WuXi NextCODE Integrates Oxford Nanopore into the Global Platform for Genomic Data

SHANGHAI, CAMBRIDGE, Mass. and REYKJAVIK, Iceland, Oct. 17, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- WuXi NextCODE, the contract genomics organization providing the global standard platform for genomic data, today announced the first open-access installation of Oxford Nanopore instruments in a CAP/CLIA lab in China - at WuXi NextCODE’s sequencing laboratory in Shanghai.

“We are honored to introduce Oxford Nanopore’s pathbreaking capabilities to the breadth of the scientific and medical community in China,” said Hannes Smarason, CEO of WuXi NextCODE. “Pioneering access to world-leading technology is at the heart of our mission and tradition, so this important new source of sequence data has an important place in our global platform and Shanghai lab. Coupled with our informatics it promises to open new and powerful applications from discovery to rapid, direct-read diagnostics. We and Oxford Nanopore invite researchers across China to use it, challenge it, and extend its applications to improve health and medicine here and around the world.”

“We are delighted that WuXi NextCODE will be offering nanopore sequencing to its clientele across China and the world through its Shanghai laboratory,” said Gordon Sanghera, CEO of Oxford Nanopore. “China’s world-class scientists can use nanopore technology whether they are researching DNA or RNA, human, plant, bacteria or microbiomes, all of which benefit from ultra-long reads and direct real-time sequencing, and also access WuXi NextCODE’s renowned informatics. We look forward to contributing to great science in China.”

Nanopore sequencing works by passing a strand of DNA through a nano-scale hole (“nanopore”) while passing an ionic current through that hole. The sequence of DNA or RNA is determined by measuring variations in the current as strands pass through the nanopore. Unlike other sequencing techniques, it does not require cutting genomes into millions of fragments only hundreds of bases long and preparing them with primers and reagents. As a result, even single handheld instruments can quickly and economically produce reads that are hundreds of thousands of bases long, and users around the world are now attempting to achieve the first one million-base read. The same instruments can also be used to sequence RNA directly or sequence cDNA, producing full length transcripts.

About WuXi NextCODE
WuXi NextCODE is a fully integrated contract genomics organization building the global standard platform for genomic data. With offices in Shanghai; Kendall Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts; and Reykjavik, Iceland, we serve the leading population genomics, precision medicine, diagnostics and wellness initiatives and enterprises using the genome to improve health around the world. Our capabilities span study design, sequencing, secondary analysis, storage, and interpretation and scalable analytics - all backed by the most proven and widely used technology for organizing, mining and sharing genome sequence data. We are also applying the same capabilities to advance a growing range of sequence-based tests and scans in China. WuXi NextCODE is a WuXi Group company. Visit us on the web at www.wuxinextcode.com.

More information on Oxford Nanopore can be found at www.nanoporetech.com and in China on www.nanoporetech.com/cn. Nanopore technology is currently for research use only.

 Contact: Edward Farmer, PhD Zoe McDougall efarmer@wuxinextcode.com media@nanoporetech.com +1 781-775-6206 +44 (0) 7973 792 520 

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SOURCE WuXi NextCODE