Encodia, the San Diego protein sequencing company that developed ProteoCode (DNA‑tagged peptide readout), ceased operations late last year and is conducting an assignment for the benefit of creditors. The firm, founded by veterans from Illumina and 454 sequencing and backed by prior venture rounds, is auctioning mass spectrometers, sequencers and lab equipment. The shutdown underscores commercial and manufacturing challenges in next‑generation protein sequencing.