UNITED KINGDOM — Oxford Nanopore Technologies, a UK-based company, has partnered with bioMérieux, a French in-vitro diagnostics company, to provide advanced infectious disease diagnostics.
This strategic collaboration will leverage the expertise and capabilities of both companies to advance patient care by offering nanopore-based clinical research and in vitro diagnostic solutions.
The companies have announced that they will initially concentrate on developing a test that will determine antibiotic resistance of tuberculosis, which remains a significant healthcare concern worldwide.
Additionally, they will develop an assay that can identify pathogens in normally sterile clinical samples, which could help identify the cause of infections in patients where other methods have failed.
The collaboration will also include validating the sequencing platform of Oxford Nanopore Technologies with bioMérieux’s EpiSeq CS application for monitoring a rapid infection outbreak in patient-care settings, an important consideration given the current global health landscape.
BioMérieux Chairman and CEO, Alexandre Mérieux, said that the collaboration with Oxford Nanopore Technologies holds promise to improve diagnostics and patient care.
He added that the new technologies, such as sequencing, have the potential to bring about significant improvements in infectious disease research and diagnostic applications.
The teams from both companies will work collaboratively to leverage their expertise and resources to drive innovation and bring new diagnostic solutions to the market.
Oxford Nanopore Technologies focuses on the development and commercialization of a new generation of molecular sensing technology using nanopore sequencing.
Nanopore-based sequencing is an innovative technology that allows for the analysis of lengthy DNA or RNA fragments.
This is achieved by tracking variations in electrical current as nucleic acids move through a protein nanopore, which can provide information about the sequence of DNA or RNA.
This innovative technology facilitates the analysis of long DNA or RNA fragments without requiring any PCR amplification or chemical labeling of the sample.
The method works by inducing an electrical current, monitoring changes in nucleic acids, and decoding the resulting signal when nucleic acids cross the protein nanopore.
Compared to traditional methods, nanopore-based sequencing can provide complete results for infectious diseases research and diagnostic applications in a reduced time frame.
Oxford Nanopore Technologies’ CEO, Gordon Sanghera, expressed pleasure in partnering with bioMérieux’s IVD expertise to add powerful new tools for the fight against infectious disease.
He added that by offering rapid and accurate identification of pathogens and associated antimicrobial resistance, at scale, they aim to better equip specialists for whom speed and access to comprehensive data is key.
It is worth noting that last week, bioMérieux received the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance for its multiplex PCR-based assay, BIOFIRE SPOTFIRE Respiratory (R) Panel Mini.
This clearance will enable bioMérieux to strengthen its portfolio of diagnostic solutions for infectious diseases.
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