partners will work together to develop a diagnostic platform for clinical testing in the Chinese market.

"The collaboration will bring together technology from Illumina sequencers with Novogene's advanced clinical application development capabilities," the firms said in a statement. Novogene will provide its nucleic acid extraction, library preparation, and data analysis software, while Illumina will provide NGS instrument components and reagents.

"Illumina is very excited to collaborate with Novogene to increase access to genetic sequencing solutions in the fields of reproductive health and oncology testing in China," Tim Orpin, general manager of the Asia Pacific region for Illumina, said in a statement. "We are committed to partnering with Chinese companies who share our vision of improving human health by unlocking the power of the genome."

The agreement is the latest development in the relationship between the two companies. Beijing-based Novogene said it was the first firm in China to purchase an Illumina HiSeq X Ten instrument and has the largest Illumina sequencing capacity in that country.

For Illumina the partnership is the latest move to expand the use of NGS technology in the Chinese market. In recent months, the firm has signed deals with Xiamen, China-based Amoy Diagnostics and Guangzhou, China-based Burning Rock to collaborate on clinical testing in oncology.