Oxford Nanopore Technologies clinches second US deal

Licensing agreement

Oxford University spin-out Oxford Nanopore Technologies Ltd has announced an exclusive licence agreement to develop nanopore science developed at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC), in the laboratories of Professors David Deamer and Mark Akeson. The agreement follows on, and is closely related to, a deal earlier this month with Harvard University.

Oxford Nanopore will also fund research in the laboratories of Professors Deamer and Akeson, who have pioneered the science of using protein nanopores to analyse DNA molecules. Applications of the platform include single-molecule DNA sequencing and molecular sensing. Advancement of this technology is expected to benefit basic medical research and further the field of personalised medicine, says the company.

This follows the recent announcement of an agreement with Harvard University to in-license a broad range of nanopore technologies that included some discoveries from UCSC. Oxford Nanopore also holds agreements with other institutions in nanopore science including the University of Oxford, Texas A&M, the University of Massachusetts Medical School and the US National Institute of Standards and Technology. Together this places Oxford Nanopore in a unique and leading position for bringing first and future generations of nanopore technology to the market.

Oxford Nanopore also announced today that it has convened a group of the world’s leading nanopore researchers to form its Technical Advisory Board. This panel will include:

• The company’s founder, Professor Hagan Bayley of the University of Oxford

• Professors Dan Branton and Jene Golovchenko of Harvard University

• Professors David Deamer and Mark Akeson of UCSC

• Professor Amit Meller of Boston University.

Together, says the company, this group will give it unparalleled technical expertise in the development of Oxford Nanopore’s current and future nanopore sequencing technology.

“The science of nanopores is complex and challenging. We are very proud to have gathered a world-class panel of experts, from leading institutions in this field,” said Dr Gordon Sanghera, CEO of Oxford Nanopore Technologies. “Our relationships with the Advisory Board members extend beyond pure technical advice; our support of research in the laboratories will further the science of nanopores. Oxford Nanopore now has the world’s best advisors and an excellent in-house development team of scientists and engineers. We are in a unique position to develop an early-to-market sequencing technology and improved versions in the future. A label-free approach to DNA sequencing would facilitate a transformation in genomics that could be likened to the broadband revolution.”