Feb. 9 (Bloomberg) -- Illumina Inc., the maker of high- speed gene analysis equipment, said it sequenced the first complete genome of an African man, completing the task at record time and cost.

The sequence was completed in less than four weeks at a cost of about $100,000, said Jay Flatley, Illumina's chief executive officer, at a conference yesterday in Florida. Roche Holding AG's 454 Life Sciences unit said last year it had sequenced a complete genome in two months for about $1 million.

Illumina, Roche and Applied Biosystems Inc. are battling to become the technology of choice in a global gene sequencing market analysts expect to reach about $850 million in the next two to three years. The Illumina announcement is the most recent step toward the goal of a $1,000 genome, the cost point at which analysts and doctors have said full-genome sequencing for individuals will become commonplace.

``For right now, I think they have the advantage,'' said Ross Muken, a Deutsche Bank AG analyst, in an interview at the conference. ``I look at them as the leader.''

Illumina rose 82 cents, or 1.2 percent, to $67.42 in Nasdaq Stock Market trading yesterday, and has gained 14 percent this year. Muken recommends buying the shares.

Genome Projects

DNA is the cell's instructions for making the building blocks of all the body's cells and organs. Those blueprints are a code of chemicals, called bases, which cells translate into proteins, enzymes, and all the molecules that make up a cell.

Scientists began their exploration of the body's genes with the Human Genome Project, an effort to decode the entire 6 billion-letter DNA code inside each human cell. That cost $2.3 billion and took 13 years to complete.

As genome sequencing becomes cheaper, researchers expect to see it used more in diagnosing disease and drug development. Companies are entering the sequencing market with new technologies to get a share of sales.

Helicos Biosciences Inc., based in Cambridge, Massachusetts, announced the first order of its $1.5 million sequencer at the meeting. Danaher Corp., based in Washington, said it shipped its first $150,000 Polonator sequencer this week.

Researchers are evaluating technologies for use in the government-led 1,000 Genome Project unveiled last month. The project seeks to sequence genomes at a cost of about $30,000 each. Until now, the equivalent of about a dozen human genomes have been sequenced.

To contact the reporter on this story: John Lauerman in Boston at jlauerman@bloomberg.net.

Last Updated: February 9, 2008 16:54 EST