Illumina purchases Grail without clearance from FTC or European Union

Illumina, the DNA sequencing giant, said Wednesday it has closed its $8 billion purchase of Grail, a cancer diagnostics firm, even though the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has sued to block the deal and the European Union is investigating it.

Grail is developing blood tests that aim to detect multiple types of cancer early, before they become deadly. Illumina is the leading maker of the basic technology on which such tests, which are being developed by multiple firms, are based.