The UK government is set to join forces with Oxford Nanopore and other healthcare organisations to develop a pathogen surveillance system for future pandemics.
The collaboration, which aims to advance research and improve health outcomes, includes Genomics England, UK Biobank, and National Health Service (NHS) England.
Oxford Nanopore is a biotechnology company developing a nanopore-based DNA and RNA sequencing technology that enables real-time, portable, and scalable analysis.
Under the partnership, Oxford Nanopore will provide its technology to create an ‘early warning system’ for future pandemics and potential biological threats, across 30 NHS sites.
Its long-read sequencing technology will analyse genes and pathogens to rapidly diagnose a wide range of cancers, along with rare and infectious diseases.
The partnership will use the technology to expand NHS England’s Respiratory Metagenomics programme, led by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.
NHS will provide the data to the UK Health and Security Agency, enabling decisions on emerging diseases and enhancing biosecurity in the UK.
The collaborative project is expected to commence in 2025 and continue for multiple years.
Oxford Nanopore CEO Gordon Sanghera said: “The UK has a remarkable genomics ecosystem, and we are delighted to be innovating more collaboratively through this partnership.
“Genomics England and UK Biobank have led the way in scaling genomics discovery and translating these advances into patient impact.
“NHS England, through its Networks of Excellence and advancements developed by the Genomic Laboratory Hubs (GLHs), has been instrumental in adopting these innovations into national healthcare strategies.”
The partnership also presents further opportunities in newborn screening, where genomics can enable early identification of genetic disorders for prompt intervention.
Oxford Nanopore’s sequencing technology will allow NHS to further explore its technology to characterise diseases including cancer and rare genetic conditions.
Genomics England will work together with Oxford Nanopore to obtain insights from its data on cancer and rare diseases.
Also, UK Biobank will continue to work with Oxford Nanopore and the UK government to improve the insights from their data and translate these into impact for NHS patients.
In addition to the benefits to patients, the collaboration will drive economic growth, and support the expansion of most promising life sciences companies.
