Oxford Nanopore have announced a strategic partnership with the UK Government. This partnership brings together the UK’s scientific organisations Genomics England, UK Biobank and NHS England, alongside Oxford Nanopore, to support the government’s vision to build an NHS “fit for the future" by enabling genomics-based translational research and accelerating the development and adoption of Oxford Nanopore’s ground-breaking genomics technology in the NHS.
By utilising Oxford Nanopore’s genomic insights, rapid, scalable and affordable sequencing technology, the initiative aims to deliver transformative improvements in patient care and foster economic growth in the UK’s thriving life sciences sector.
Oxford Nanopore CEO Gordon Sanghera, commented:
“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.
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.”
Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting, commented:
“If we fail to prepare, we should prepare to fail. Our NHS was already on its knees when the pandemic struck, and it was hit harder than any other comparable healthcare system.
We cannot let history repeat itself. That’s why this historic partnership with Oxford Nanopore will ensure our world-leading scientists have the latest information on emerging threats at their fingertips.
As we embrace the technological revolution, our 10 Year Health Plan will shift the NHS away from analogue to digital, saving countless more lives.”
Science and Technology Secretary, Peter Kyle, commented:
“During the Covid pandemic we saw the power of the UK life sciences sector very clearly – from the Oxford-Astra Zeneca vaccine that saved so many lives, through to operating one of the world’s most effective Covid surveillance systems, which spotted several emerging variants of the disease.
This partnership will build on that expertise to monitor emerging diseases as they arise, putting our scientists and decision-makers one-step ahead and providing the information they need to make informed decisions.
Together with the ability to better diagnose cancers and rare diseases, we are leveraging UK life sciences to protect the public and ultimately save lives.”
Professor Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Advisor at UK Health Security Agency, commented:
“Early detection is absolutely crucial in enabling us to respond effectively to any emerging pathogen. The UK already has a wealth of expertise in genomic surveillance, and this programme will build on that expertise and enable us to bring our resources and capability to tackle developing threats at greater speed. Enhancing the capacity for the NHS to determine new and emerging pathogens causing severe acute respiratory infections will improve the detection and emergence of infections.
As part of the 100 days mission, this will enable the development of effective diagnostics for novel pathogens and enhance our pandemic preparedness.”
Professor Ian Abbs, Chief Executive of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, commented:
“We’ve been working on the respiratory metagenomics programme for over four years and have clearly seen the benefit to our patients.It’s a momentous day now that we can ensure other hospitals, and more patients, can also benefit from faster and more accurate treatment for severe respiratory conditions thanks to new genomic technology.”
Oxford Nanopore’s partnership with Genomics England and UK Biobank is aimed at translating research-based discoveries from the lab into clinical settings, benefiting UK healthcare.
Priority areas include cancer, where genomic insights (the analysis of DNA) can help identify personalised treatment options and enhance early detection, and rare disease characterisation, where information-rich genomic and epigenetic analysis – changes to DNA that contribute to disease – can improve diagnosis and inform targeted therapies.
This partnership presents a further opportunity to collaborate on broader emerging applications, which in the future could include newborn screening, where genomics can enable early identification of genetic disorders for prompt intervention, and pharmacogenomics, where genetic insights guide safer and more effective medication choices tailored to an individual's genetic profile.