Best Genomics Companies in Illinois, United States
The 42 best Genomics companies in Illinois, United States in 2026, ranked by funding and momentum. Funding, investors, founders, valuation, tech stack and live signals. Top: Chromatin.
Our analysis of 50 Genomics companies
$7.8b in tracked funding; 84% of the stack-profiled cohort runs cloud-native; funding activity peaked in 2025.
Ranked: Best Genomics companies in Illinois
| # | Company | Disclosed funding | Last round | Stage | Founder | Founded | Tech stack | Patents & IP focus | Recent signals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chromatin Developer of plant breeding technologies for resilient and productive agri-food systems | $122M | 111 mo ago | Series F | Mich Hein CEO | 2001 | — | 90 patents Herbicide‑tolerant crops and synthetic minichromosome plant biotechnology | — |
| 2 | Nanosphere Provider of diagnostic tests for personalized medicine | $98M | 92 mo ago | Acquired | — | 1999 | — | 207 patents Point‑of‑care molecular diagnostic cartridges and bio‑barcode nucleic‑acid detection systems | — |
| 3 | AveXis Innovative medicines company reimagining medicine to improve and extend people's lives | $75M | 125 mo ago | Acquired | — | 2010 | — | 15 patents Production and application of AAV viral vectors for gene therapy | — |
| 4 | Exicure developer of gene silencing & immunomodulatory drugs using spherical nucleic acid (SNA) technology | $72M | 21 mo ago | Public | — | 2009 | Q4MediaElement.jsMicrosoft ASP.NET+12 | 121 patents Targeted nucleic‑acid delivery using liposomal and spherical nucleic acid constructs. | — |
| 5 | BiomeSense Developer of AI-enabled technology platform for microbiome data generation and analysis | $8M | 18 mo ago | Seed | Jack Gilbert Co-Founder | 2018 | WebflowGSAPLenis+11 | 11 patents Stool sample collection and processing for microbiome-based diagnostic testing | — |
| 6 | Syenex Developer of cell-specific delivery systems and programmable cell engineering payloads | $5M | 19 mo ago | Series B | Jay Rosanelli CEO & Co-Founder | 2022 | — | 5 patents Targeted lipid‑particle delivery systems enhancing biologic therapeutics via receptor engagement | — |
| 7 | Microsensor Labs Developer of lab-on-chip diagnostic technology for cancer and HAI | $5M | 11 mo ago | Funding Raised | Peng Paul Liu President and CEO | 2012 | — | 31 patents Automated microbial detection/enumeration, magnetic cell sorting, and hygiene protocol compliance systems. | — |
| 8 | Accelerated Pharma Developing chemotherapeutics utilising genomics screening technology | $4M | 118 mo ago | Seed | Michael Fonstein CEO & President | 2014 | — | — | — |
| 9 | ABO Health Provider of cancer risk assessment system | $2M | — | Deadpooled | — | 2020 | — | — | — |
| 10 | Pixelexx Developer of novel semiconductor imaging technologies | $910K | 37 mo ago | Seed | Kenneth Bradley President & CEO | 2008 | — | — | — |
| 11 | Cadre Research Labs Provider of 3D scanning and analysis system for Firearm Forensics | $785K | 67 mo ago | Funding Raised | Ryan Lilien Founder & CSO | 2010 | — | — | — |
| 12 | Paradise Genomics Advanced biomarker company discovering gene signatures for disease diagnosis and partnerships | $650K | 151 mo ago | Seed | — | 2012 | — | — | — |
| 13 | Mariam Medical Preclinical biotechnology company pursuing a cure for Breast Cancer and also developing antiviral compounds. | $500K | 136 mo ago | Seed | Mark Holterman Founder & CEO | 2009 | — | — | — |
| 14 | TorMagnus Pharmaceuticals Provider of bioinformatics solutions for drug development | $125K | 38 mo ago | Seed | John Fraser Co-Founder | 2022 | — | — | — |
Top 12 Genomics companies in Illinois
#1
Public · Skokie, Illinois · founded 2009 · 13 employees$72.3Mraised▾
Exicure (formerly AuraSense Therapeutics) develops a new class of immunomodulatory and gene silencing drugs against validated targets. It uses spherical nucleic acid (SNA) technology platform to build a pipeline of products for a range of diseases. The company's drug can be used for oncology (solid tumours), immunology (Psoriasis, Inflammatory disorders).
- Nov 2024Post IPO$1.3M
- Feb 2023Post IPO—
- Sep 2022Post IPO—
- May 2022Post IPO—
#2
Funding Raised · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2012$4.9Mraised▾
Developer of lab-on-chip diagnostic technology for cancer and HAI. The company develops CMOS sensor technology systems with existing semiconductor manufacturing technology to address challenges faced by medical professionals and lab researchers. Initial applications being developed include liquid biopsy for cancer, diagnosis of hospital-acquired infections, and environmental monitoring.
- Sep 2025Grant (prize money)$181.5K
- Apr 2022Grant (prize money)$2M
- Jan 2019Grant (prize money)$300K
- Sep 2018Grant (prize money)$1.7M
#3
Seed · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2018 · 5 employees$8.4Mraised▾
Developer of AI-enabled technology platform for microbiome data generation and analysis. The company provides continuous, comprehensive microbiome data and AI-enabled bioinformatics. It offers GutLab technology for continuous tracking of the patient's gut microbiome throughout the treatment journey. The company's MetaBiome AI Platform transforms and analyzes the data using time-series analyses, enabling identification of clinically-relevant shifts and patterns. The platform unlocks host-microbiome interactions, such as a signature suggesting the gut microbiome may be a biomarker for active tumor burden. The company partners with scientists, institutions, and companies conducting clinical research into the gut microbiome, with a focus on personalized biomarker discovery and product development.
- Feb 2025Grant (prize money)$1.1M
- Feb 2023Seed$6.2M
- Jun 2021Grant (prize money)$294.4K
- Jan 2021Grant (prize money)$255.7K
#4
Series B · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2022 · 9 employees$5Mraised▾
Developer of cell-specific delivery systems and programmable cell engineering payloads. It focuses on creating delivery systems compatible with various programmable cell engineering payload types. It offers optimized enveloped vector surface compositions for high-efficiency, cell-type-specific delivery.
- Jan 2025Series B$8.7M
- Jun 2022Series A$5M
#5
Series F · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2001 · 92 employees$121.7Mraised▾
Developer of plant breeding technologies for resilient and productive agri-food systems. The company focuses on developing enhanced varieties and agricultural technologies. These technologies help farmers cultivate more robust and nutritious crops. It also promotes new crop and soil management technologies. The aim is to increase yields, improve production efficiency, and lower greenhouse gas emissions. The company collaborates with researchers and universities.
- May 2017Series F$13.7M
- Jan 2015Series F$12M
- Jul 2014Conventional Debt$12.5M
- Jan 2014Series E$36M
#6
Acquired · Northbrook, Illinois · founded 1999 · 146 employees$97.8Mraised▾
Provider of diagnostic tests for personalized medicine. It targets infections of the bloodstream, respiratory tract and gastrointestinal tract. Their Verigene System utilizes automation and proprietary chemistry to enable direct detection of nucleic acids and protein detection on the same platform. All tests offered by the company are built around Nanosphere's gold nanoparticle probe technology
- Dec 2018Post IPO$971K
- May 2015Conventional Debt$30M
- Mar 2010Grant (prize money)$279K
- May 2006Series D$57M
#7
Acquired · Deerfield, Illinois · founded 2010 · 150 employees$75Mraised▾
Innovative medicines company reimagining medicine to improve and extend people's lives. The company focuses on discovering, developing, and manufacturing innovative healthcare solutions to address unmet medical needs. It operates in various therapeutic areas, including cardiovascular, renal, metabolic, immunology, neuroscience, and oncology, using technology platforms like chemistry, biotherapeutics, xRNA, radioligand therapy, and gene and cell therapy. The company is committed to environmental sustainability, ethical behavior, and global health initiatives, including pandemic preparedness and addressing diseases like malaria and leprosy. It provides resources for patients, healthcare professionals, researchers, investors, job seekers, and journalists, offering access to clinical trials, partnering opportunities, and events. The company aims to be a trusted medicines company, delivering high-value treatments through technology leadership in research and development and novel access approaches, with a focus on social impact.
- Mar 2016Post IPO$2M
- Mar 2016Post IPO$500K
- Sep 2015Series D$65M
- Jan 2015Series C$10M
#8
Seed · Hinsdale, Illinois · founded 2008 · 3 employees$910Kraised▾
Developer of novel semiconductor imaging technologies. The company has received funding from SBIR to develop a prototype gene expression platform for accurate cancer diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment monitoring. The sensor will be based on the proprietary, metal-semiconductor hybrid structures that exhibit strongly enhanced sensitivity to external electric fields. The first application is breast cancer and it is developing the world's smallest endoscopic cameras with another SBIR grant. The ultra-small, 80k pixel cameras, the size of a grain of sand (0.5 millimeters)with an endoscope will allow doctors to reach hard-to-reach organs and regions of the body.
- Jul 2023Grant (prize money)$206.5K
- Jul 2019Grant (prize money)$2.5M
- Apr 2017Grant (prize money)$918K
- Apr 2015Seed$35K
#9
Seed · Illinois City, Illinois · founded 2014$3.5Mraised▾
Accelerated Pharma, a late-stage pharmaceutical company is developing chemotherapeutics utilising genomics screening technology. Its lead drug Picoplatin is a next generation platinum-based chemotherapy is being developed for colorectal cancer (or CRC) (Phase 2) and squamous cell cancer of the head-and-neck (Phase 2).
- Oct 2016Post IPO$896K
- May 2016Seed$250K
- Apr 2016Conventional Debt$250K
- Nov 2015Seed$500K
#10
Funding Raised · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2010$784.6Kraised▾
Provider of 3D scanning and analysis system for Firearm Forensics
- Jan 2021Grant (prize money)$199.6K
- Jan 2020Grant (prize money)$194.2K
- Jan 2019Grant (prize money)$194.9K
- Jan 2018Grant (prize money)$195.8K
#11
Seed · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2022$125Kraised▾
Provider of bioinformatics solutions for drug development. It is focusing on the development of peroxisomal drugs, which are implicated in the pathogenesis of cancer and other neurological disorders.
- 2023Seed$500K
#12
Deadpooled · Chicago, Illinois · founded 2020 · 4 employees$1.8Mraised▾
American BioOptics provides cancer risk assessment system. The system is meant for the detection of colorectal cancer. The InPoint system, their flagship product, uses colonoscopic method for examining and analyzing the nanoscopic structural tissue changes. These changes are identified by the reflection of light from the tissue that is used for the examination.
- Grant (prize money)$1M
- Grant (prize money)$741.1K
Funding & investor landscape
Notable founders
Market landscape — 10 sub-themes by coverage
Share of Genomics coverage by sub-theme.
Regulatory-risk over time rising
Funding & growth over time
funding rising · growth rising
How research on Bioinformatics in Illinois is moving
A read on the academic research around Bioinformatics in Illinois — which themes are gaining ground, the institutions and researchers driving them, and how the tone is shifting. Based on 179 papers.
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign79
- University of Illinois Chicago63
- Illinois College14
- University of Illinois System5
- Illinois Institute of Technology5
- Gene1→11
- Genome2→7
- Inference1→3
- Genome2→5
- Gene3→4
- Disease6
- Genomics4
- Diabetes mellitus3
- Microbiome3
- Wound healing2
Common questions
Rohit lives in the feed. He covers what's moving right now — the funding rounds, launches and shifts breaking across the trade press — and ties them back to where the sector is heading.