New strategic partnership between UK Biobank, Genomics England, NHS England and Oxford Nanopore

New strategic partnership between UK Biobank, Genomics England, NHS England and Oxford Nanopore designed to:

• Advance biomedical research and translate discoveries for improved patient care

• Improve health outcomes by targeting novel genomic and epigenomic discoveries in cancer, human genetic disease and infectious disease

• Initial programme: to create an 'early warning system' for future pandemics across as many as 30 NHS sites, to support improved biosecurity nationwide

• Oxford Nanopore's high-performance genomics technology to provide richer genomic data, faster, more accessibly and more affordably.

Oxford Nanopore, the company delivering a new generation of nanopore-based molecular sensing technology, today announced a landmark strategic partnership with the UK Government. This partnership brings together the UK's world-class scientific organisations Genomics England, UK Biobank and NHS England, alongside Oxford Nanopore, to support the government's vision to build an NHS "fit for the future" by enabling genomics-based translational research and accelerating the development and adoption of Oxford Nanopore's ground-breaking genomics technology in the NHS.

By utilising Oxford Nanopore's richer genomic insights, rapid, scalable and affordable sequencing technology, the initiative aims to deliver transformative improvements in patient care and foster economic growth in the UK's thriving life sciences sector.

Oxford Nanopore CEO Gordon Sanghera, commented:

"The UK has a remarkable genomics ecosystem, and we are delighted to be innovating more collaboratively through this partnership. Genomics England and UK Biobank have led the way in scaling genomics discovery and translating these advances into patient impact. NHS England, through its Networks of Excellence and advancements developed by the Genomic Laboratory Hubs (GLHs), has been instrumental in adopting these innovations into national healthcare strategies. By working alongside our partners on shared goals of improved patient outcomes - whether in cancer, human genetic disease or infectious disease - we believe we can deploy our unique DNA/RNA sequencing technology in ways that are most impactful for the people of the UK."

Health and Social Care Secretary Wes Streeting, commented:

"If we fail to prepare, we should prepare to fail. Our NHS was already on its knees when the pandemic struck, and it was hit harder than any other comparable healthcare system.

"We cannot let history repeat itself. That's why this historic partnership with Oxford Nanopore will ensure our world-leading scientists have the latest information on emerging threats at their fingertips.

"As we embrace the technological revolution, our 10 Year Health Plan will shift the NHS away from analogue to digital, saving countless more lives."

Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle, commented:

"During the Covid pandemic we saw the power of the UK life sciences sector very clearly - from the Oxford-Astra Zeneca vaccine that saved so many lives, through to operating one of the world's most effective Covid surveillance systems, which spotted several emerging variants of the disease.

"This partnership will build on that expertise to monitor emerging diseases as they arise, putting our scientists and decision-makers one-step ahead and providing the information they need to make informed decisions.

"Together with the ability to better diagnose cancers and rare diseases, we are leveraging UK life sciences to protect the public and ultimately save lives."

Professor Susan Hopkins, Chief Medical Advisor at UK Health Security Agency, commented:

"Early detection is absolutely crucial in enabling us to respond effectively to any emerging pathogen. The UK already has a wealth of expertise in genomic surveillance, and this programme will build on that expertise and enable us to bring our resources and capability to tackle developing threats at greater speed. Enhancing the capacity for the NHS to determine new and emerging pathogens causing severe acute respiratory infections will improve the detection and emergence of infections.

"As part of the 100 days mission, this will enable the development of effective diagnostics for novel pathogens and enhance our pandemic preparedness."

Professor Ian Abbs, Chief Executive of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, commented:

"We've been working on the respiratory metagenomics programme for over four years and have clearly seen the benefit to our patients. It's a momentous day now that we can ensure other hospitals, and more patients, can also benefit from faster and more accurate treatment for severe respiratory conditions thanks to new genomic technology."

Advancing the understanding of genomics, for future disease prevention and personalised medicine

Oxford Nanopore's partnership with Genomics England and UK Biobank is aimed at translating research-based discoveries from the lab into clinical settings, benefiting UK healthcare. Priority areas include cancer, where genomic insights (the analysis of DNA) can help identify personalised treatment options and enhance early detection, and rare disease characterisation, where information-rich genomic and epigenetic analysis - changes to DNA that contribute to disease - can improve diagnosis and inform targeted therapies. This partnership presents a further opportunity to collaborate on broader emerging applications, which in the future could include newborn screening, where genomics can enable early identification of genetic disorders for prompt intervention, and pharmacogenomics, where genetic insights guide safer and more effective medication choices tailored to an individual's genetic profile.

Creating a world-first pathogen surveillance system in the NHS

As a key part of the partnership, the UK will establish the first real-time, pathogen-agnostic biosurveillance system across as many as 30 hospitals in NHS England-a crucial early warning framework to detect and respond to emerging pandemics and biological threats. Building on successful NHS England Network of Excellence pilots led by Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust (GSTT), this system will expand the NHS Respiratory Metagenomics programme to enable rapid pathogen identification across the UK. This data will be provided by the NHS to the UK Health and Security Agency, allowing potentially quicker decisions on emerging diseases to be taken and bolstering national biosecurity as set forth in the UK Biological Security Strategy. This project is expected to start in 2025 and will continue over multiple years.

In addition to providing biosecurity capabilities, the expanded respiratory metagenomics programme will deploy Oxford Nanopore's sequencing technology to support infectious disease management in the critical care setting. This rollout is designed to provide a groundbreaking, six-hour timeline for fully characterising respiratory diseases including drug (antimicrobial) resistance, an essential leap forward in patient care. By rapidly transitioning NHS diagnostics from analogue to digital, the programme's goal is to enable quicker, targeted care for patients and reduce hospital strain, advancing the ambitions set out in the Government's 10-Year Health Plan.

Translating genomics into enhanced NHS patient care

The integration of Oxford Nanopore's innovative sequencing technology will enable the NHS to explore further this technology to characterise diseases including cancer and rare genetic conditions with greater speed and precision. With potential for collaborative development of rapid and improved diagnostic tools, Oxford Nanopore's technology has the potential to enable patients across the NHS to benefit from earlier, more accurate disease detection and treatment pathways.

Driving economic growth and workforce development in life sciences

This work will not only enhance patient outcomes but also position the UK as a global leader in genomic research and innovation, further strengthening the nation's biosecurity and healthcare resilience. By accelerating pathways for life sciences innovation into the NHS through globally recognised research programmes, this collaboration enhances the UK's position as a global biotechnology hub, supporting economic growth and creating high-value jobs in the life sciences ecosystem. As part of this initiative, NHS staff and researchers will gain access to relevant training and support to advance a skilled workforce ready to harness the potential of genomics and personalised medicine.

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