Mayo Clinic and Oxford Nanopore announce collaboration to advance precision medicine for cancer and genetic disorders

By: Oxford Nanopore Technologies via Business Wire

October 19, 2023 at 02:00 AM EDT

Joint development collaboration to bring leading-edge nanopore sequencing into clinical laboratories at Mayo Clinic to increase understanding and improve treatment of cancer and genetic disorders

Mayo Clinic and Oxford Nanopore Technologies, the company delivering a new generation of nanopore-based molecular sensing technology, today unveiled a multi-year joint development collaboration to develop new clinical tests for diseases and improve patient care.

Mayo Clinic and Oxford Nanopore have identified several areas of development, spanning a wide breadth of applications from translational research in human genetics to detection of genetic predisposition to cancer.

“We are proud to work with Mayo Clinic to support the development of new tests that will assist clinical decision-making and improve patient lives. This collaboration shows that Oxford Nanopore’s technology is ready to support development and validation of assays for clinical care, and it underscores our maturity and long-term vision to transform this space. We have long held the ambition to become a utility player in world-renowned, global clinical centers of excellence, and this is our first step toward achieving that vision,” says Gordon Sanghera, CEO, Oxford Nanopore Technologies.

Nanopore sequencing is well positioned to serve Mayo Clinic’s goals of improving testing in some of the hardest-to-characterize conditions. The ability to sequence any-length fragments of DNA — from short to long and ultra-long — and examine methylation in real time offers the potential to provide clinicians with a more complete picture of an evolving cancer genome quickly and accurately. Methylation is particularly important, as this typically requires bisulfite conversions and additional cost yet is key to unmasking crucial insights.

“Pairing Oxford Nanopore’s innovative nanopore sequencing with Mayo Clinic’s world-class clinical and diagnostic testing knowledge further helps advance patient care,” says Bobbi Pritt, M.D., interim chair of Mayo Clinic’s Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology. “We are excited to collaborate with Oxford Nanopore on this effort to develop new clinical tests that will provide the right answers for patients at the right time.”

The collaboration activities will take place on Mayo Clinic’s campus in Rochester, Minnesota.

About Mayo Clinic

Mayo Clinic is a nonprofit organization committed to innovation in clinical practice, education, and research, and to providing compassion, expertise, and answers to everyone who needs healing. Visit Mayo Clinic News Network for additional Mayo Clinic news.

About Oxford Nanopore Technologies

Oxford Nanopore Technologies’ goal is to bring the widest benefits to society through enabling the analysis of anything, by anyone, anywhere. The company has developed a new generation of nanopore-based sensing technology for real-time, high-performance, accessible, and scalable analysis of DNA and RNA. The technology is used in more than 120 countries to understand the biology of humans and diseases such as cancer, plants, animals, bacteria, viruses, and whole environments. Oxford Nanopore Technologies products are intended for molecular biology applications and are not intended for diagnostic purposes. www.nanoporetech.com

Forward-looking statements

This announcement contains certain forward-looking statements. Phrases such as "potential", “expect,” "intend," “believe we can,” “working to,” "anticipate," "when validated," and similar expressions of a future or forward-looking nature should also be considered forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements address our expected future business, and by definition address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain and may involve factors beyond our control.