UK health agencies join with Oxford Nanopore to speed up pathogen screening

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UK health agencies will join forces with genetic sequencing company Oxford Nanopore Technologies to speed up screening of dangerous pathogens and give early warning of pandemic threats.

The initiative, which was announced on Tuesday and will be rolled out at up to 30 NHS sites, aims to identify and suggest treatments for severe respiratory infections within six hours. 

The plan is part of a growing international effort in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic to improve disease monitoring and preparedness ahead of a future global pandemic, which many scientists see as almost inevitable. 

Announcing the initiative, science and technology secretary Peter Kyle said it would further enhance national surveillance systems that detected emerging variants of the Sars-Cov-2 virus.

“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,” Kyle said.

“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.” 

The venture includes state genome analysis body Genomics England and genetic database UK Biobank. It will use Oxford Nanopore’s long read sequencing technology, which identifies big chunks of DNA and RNA genetic material without breaking them up.

The technology will be deployed in an expansion of NHS England’s existing Respiratory Metagenomics programme. This should allow better and more timely monitoring of emerging bacterial and viral threats, as well as greater visibility of the spread of drug-resistant pathogens. 

Shares in Oxford Nanopore climbed 6 per cent after the deal was announced. The biotech company rose to prominence during the Covid pandemic, when its technology helped identify new variants of the disease.

But it has since struggled to replicate Covid-related revenues, with shares down more than 75 per cent since the company’s initial public offering in 2021.

Its technology is used to identify and diagnose genetic conditions and cancers, as well as infectious diseases.

The new joint project with the UK government will begin in 2025 and last for several years, according to Oxford Nanopore. The company did not disclose the financial value of the deal.

In August it received a £50mn investment boost from life sciences investor Novo Holdings, the controlling shareholder of Novo Nordisk, which has developed blockbuster diabetes and weight loss drugs Ozempic and Wegovy.

Gordon Sanghera, Oxford Nanopore’s chief executive, said: “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.”