Standard BioTools (LAB) 10-Q 7 Nov 13 2013 Q3 Quarterly report Financial data

Document_and_Entity_Informatio

Document and Entity Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Oct. 31, 2013
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]	'	'
Document Type	'10-Q	'
Amendment Flag	'false	'
Document Period End Date	30-Sep-13	'
Document Fiscal Year Focus	'2013	'
Document Fiscal Period Focus	'Q3	'
Trading Symbol	'FLDM	'
Entity Registrant Name	'FLUIDIGM CORP	'
Entity Central Index Key	'0001162194	'
Current Fiscal Year End Date	'--12-31	'
Entity Filer Category	'Accelerated Filer	'
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding	'	25,613,547

Condensed_Consolidated_Balance

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Current assets:	'	'
Cash and cash equivalents	$20,099	$58,649
Short-term investments	43,580	21,362
Accounts receivable (net of allowances of $32 and $448 at September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, respectively)	12,413	12,900
Inventories	8,021	7,169
Prepaid expenses and other current assets	2,545	1,131
Total current assets	86,658	101,211
Long-term investments	19,140	3,666
Property and equipment, net	5,155	4,974
Other non-current assets	3,288	3,881
Total assets	114,241	113,732
Current liabilities:	'	'
Accounts payable	3,406	2,555
Accrued compensation and related benefits	3,713	2,877
Other accrued liabilities	5,117	4,279
Deferred revenue, current portion	2,807	1,886
Total current liabilities	15,043	11,597
Deferred revenue, net of current portion	1,824	1,241
Other non-current liabilities	362	237
Total liabilities	17,229	13,075
Commitments and contingencies	'	'
Stockholders' equity:	'	'
Preferred stock, $0.001 par value, 10,000 shares authorized, no shares issued and outstanding at September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, respectively	0	0
Common stock: $0.001 par value, 200,000 shares authorized at September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012; 25,591 and 25,115 shares issued and outstanding as of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, respectively	26	25
Additional paid-in capital	350,403	342,222
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	-713	-769
Accumulated deficit	-252,704	-240,821
Total stockholders’ equity	97,012	100,657
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity	$114,241	$113,732

Condensed_Consolidated_Balance1

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Unaudited) (Parenthetical) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, except Share data, unless otherwise specified
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]	'	'
Accounts receivable, allowances	$32	$448
Preferred stock, par value	$0.00	$0.00
Preferred stock, shares authorized	10,000,000	10,000,000
Preferred stock, shares issued	'	'
Preferred stock, shares outstanding	'	'
Common stock, par value	$0.00	$0.00
Common stock, shares authorized	200,000,000	200,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	25,591,000	25,115,000
Common stock, shares outstanding	25,591,000	25,115,000

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations and Comprehensive Loss (Unaudited) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012
Revenue:	'	'	'	'
Product revenue	$18,045	$12,602	$49,566	$36,126
License revenue	78	15	242	53
Grant revenue	164	165	494	496
Total revenue	18,287	12,782	50,302	36,675
Costs and expenses:	'	'	'	'
Cost of product revenue	5,138	3,518	14,273	10,990
Research and development	5,004	4,071	14,198	12,337
Selling, general and administrative	12,097	9,102	34,840	27,926
Litigation settlement	1,000	0	1,000	0
Total costs and expenses	23,239	16,691	64,311	51,253
Loss from operations	-4,952	-3,909	-14,009	-14,578
Gain from sale of investment in Verinata	0	0	1,777	0
Interest expense	-1	-107	-13	-616
Other income (expense), net	709	-75	457	-127
Loss before income taxes	-4,244	-4,091	-11,788	-15,321
Provision for income taxes	-42	-61	-95	-101
Net loss	-4,286	-4,152	-11,883	-15,422
Net loss per share, basic and diluted	($0.17)	($0.18)	($0.47)	($0.73)
Shares used in computing net loss per share, basic and diluted	25,534	22,544	25,407	21,161
Comprehensive loss	($4,204)	($4,144)	($11,827)	($15,442)

Condensed_Consolidated_Stateme1

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) (USD $)	9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012
Operating activities	'	'
Net loss	($11,883)	($15,422)
Adjustments to reconcile net loss to net cash used in operating activities:	'	'
Depreciation and amortization	1,850	1,592
Stock-based compensation expense	4,681	3,047
Gain from sale of investment in Verinata	-1,777	0
Other non-cash items	29	26
Changes in assets and liabilities:	'	'
Accounts receivable	572	-1,451
Inventories	-1,344	-1,553
Prepaid expenses and other assets	-1,411	-175
Accounts payable	1,150	-978
Deferred revenue	1,652	502
Other liabilities	1,652	433
Net cash used in operating activities	-4,829	-13,979
Investing activities	'	'
Purchases of investments	-56,831	-27,705
Proceeds from sales and maturities of investments	19,140	45,770
Proceeds from sale of investment in Verinata	3,117	0
Purchase of intangible assets	-1,043	0
Purchases of property and equipment	-1,565	-1,621
Net cash (used in) provided by investing activities	-37,182	16,444
Financing activities	'	'
Proceeds from issuance of common stock, net of issuance costs	0	56,143
Proceeds from exercise of stock options	3,501	2,125
Repayment of long-term debt	0	-10,190
Proceeds from line of credit	0	1,875
Net cash provided by financing activities	3,501	49,953
Effect of foreign exchange rate fluctuations on cash and cash equivalents	-40	40
Net (decrease) increase in cash and cash equivalents	-38,550	52,458
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	58,649	13,553
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$20,099	$66,011

Description_of_Business_Notes

Description of Business (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]	'
Description of Business	'
	Description of Business
	Fluidigm Corporation (we, our, or us) was incorporated in the State of California in May 1999 to commercialize microfluidic technology initially developed at the California Institute of Technology. In July 2007, we were reincorporated in Delaware. Our headquarters are located in South San Francisco, California. We develop, manufacture, and market microfluidic systems to academic institutions, clinical laboratories, and pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and agricultural biotechnology (Ag-Bio) companies in growth markets, such as single-cell genomics, applied genotyping, and sample preparation for targeted resequencing. Our proprietary microfluidic systems consist of instruments and consumables, including integrated fluidic circuits (IFCs) for nucleic acid analysis, and three families of assay chemistries. These systems are designed to simplify experimental workflow, increase throughput, reduce costs, and provide quality data.

Summary_of_Significant_Account

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013
Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Summary of Significant Accounting Policies	'
	Summary of Significant Accounting Policies
	Basis of Presentation
	The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP) and following the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for interim reporting. As permitted under those rules, certain footnotes or other financial information that are normally required by U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted, and accordingly the balance sheet as of December 31, 2012 has been derived from audited consolidated financial statements at that date but does not include all of the information required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. These financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as our annual financial statements and, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) that are necessary for a fair presentation of our financial information. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2013 or for any other interim period or for any other future year.
	The preparation of these condensed consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, expenses, and related disclosures. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including critical accounting policies or estimates related to revenue recognition, income tax provisions, stock-based compensation, inventory valuation, and allowances for doubtful accounts. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various relevant assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ significantly from these estimates.
	The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements and related financial information should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2012 included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC.
	Reclassifications
	Certain items previously reported in the condensed consolidated statement of cash flows have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. Such reclassifications do not impact previously reported net cash used in operating activities, net cash provided by investing activities, net cash used in financing activities, or the net decrease in cash and cash equivalents.
	Secondary Offering
	On August 21, 2012, we closed an underwritten public offering of 4,209,000 shares of our common stock and received cash proceeds of approximately $56.1 million, net of underwriting discounts, commissions and offering expenses. The shares were issued pursuant to a registration statement on Form S-3 declared effective by the SEC on May 10, 2012.
	Net Loss per Share
	Our basic and diluted net loss per share is calculated by dividing net loss by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding for the period. Our options to purchase common stock are considered to be potentially dilutive common shares but have been excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share as their effect is anti-dilutive.
	The following potentially dilutive common shares were excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share for the interim periods presented because including them would have been anti-dilutive (in thousands):
		Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,
		2013			2012			2013		2012
	Options to purchase common stock	3,631			3,013			3,631		3,013
	Comprehensive Loss
	The following is a summary of comprehensive loss (in thousands):
		Three Months Ended September 30,							Nine Months Ended September 30,
		2013				2012			2013			2012
	Net loss	$	(4,286	)		$	(4,152	)	$	(11,883	)	$	(15,422	)
	Other comprehensive (loss) income	82				8			56			(20		)
	Comprehensive loss	$	(4,204	)		$	(4,144	)	$	(11,827	)	$	(15,442	)
	Comprehensive loss is comprised of net loss, unrealized gains and losses on our investments, and foreign currency translation adjustments.
	Investment, at Cost
	At December 31, 2012, we had a minority equity investment in Verinata Health, Inc. (Verinata), a privately-held company, that was included in other non-current assets and accounted for under the cost method of accounting. Under the cost method of accounting, the investment was carried at cost and adjusted only for other than temporary declines in value. No such declines were identified and the carrying value of the investment at December 31, 2012 was $1.3 million.
	In February 2013, Illumina, Inc. acquired Verinata for $350 million in cash and up to an additional $100 million in milestone payments through 2015. In March 2013, we received cash proceeds of $3.1 million in exchange for our ownership interest in Verinata, resulting in a gain of $1.8 million. If the milestone payments become payable in the future, we could receive up to $3.2 million in additional proceeds.
	Intangible Assets Acquisition
	On June 28, 2013, we acquired certain patents, patent applications, and licenses from Helicos Biosciences Corporation (Helicos) relating to Helicos’ next-generation sequencing technology. The rights acquired by us are subject to certain licenses and sublicenses granted by Helicos prior to or contemporaneously with our acquisition. The assets were acquired for $1.0 million and, as of September 30, 2013, we had incurred transaction costs of approximately $0.3 million. The patents, patent applications, and licenses have an alternative future use and, as a result, the acquired assets and transaction costs are capitalized as intangible assets and are included in other non-current assets. The acquired assets will be amortized to research and development expense over their useful life of ten years.
	Legal Matters
	From time to time, we may be subject to various legal proceedings and claims arising in the ordinary course of business. We assess contingencies to determine the degree of probability and range of possible loss for potential accrual in our financial statements. An estimated loss contingency is accrued in the financial statements if it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated.
	Pursuant to the terms of a patent cross license agreement with Applied Biosystems, LLC (now part of Life Technologies Corporation, or Life), we are obligated to make a $1.0 million payment to Life upon satisfaction of certain conditions. We do not believe that the conditions triggering the payment obligation have been met; however, on October 16, 2013, Life provided notice that the $1.0 million payment is due and payable under the license agreement. We intend to dispute Life’s claim to the contingent payment, but it is probable that we will make the payment while reserving our rights to dispute the obligation. Among other reasons, we would make the payment to avoid what would be, in our view, an improper termination of our license to certain Life patent filings under the agreement, which could subject our relevant product lines to risks associated with patent infringement litigation.  As we believe that making the disputed payment is probable, we accrued a loss contingency of $1.0 million in the three months ended September 30, 2013.
	On November 6, 2012, we filed a complaint against NanoString Technologies, Inc., or NanoString, in the United States District Court in the Northern District of California (Civil Action No. 12-5712), alleging claims of false advertising, unfair competition, and unlawful trade practice in violation of the Lanham Act and corresponding sections of the California Business & Professions Code. Our complaint sought to enjoin NanoString from continuing to make or disseminate any of the false and misleading claims, misrepresenting and/or exaggerating the performance of its product in comparison with our BioMark System, to require NanoString to retract, remove, or correct the false and misleading advertising claims, and to recover damages and other relief for harm caused to us by NanoString. In addition, we filed a lawsuit on April 5, 2013 in Singapore against NanoString alleging malicious falsehood in advertising and trademark infringement. On September 30, 2013, we and NanoString agreed to settle the lawsuits. The terms of the settlement require NanoString to, among other things, pay us $0.6 million, remove all references - from its marketing materials, website, and promotional activities - to a single-cell comparison study comparing Fluidigm and NanoString single-cell products, as well as recall and destroy all materials related to and/or based on the study. The case brought in the United States District Court in the Northern District of California was dismissed on October 22, 2013, and the case brought in Singapore was discontinued on October 29, 2013.
	Recent Accounting Pronouncement
	In June 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ratified Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) Issue 13-C, “Presentation of an Unrecognized Tax Benefit When a Net Operating Loss Carryforward, a Similar Tax Loss, or a Tax Credit Carryforward Exists” which concludes an unrecognized tax benefit should be presented as a reduction of a deferred tax asset when settlement in this manner is available under the tax law.  This guidance is effective for our interim and annual periods beginning January 1, 2014. We do not believe the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Inventories_Notes

Inventories (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Inventories	'
	Inventories
	Inventories consist of the following (in thousands):
		September 30, 2013		December 31,
				2012
	Raw materials	$	2,536	$	2,846
	Work-in-process	1,803		1,369
	Finished goods	3,682		2,954
		$	8,021	$	7,169

Fair_Value_of_Financial_Instru

Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]	'
Fair Value of Financial Instruments	'
	Fair Value of Financial Instruments
	As a basis for considering fair value, we follow a three-tier value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value as follows:
	Level I: observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets;
	Level II: inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are observable either directly or indirectly; and
	Level III: unobservable inputs in which there is little or no market data, which requires us to develop our own assumptions.
	Our cash equivalents are classified as Level I because they are valued using quoted market prices. Our U.S. government and agency securities are classified as Level II because the inputs to these valuations are derived from or corroborated by observable market data. Depending on the security, the income and market approaches are used in the model driven valuations. Inputs into these models include recently executed transaction prices for our investment securities or the securities of comparable issuers and yield curves.
	The following table sets forth our financial instruments that were measured at fair value by level within the fair value hierarchy (in thousands):
		September 30, 2013									December 31, 2012
		Level I		Level II		Level III			Total		Level I		Level II		Level III		Total
	Assets
	Money market funds	$	5,802	$	—	$	—		$	5,802	$	17	$	—	$	—	$	17
	U.S. government and agency securities	—		62,720		—			62,720		—		26,579		—		26,579
	Total assets measured at fair value	$	5,802	$	62,720	$	—		$	68,522	$	17	$	26,579	$	—	$	26,596
	The following is a summary of our U.S. government and agency securities at September 30, 2013 (in thousands):
		Amortized		Gross		Gross			Estimated
		Cost		Unrealized		Unrealized			Fair Value
				Gain		Loss
	U.S. government and agency securities	$	62,693	$	30	$	(3	)	$	62,720
	The contractual maturity dates of $43.6 million of our U.S. government and agency securities are within one year from September 30, 2013. The contractual maturity dates of our remaining U.S. government and agency securities are less than eighteen months from September 30, 2013.
	The following is a summary of our cash and cash equivalents (in thousands):
		September 30, 2013		December 31,
				2012
	Cash	$	14,297	$	57,082
	U.S. government and agency security	—		1,550
	Money market funds	5,802		17
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	20,099	$	58,649

LongTerm_Debt_Notes

Long-Term Debt (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Long-Term Debt	'
	Long-Term Debt
	We entered into a long-term loan agreement in March 2005 (as amended, the Loan Agreement). Commencing in March 2011, we made principal and interest payments of $0.6 million per month and, as required under the Loan Agreement, we made an additional principal payment of $2.3 million in March 2012. Using the effective interest method, a majority of the March 2012 payment was accrued as interest expense in periods prior to 2010 with the remainder being recognized through the extended maturity date of February 2013. In June 2012, we elected to make another principal payment in the amount of $1.9 million using proceeds from our Line of Credit (see Note 6). During the three months ended September 30, 2012, we paid the remaining balance due and the Loan Agreement was terminated.

Line_of_Credit_Notes

Line of Credit (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Line of Credit	'
	Line of Credit
	In December 2010, we entered into a two-year bank line of credit agreement (as amended, the Line of Credit) that provided us with the ability to borrow up to $7.0 million, subject to certain covenants and other restrictions, and bore interest at a rate equal to the greater of (i) 4.25% or (ii) the prime rate plus 1.00% per year. In December 2012, the Line of Credit was amended to extend the term for an additional two years and provide us with the ability to borrow up to $10.0 million, of which $6.0 million is available on a non-formula basis, subject to certain covenants and other restrictions. The balance of $4.0 million is available based on eligible receivables. The Line of Credit is collateralized by our assets, excluding our intellectual property, and bears interest at a rate equal to the greater of (i) 3.75% or (ii) the prime rate plus 0.50% per year. At September 30, 2013, there was no outstanding balance on the Line of Credit and we were in compliance with all applicable covenants.

Commitments_and_Contingencies_

Commitments and Contingencies (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Commitments and Contingencies	'
	Commitments and Contingencies
	On April 9, 2013, we entered into an amendment (the Amendment) to the lease agreement dated September 4, 2010 (as amended, the Lease) relating to the lease of office and laboratory space at our headquarters located at 7000 Shoreline Court, South San Francisco, California. The Amendment provides for an expansion of the premises covered under the Lease to include space that is currently being subleased by us from a third party through March 31, 2014; an extension of the term of the Lease to April 30, 2020 with an option to renew for an additional five years; payment of base rent with rent escalation; and payment of certain operating expenses during the term of the Lease. The Amendment also provides for an allowance of approximately $0.7 million for tenant improvements, which, to the extent not used by March 31, 2015, will be used to offset base rent obligations, and an additional allowance of approximately $0.5 million for tenant improvements, which, if used, will be repaid in equal monthly payments with interest at a rate of 9% per annum over the remaining term of the Lease.

StockBased_Compensation_Notes

Stock-Based Compensation (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013
Disclosure of Compensation Related Costs, Share-based Payments [Abstract]	'
Stock-Based Compensation	'
	Stock-Based Compensation
	During the three months ended September 30, 2013, we granted to certain employees options to purchase 18,000 shares of common stock with exercise prices ranging from $17.76 to $21.94 per share. During the nine months ended September 30, 2013, we granted to certain employees options to purchase 1,229,000 shares of common stock with exercise prices ranging from $15.27 to $21.94 per share. These options had a total grant date fair value of $11.3 million that will be recognized as expense over their respective 4-year vesting periods.
	We recognized stock-based compensation expense of $1.7 million and $1.0 million during the three months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, respectively. During the nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, we recognized stock-based compensation of $4.7 million and $3.0 million, respectively. As of September 30, 2013, we had $16.6 million of unrecognized stock-based compensation costs, which are expected to be recognized over a weighted average period of 2.7 years.

Income_Taxes_Notes

Income Taxes (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Income Taxes	'
	Income Taxes
	Income taxes are primarily comprised of state and foreign income taxes. The provision or benefit for income taxes for the periods presented differs from the 34% U.S. Federal statutory rate primarily due to maintaining a valuation allowance for U.S. losses and tax assets, which we do not consider to be realizable. Income tax expense primarily consists of amounts payable in foreign jurisdictions.

Information_About_Geographic_A

Information About Geographic Areas (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013
Segment Reporting [Abstract]	'
Information About Geographic Areas	'
	Information About Geographic Areas
	We operate in one reporting segment, which is the development, manufacturing and commercialization of microfluidic systems consisting of instruments and consumables, including IFCs for nucleic acid analysis and three families of assay chemistries, for academic institutions, clinical laboratories, and pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and Ag-Bio companies in growth markets, such as single-cell genomics, applied genotyping, and sample preparation for targeted resequencing.
	The following table presents product revenue by geography based on the billing address of our customers for each period presented (in thousands):
		Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
		2013		2012		2013		2012
	United States	$	10,145	$	7,757	$	27,213	$	20,024
	Europe	3,962		2,678		11,899		8,088
	Japan	2,620		774		4,504		2,763
	Asia-Pacific	897		1,267		4,375		4,484
	Other	421		126		1,575		767
	Total	$	18,045	$	12,602	$	49,566	$	36,126
	Our license and grant revenues are primarily generated in the United States.

Subsequent_Event_Notes

Subsequent Event (Notes)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013
Subsequent Events [Abstract]	'
Subsequent Event	'
	Subsequent Event
	On October 14, 2013, Fluidigm Singapore Pte Ltd. (Fluidigm Singapore), our wholly-owned subsidiary, accepted an offer of tenancy (the Lease) from HSBC Institutional Trust Services (Singapore) Limited, as trustee of Ascendas Real Estate Investment Trust (the Landlord), relating to the lease of a facility located at Block 5008, Ang Mo Kio Avenue 5, TECHplace II, Singapore 569874. Pursuant to the terms of the Lease, it is expected that Fluidigm Singapore will be in possession of the facility commencing on March 2, 2014 for a term of 99 months. Aggregate gross rent (including service charges) due under the Lease will be SG$6.4 million (approximately US$5.1 million using the October 14, 2013 exchange rate). The Lease also provides Fluidigm Singapore with an option to renew the Lease for an additional 60 months at the then prevailing market rent, and on similar terms as the existing Lease, and a right of first refusal on certain additional space in the building beginning June 2, 2014 until June 1, 2015. We are currently evaluating the accounting for the Lease.

Summary_of_Significant_Account1

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Policies)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013
Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Basis of Presentation	'
	Basis of Presentation
	The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (U.S. GAAP) and following the requirements of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for interim reporting. As permitted under those rules, certain footnotes or other financial information that are normally required by U.S. GAAP have been condensed or omitted, and accordingly the balance sheet as of December 31, 2012 has been derived from audited consolidated financial statements at that date but does not include all of the information required by U.S. GAAP for complete financial statements. These financial statements have been prepared on the same basis as our annual financial statements and, in the opinion of management, reflect all adjustments (consisting only of normal recurring adjustments) that are necessary for a fair presentation of our financial information. The results of operations for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 are not necessarily indicative of the results to be expected for the year ending December 31, 2013 or for any other interim period or for any other future year.
	The preparation of these condensed consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenue, expenses, and related disclosures. On an ongoing basis, we evaluate our estimates, including critical accounting policies or estimates related to revenue recognition, income tax provisions, stock-based compensation, inventory valuation, and allowances for doubtful accounts. We base our estimates on historical experience and on various relevant assumptions that we believe to be reasonable under the circumstances, the results of which form the basis for making judgments about the carrying values of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. Actual results may differ significantly from these estimates.
	The accompanying condensed consolidated financial statements and related financial information should be read in conjunction with the audited consolidated financial statements and the related notes thereto for the year ended December 31, 2012 included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the SEC.
Reclassifications	'
	Reclassifications
	Certain items previously reported in the condensed consolidated statement of cash flows have been reclassified to conform to the current period presentation. Such reclassifications do not impact previously reported net cash used in operating activities, net cash provided by investing activities, net cash used in financing activities, or the net decrease in cash and cash equivalents.
Net Loss per Share	'
	Net Loss per Share
	Our basic and diluted net loss per share is calculated by dividing net loss by the weighted-average number of shares of common stock outstanding for the period. Our options to purchase common stock are considered to be potentially dilutive common shares but have been excluded from the calculation of diluted net loss per share as their effect is anti-dilutive.
Comprehensive Loss	'
	Comprehensive loss is comprised of net loss, unrealized gains and losses on our investments, and foreign currency translation adjustments.
Investment, at Cost	'
	Investment, at Cost
	At December 31, 2012, we had a minority equity investment in Verinata Health, Inc. (Verinata), a privately-held company, that was included in other non-current assets and accounted for under the cost method of accounting. Under the cost method of accounting, the investment was carried at cost and adjusted only for other than temporary declines in value.
Intangible Assets Acquisition	'
	Intangible Assets Acquisition
	On June 28, 2013, we acquired certain patents, patent applications, and licenses from Helicos Biosciences Corporation (Helicos) relating to Helicos’ next-generation sequencing technology. The rights acquired by us are subject to certain licenses and sublicenses granted by Helicos prior to or contemporaneously with our acquisition. The assets were acquired for $1.0 million and, as of September 30, 2013, we had incurred transaction costs of approximately $0.3 million. The patents, patent applications, and licenses have an alternative future use and, as a result, the acquired assets and transaction costs are capitalized as intangible assets and are included in other non-current assets. The acquired assets will be amortized to research and development expense over their useful life of ten years.
Legal Matters	'
	Legal Matters
	From time to time, we may be subject to various legal proceedings and claims arising in the ordinary course of business. We assess contingencies to determine the degree of probability and range of possible loss for potential accrual in our financial statements. An estimated loss contingency is accrued in the financial statements if it is probable that a liability has been incurred and the amount of the loss can be reasonably estimated.
Recent Accounting Pronouncement	'
	Recent Accounting Pronouncement
	In June 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board ratified Emerging Issues Task Force (EITF) Issue 13-C, “Presentation of an Unrecognized Tax Benefit When a Net Operating Loss Carryforward, a Similar Tax Loss, or a Tax Credit Carryforward Exists” which concludes an unrecognized tax benefit should be presented as a reduction of a deferred tax asset when settlement in this manner is available under the tax law.  This guidance is effective for our interim and annual periods beginning January 1, 2014. We do not believe the adoption of this guidance will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
Fair Value of Financial Instruments	'
	Fair Value of Financial Instruments
	As a basis for considering fair value, we follow a three-tier value hierarchy, which prioritizes the inputs used in measuring fair value as follows:
	Level I: observable inputs such as quoted prices in active markets;
	Level II: inputs other than quoted prices in active markets that are observable either directly or indirectly; and
	Level III: unobservable inputs in which there is little or no market data, which requires us to develop our own assumptions.
	Our cash equivalents are classified as Level I because they are valued using quoted market prices. Our U.S. government and agency securities are classified as Level II because the inputs to these valuations are derived from or corroborated by observable market data. Depending on the security, the income and market approaches are used in the model driven valuations. Inputs into these models include recently executed transaction prices for our investment securities or the securities of comparable issuers and yield curves.

Summary_of_Significant_Account2

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013
Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'
Summary of Potential Common Shares Excluded from Computations of Diluted Net Loss Per Share Attributed to Common Stockholders	'
	The following potentially dilutive common shares were excluded from the computation of diluted net loss per share for the interim periods presented because including them would have been anti-dilutive (in thousands):
		Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,
		2013			2012			2013		2012
	Options to purchase common stock	3,631			3,013			3,631		3,013
Summary of Comprehensive Loss	'
	The following is a summary of comprehensive loss (in thousands):
		Three Months Ended September 30,							Nine Months Ended September 30,
		2013				2012			2013			2012
	Net loss	$	(4,286	)		$	(4,152	)	$	(11,883	)	$	(15,422	)
	Other comprehensive (loss) income	82				8			56			(20		)
	Comprehensive loss	$	(4,204	)		$	(4,144	)	$	(11,827	)	$	(15,442	)

Inventories_Tables

Inventories (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Inventories	'
	Inventories consist of the following (in thousands):
		September 30, 2013		December 31,
				2012
	Raw materials	$	2,536	$	2,846
	Work-in-process	1,803		1,369
	Finished goods	3,682		2,954
		$	8,021	$	7,169

Fair_Value_of_Financial_Instru1

Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]	'
Financial Instruments Measured at Fair Value by Level within the Fair Value Hierarchy	'
	The following table sets forth our financial instruments that were measured at fair value by level within the fair value hierarchy (in thousands):
		September 30, 2013									December 31, 2012
		Level I		Level II		Level III			Total		Level I		Level II		Level III		Total
	Assets
	Money market funds	$	5,802	$	—	$	—		$	5,802	$	17	$	—	$	—	$	17
	U.S. government and agency securities	—		62,720		—			62,720		—		26,579		—		26,579
	Total assets measured at fair value	$	5,802	$	62,720	$	—		$	68,522	$	17	$	26,579	$	—	$	26,596
Summary of Investments	'
	The following is a summary of our U.S. government and agency securities at September 30, 2013 (in thousands):
		Amortized		Gross		Gross			Estimated
		Cost		Unrealized		Unrealized			Fair Value
				Gain		Loss
	U.S. government and agency securities	$	62,693	$	30	$	(3	)	$	62,720
Summary of Cash and Cash Equivalents	'
	The following is a summary of our cash and cash equivalents (in thousands):
		September 30, 2013		December 31,
				2012
	Cash	$	14,297	$	57,082
	U.S. government and agency security	—		1,550
	Money market funds	5,802		17
	Cash and cash equivalents	$	20,099	$	58,649

Information_About_Geographic_A1

Information About Geographic Areas (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013
Segment Reporting [Abstract]	'
Product Revenue by Geography Based on Billing Address of Customers	'
	The following table presents product revenue by geography based on the billing address of our customers for each period presented (in thousands):
		Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
		2013		2012		2013		2012
	United States	$	10,145	$	7,757	$	27,213	$	20,024
	Europe	3,962		2,678		11,899		8,088
	Japan	2,620		774		4,504		2,763
	Asia-Pacific	897		1,267		4,375		4,484
	Other	421		126		1,575		767
	Total	$	18,045	$	12,602	$	49,566	$	36,126

Description_of_Business_Detail

Description of Business (Details)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]	'
Incorporation of the company	11-May-99
Reincorporation of the company	'2007-07

Summary_of_Significant_Account3

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Potential Common Shares Excluded from Computations of Diluted Net Loss Per Share Attributed to Common Stockholders (Details) (Stock Options)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012
Stock Options	'	'	'	'
Antidilutive Securities Excluded from Computation of Earnings Per Share [Line Items]	'	'	'	'
Options to purchase common stock	3,631	3,013	3,631	3,013

Summary_of_Significant_Account4

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies Summary of Comprehensive Loss (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012
Accounting Policies [Abstract]	'	'	'	'
Net loss	($4,286)	($4,152)	($11,883)	($15,422)
Other comprehensive (loss) income	82	8	56	-20
Comprehensive loss	($4,204)	($4,144)	($11,827)	($15,442)

Summary_of_Significant_Account5

Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Details) (USD $)	1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended			1 Months Ended
	Jun. 28, 2013	Mar. 31, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2012	Feb. 28, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013
								Illumina Inc	Life Technologies
Schedule Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Public offering shares of our common stock (in shares)	'	'	'	'	4,209,000	'	'	'	'
Cash proceeds from issuance of common stock	'	'	'	'	$0	$56,143,000	'	'	'
Carrying value of Investment	'	'	'	'	'	'	1,300,000	'	'
Sale price of Verinata	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	350,000,000	'
Proceeds from sale of investment in Verinata	'	3,117,000	'	'	3,117,000	0	'	'	'
Gain on sale of cost method investment	'	1,777,000	0	0	1,777,000	0	'	'	'
Total payment to all Verinata investors on achievement of milestone	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	100,000,000	'
Expected proceeds from sale of investment in Verinata	'	3,200,000	'	'	'	'	'	'	'
Intangible asset acquisition amount	1,043,000	'	'	'	1,043,000	0	'	'	'
Asset acquisition transaction costs	'	'	'	'	300,000	'	'	'	'
Intangible assets amortization period	'	'	'	'	'10 years	'	'	'	'
Loss contingency estimate of possible loss	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	'	1,000,000
Gain from NanoString settlement	'	'	'	'	$600,000	'	'	'	'

Inventories_Details

Inventories (Details) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Inventory Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'
Raw materials	$2,536	$2,846
Work-in-process	1,803	1,369
Finished goods	3,682	2,954
Inventories	$8,021	$7,169

Fair_Value_of_Financial_Instru2

Fair Value of Financial Instruments Fair Value of Financial Instruments (Details) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]	'	'
Total assets measured at fair value	$68,522	$26,596
Money market funds	'	'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]	'	'
Total assets measured at fair value	5,802	17
U.S. government and agency securities	'	'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]	'	'
Total assets measured at fair value	62,720	26,579
Level I	'	'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]	'	'
Total assets measured at fair value	5,802	17
Level I | Money market funds	'	'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]	'	'
Total assets measured at fair value	5,802	17
Level I | U.S. government and agency securities	'	'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]	'	'
Total assets measured at fair value	0	0
Level II	'	'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]	'	'
Total assets measured at fair value	62,720	26,579
Level II | Money market funds	'	'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]	'	'
Total assets measured at fair value	0	0
Level II | U.S. government and agency securities	'	'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]	'	'
Total assets measured at fair value	62,720	26,579
Level III	'	'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]	'	'
Total assets measured at fair value	0	0
Level III | Money market funds	'	'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]	'	'
Total assets measured at fair value	0	0
Level III | U.S. government and agency securities	'	'
Fair Value, Assets Measured on Recurring Basis, Unobservable Input Reconciliation [Line Items]	'	'
Total assets measured at fair value	$0	$0

Fair_Value_of_Financial_Instru3

Fair Value of Financial Instruments Summary of Investments and Cash Equivalents (Details) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Estimated Fair Value	$0	$1,550
U.S. government and agency securities	'	'
Schedule of Available-for-sale Securities [Line Items]	'	'
Amortized Cost	62,693	'
Gross Unrealized Gain	30	'
Gross Unrealized Loss	-3	'
Estimated Fair Value	$62,720	'

Fair_Value_of_Financial_Instru4

Fair Value of Financial Instruments - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2013
In Millions, unless otherwise specified
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]	'
U.S. government and agency securities maturing within one year	$43.60

Summary_of_Cash_and_Cash_Equiv

Summary of Cash and Cash Equivalents (Details) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified
Cash and Cash Equivalents [Abstract]	'	'	'	'
Cash	$14,297	$57,082	'	'
U.S. government and agency security	0	1,550	'	'
Money market funds	5,802	17	'	'
Cash and cash equivalents	$20,099	$58,649	$66,011	$13,553

LongTerm_Debt_Details

Long-Term Debt (Details) (USD $)	1 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Jun. 30, 2012	Mar. 31, 2012	Mar. 31, 2011
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]	'	'	'
Principal and interest payments per month	'	'	$0.60
Additional principal payment	$1.90	$2.30	'

Line_of_Credit_Details

Line of Credit (Details) (USD $)	1 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2012
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]	'	'
Term of line of credit agreement	'2 years	'
Maximum ability to borrow under Line of Credit	$7,000,000	'
Interest rate description	'Two-year bank line of credit agreement (as amended, the Line of Credit) that provided us with the ability to borrow up to $7.0 million, subject to certain covenants and other restrictions, and bore interest at a rate equal to the greater of (i) 4.25% or (ii) the prime rate plus 1.00% per year.	'
Interest rate, first among the two described rate	4.25%	'
Additional interest rate	1.00%	'
Line of credit extended period	'	'2 years
After Amendment	'	'
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]	'	'
Maximum ability to borrow under Line of Credit	'	10,000,000
Interest rate description	'	'In December 2012, the Line of Credit was amended to extend the term for an additional two years and provide us with the ability to borrow up to $10.0 million, of which $6.0 million is available on a non-formula basis, subject to certain covenants and other restrictions. The balance of $4.0 million is available based on eligible receivables. The Line of Credit is collateralized by our assets, excluding our intellectual property, and bears interest at a rate equal to the greater of (i) 3.75% or (ii) the prime rate plus 0.50% per year.
Interest rate, first among the two described rate	'	3.75%
Additional interest rate	'	0.50%
After Amendment | Non Formula Basis Availability	'	'
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]	'	'
Maximum ability to borrow under Line of Credit	'	6,000,000
After Amendment | Eligible Receivables Basis Availability	'	'
Line of Credit Facility [Line Items]	'	'
Maximum ability to borrow under Line of Credit	'	4,000,000

Commitments_and_Contingencies_1

Commitments and Contingencies (Details) (Lease Obligations, USD $)	1 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Apr. 09, 2013
Lease Obligations	'
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Line Items]	'
Extended term of the lease	30-Apr-20
Operating leases renewal option period	'5 years
Tenant improvements, which, to the extent not used by March 31, 2015, will be used to offset base rent obligations	$0.70
Additional Allowance for tenant improvements	$0.50
Remaining term interest rate of lease	9.00%

StockBased_Compensation_Detail

Stock-Based Compensation (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Millions, except Share data in Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012
Stock-based compensation	'	'	'	'
Employee stock options granted	18	'	1,229	'
Total grant date fair value	'	'	$11.30	'
Vesting period of the grant date fair value	'	'	'4 years	'
Stock-based compensation expense	1.7	1	4.7	3
Total unrecognized compensation cost related to stock-based compensation arrangements	$16.60	'	$16.60	'
Unrecognized compensation cost related to stock-based compensation arrangements average recognition period	'	'	'2 years 8 months 12 days	'
Minimum	'	'	'	'
Stock-based compensation	'	'	'	'
Exercise price of options granted	$17.76	'	$15.27	'
Maximum	'	'	'	'
Stock-based compensation	'	'	'	'
Exercise price of options granted	$21.94	'	$21.94	'

Income_Taxes_Details

Income Taxes (Details)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]	'
Tax provision or benefit at federal statutory rate	34.00%

Information_About_Geographic_A2

Information About Geographic Areas (Details)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013
	Segment
Segment Reporting [Abstract]	'
Number of reporting segment	1

Information_About_Geographic_A3

Information About Geographic Areas Product Revenue by Geography (Details) (USD $)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012
Total product revenue	'	'	'	'
Total	$18,045	$12,602	$49,566	$36,126
United States	'	'	'	'
Total product revenue	'	'	'	'
Total	10,145	7,757	27,213	20,024
Europe	'	'	'	'
Total product revenue	'	'	'	'
Total	3,962	2,678	11,899	8,088
Japan	'	'	'	'
Total product revenue	'	'	'	'
Total	2,620	774	4,504	2,763
Asia-Pacific	'	'	'	'
Total product revenue	'	'	'	'
Total	897	1,267	4,375	4,484
Other	'	'	'	'
Total product revenue	'	'	'	'
Total	$421	$126	$1,575	$767

Subsequent_Event_Details

Subsequent Event (Details) (Subsequent Event)	0 Months Ended
In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Oct. 14, 2013	Oct. 14, 2013
	USD ($)	SGD
Subsequent Event [Line Items]	'	'
Current operating lease term	'99 months	'99 months
Operating lease gross payment due	$5.10	6.4
Operating leases renewal option period	'60 months	'60 months