NEW YORK – Oxford Nanopore Technologies said Tuesday that it has struck a partnership with the UK government to improve genomics research and healthcare as well as biosecurity surveillance for the country.
Financial details of the deal were not disclosed.
As part of the partnership, Oxford Nanopore will collaborate with Genomics England, UK Biobank, and NHS England to help improve patient care by prioritizing genomic and epigenomic discoveries in cancer, human genetic disorders, and infectious disease. The collaboration may also extend to broader emerging applications, including newborn screening and pharmacogenomics, Oxford Nanopore said.
Another key part of the partnership is to establish a real-time, pathogen-agnostic biosurveillance system across as many as 30 hospitals in NHS England, enabling rapid pathogen identification across the country. The surveillance data will be provided by the NHS to the UK Health and Security Agency to allow quicker decisions on emerging diseases. This project is expected to start in 2025 and will continue over multiple years, the company said.
Additionally, the partnership will expand the NHS respiratory metagenomics program to support infectious disease management in the critical care setting.
The initiative also aims to provide NHS staff and researchers access to relevant training and support in the areas of genomics and personalized medicine, Oxford Nanopore noted.
"By working alongside our partners on shared goals of improved patient outcomes — whether in cancer, human genetic disease or infectious disease — we believe we can deploy our unique DNA/RNA sequencing technology in ways that are most impactful for the people of the UK," Oxford Nanopore CEO Gordon Sanghera said in a statement.