Latest news with #OxfordNanoporeTechnologies
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Oxford Nanopore inks infectious disease analysis pact with Cepheid
Oxford Nanopore Technologies has teamed up with Cepheid to speed up infectious disease genomic analysis, blocking out recent noise of acquisition vulnerability. The UK biotech, a former star of the London initial public offering (IPO) scene, said the strategic collaboration will help return genomic results of bacterial and fungal pathogens within hours, compared to days experienced with currently available technology. Shares in London-listed Nanopore opened 6% higher at market open on 10 April compared to market open on 9 April, the day the announcement was made. Nanopore and US-based Cepheid have already completed a proof-of-concept study that saw the two companies' technologies combined for infectious disease analysis. The new research uses only workflow now sees Cepheid's cartridge-based GeneXpert system used Oxford Nanopore's sequencing platform. Nanopore was spun out of Oxford University in 2005 with pioneering technology for sequencing nucleic acids on handheld devices. All the company's sequencing devices work by analysing long DNA or RNA fragments by monitoring an electrical current as the nucleic acids are passed through a protein nanopore. The collaboration with Cepheid – who sells the most widely installed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnostic instrument in the world – aims to create a scalable, automated, and end-to-end solution for simplified nanopore sequencing workflows. The analysis is intended for use within a range of settings, including labs lacking in expertise that would not have done in-house sequencing. Profiling bacterial and fungal pathogens from culture isolates will be the first port of call for the partnership, with analysis directly from positive blood cultures also in the pipeline. There is also a potential expansion into further infectious disease use cases, such as cancer and human genetics, and eventually regulatory approved clinical diagnostics. "This collaboration represents an important step forward in delivering new and improved workflow options to better understand infectious diseases," said Dr. Gordon Sanghera, CEO of Oxford Nanopore Technologies. "By partnering to integrate our richer data, rapid insights, and accessible and affordable sequencing technology with Cepheid's GeneXpert architecture, we are establishing a workflow foundation that is positioned for future expansion into scaled routine clinical use." The partnership with Cepheid comes nearly a month after Dr. Sanghera admitted to the Financial Times that the company had become a takeover target. Nanopore went public in 2021 on the back of surging sales for its sequencing devices in the Covid-19 pandemic. At the time, it was seen as a major coup for the London stock market, with companies generally preferring to tap the more lucrative exchanges on Wall Street. However, sales dried up for the company as demand for pandemic-related products waned. Despite shares having fallen 85% from a 2021 speak, Nanopore still boasts a market cap just north of £1bn. Other companies partnered with Nanopore include France-based bioMérieux, a biotech that increased its stake in the UK company via a $85m investment in late 2023. Like Cepheid, bioMérieux is working with Nanopore in infectious disease analysis – specifically developing a test for determining the antibiotic resistance of tuberculosis. "Oxford Nanopore inks infectious disease analysis pact with Cepheid" was originally created and published by Medical Device Network, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
01-04-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
How to engineer microbes to enable us to live on Mars
A field known as synthetic biology has become one of the most highly anticipated in science. Its outputs range from golden rice, which is genetically engineered to provide vitamin A, to advances stemming from the Human Genome Project, which successfully mapped the entire human genome. Prominent voices in biotechnology have heralded it as the next wave of the future of innovation. Synthetic biology is the use of genetic engineering and other advances in biotechnology to generate new organisms or manipulate existing ones to produce the effects you desire. It is what the British biologist Jamie A. Davies calls 'the creation of new living systems by design'. What is perhaps less obvious is that it may even be useful in space exploration. We might eventually use microbes to detoxify Mars – helping humans to one day live on the red planet. Synthetic biology has transformed many lines of technological breakthrough in biology already. Thanks to technologies such as the Nobel-winning genomic 'scissors' Crispr Cas9, gene editing is now cheap, fast and accurate, as is gene sequencing. All this means genomics can be done in the field and even in space thanks to new technology – such as the MinION by Oxford Nanopore Technologies, which allowed Nasa astronaut Kate Rubins to sequence the genomes of microorganisms on the International Space Station with a handheld device. Structural biology has also been revolutionised by breakthroughs in cryo-electron microscopy (enabling us to view large molecules in a solution), and more recently by the Nobel prize-winning protein-folding program 'AlphaFold' by Google's DeepMind. We can now know the structure and sequence of organisms at speed and with tremendous accuracy – and at low cost. Ultimately, this also presents an opportunity to make accurate changes to sequences and structures. This has important implications for space exploration, according to the Mars Society, Nasa and the Royal Society. Specifically, advances in synthetic biology are opening up new avenues for exploring and colonising Mars. So, how can we engineer microorganisms to make Mars habitable? Here are a few possibilities. Microbes could help us with the damaging radiation on Mars. We know there are bacteria and other single-celled organisms known as archaea living in some of the most hostile places on Earth. For example, Thermus Aquaticus thrives in extremely high temperatures, and psychrophiles live in extreme cold. The tardigrade genome, for example, is a rich source of information, explaining how these microorganisms can survive in the vacuum of space. Extremophiles that can digest radiation and toxicities are already used to clean up everything from oil spills to the fallout of radioactive sites. This means we could engineer microbes that are resistant to freezing temperatures and high levels of radiation. Such synthetic microorganisms could then be put to use on Mars in a variety ways to help shield us and our habitats from these extremes – or to develop crops with resistance. For example, it is now well known that the Martian soil is full of perchlorates, which are toxic to humans. Nasa has several ideas of how this can be dealt with, including synthetic biology. Long ago on ancient Earth, cyanobacteria flourished. They filled an ecological niche which transformed Earth's atmosphere by enriching it with oxygen. We owe our existence in large part to this fertile bloom. Could they do the same for us on Mars? The atmosphere on the red planet is extremely thin and primarily made of carbon dioxide. The cyanobacteria would need a lot of help, which we could provide with synthetic biology. Theoretically, microorganisms could be engineered to survive the Martian environment and in turn pump out oxygen and nitrogen. Visions of terraforming the red planet (altering it to make it habitable for humans) often involve putting space mirrors in orbit to heat up Mars and melt its ice. This would cause a runaway greenhouse effect that would transform the planet into a more Earth-like state. But synthetic biology could (theoretically) skip this stage, which has been proposed to take at least 200 years at the very best estimate. Some five years ago, scientists proposed planetary engineering using synthetic biology to engineer microbes for ecological transformation. Given that microbes helped make Earth habitable, we could use synthetic biology to engineer microbes to speed up a similar process for Mars. Finding organisms that reduce greenhouse gases, remove toxicity and exhale helpful substances could help remove higher levels of greenhouse gases on Earth, too. We are not yet sure there is no life on Mars. The question of how ethical it is to engineer new life and then spread it to other bodies in the Solar System for our own ends is deep and complex. But these conversations need to happen. However, it certainly seems that synthetic biology may be our best technological bet to becoming an interplanetary species – and a lot of space and biotech agencies are taking it very seriously. According to recent research from Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia: 'From a holistic point of view, the ultimate synthetic biology approach to make the most of plant-based food on Mars would be to develop multi-biofortified crops with improved nutritional properties and enhanced quality traits (e.g., extended shelf life and reduced allergenicity).' Among emerging technologies, it may be that using synthetic biology improves our future more than any other factor – on Earth and beyond. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Samuel McKee does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.
Zawya
28-01-2025
- Health
- Zawya
Dubai Science Park to champion life science innovation through knowledge-building sessions at Arab Health
Sun Pharma, Oxford Nanopore Technologies, and Mentra are among the innovators joining Dubai Science Park at the event on 27-30 January Dubai, UAE: Dubai Science Park, the region's leading science-focused ecosystem, will contribute to knowledge-building efforts enabling life science innovation at the landmark 50th edition of Arab Health, which opens today at Dubai World Trade Centre. Part of TECOM Group PJSC, Dubai Science Park is showcasing its thriving community's contribution to long-term sustainable development roadmaps at Arab Health, including Dubai Economic Agenda 'D33', Dubai Research and Development Programme, and We the UAE 2031. 'Collaborative innovation fuels healthcare advancements and discoveries that transform can lives and enhance wellbeing,' said Marwan Abdulaziz Janahi, Senior Vice President of Dubai Science Park, Dubai Knowledge Park, and Dubai International Academic City at TECOM Group. 'Dubai Science Park will leverage the landmark 50th anniversary of Arab Health to recognise the UAE's impressive strides in this critical area and facilitate knowledge sharing to nurture scientific excellence. We invite visitors at Arab Health to explore our community of innovators and join us in building a healthier future in line with the vision of Dubai Economic Agenda 'D33', Dubai Research and Development Programme, and We the UAE 2031.' Among the district's planned highlights for the region's leading healthcare event, to be held on 27-30 January, are sessions to build knowledge in crucial areas of the life sciences. A special introductory event of The DSP Leadership Network, an exclusive merit-based and invite-only platform launched by Dubai Science Park to shape the industry's future through meaningful collaboration opportunities, will take place on 29 January. Featuring distinguished thought-leadership panels dedicated to some of Arab Health's prominent healthcare themes, the sessions will provide rich insights on topics including the global shift towards preventative and personalised medicine. Visitors can find Dubai Science Park and its customers, including Sun Pharma, Inito Research, Ferring Pharmaceuticals, and Oxford Nanopore Technologies, for dedicated knowledge-building sessions on all four days of the event. The district's showcase also features innovative start-ups from in5 Science, the dedicated vertical of TECOM Group's in5 incubator launched in 2023 to foster the next generation of futurists driving scientific advancements. Among the in5 Science enterprises attending Arab Health with Dubai Science Park are mental health and wellbeing solutions specialist Mentra and remote patient monitoring provider, eMed Support Systems, as well as smart hospital services provider Avisa and Pioneera Biosciences, dedicated to revolutionising access to advanced therapeutic medicinal products. Dubai Science Park strengthens Dubai's position as a hub for scientific knowledge with a comprehensive ecosystem for the life, energy, and environmental sciences, encompassing Grade-A offices, LEED-certified laboratories, and storage and logistics facilities. The district is home to more than 500 industry leaders, including AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Bayer, and BeiGene, and 6,500 professionals. Dubai Science Park is part of TECOM Group's portfolio of business districts, which includes Dubai Internet City, Dubai Media City, Dubai Studio City, Dubai Production City, Dubai Knowledge Park, Dubai International Academic City, Dubai Design District (d3), and Dubai Industrial City. About Dubai Science Park Dubai Science Park is the region's leading science-focused ecosystem and one of TECOM Group PJSC's 10 business districts. Since its establishment in 2005, Dubai Science Park has fostered innovation and growth in the life, energy, and environment sciences with a purpose-built ecosystem featuring LEED-certified labs, Grade-A offices, and storage and logistics spaces as well as industry-specific networking events. With more than 500 customers and 6,500 professionals, Dubai Science Park enables scientific research and development to enrich the region's knowledge economy.
