Samsung Electronics said on Tuesday it made a strategic investment in U.S. gene analysis equipment company Element Biosciences and became its top shareholder.

Samsung participated in Element’s Series E funding round and invested an additional $175 million for a larger stake.

Samsung also took part in Element’s Series D funding round in July 2024. Samsung said the latest investment would help it secure key technologies in the fast-growing global precision medicine market and strengthen future growth engines.

Element plans to accelerate the commercialisation of its next-generation gene sequencing and multiomics ecosystem, based on Samsung’s investment. It also plans to expand its product roadmap for large-scale global clinical and diagnostics fields.

Element, founded in San Diego in 2017, has DNA sequencing technology that raises accuracy in genome analysis to 99.99 percent and lowers analysis costs.

DNA sequencing is a technology that reads the order of DNA bases to identify genetic variations and characteristics.

Samsung is paying particular attention to Element’s next-generation gene sequencing technology and multiomics. Multiomics is a technology that analyses not only DNA but also various biological information such as RNA and proteins that show how that DNA actually works, all at once. It can be used to identify the root causes of disease more accurately and to develop new drugs.

Element launched its mid-sized DNA sequencing device AVITI in 2022 and released AVITI 24 in 2024, which analyses genomic information and cellular changes over time. It is also preparing to launch VITARI, an analysis device that increases throughput by five times and cuts analysis costs by more than half compared with existing products, and AVITI Dx, which can be used in hospital laboratories for tailored anticancer drug prescriptions.

Samsung plans to use the expanded investment to strengthen strategic cooperation with Element and deepen collaboration across technologies to create synergies.

Element CEO Molly He (몰리 히) said, "Samsung Electronics’ expanded investment in Element demonstrates deep trust in our vision, technological capabilities and employees." She said, "Through this investment, we will continue to introduce innovative technologies that promote scientific discovery and improve human health."

Samsung President Tae-moon Roh (노태문) said, "Samsung Electronics’ expertise in AI, medical devices and digital health, combined with Element’s genome analysis technology, will create synergies for the future of personalised medicine." He said, "Samsung Electronics will continue to invest across a wide range of fields, from precision medical devices to digital health, under the goal of improving people’s health."