China Welcomes Oxford Nanopore Technology

By Bio-IT World Staff

October 17, 2017 | Oxford Nanopore sequencing technology is now available in China.

The long-read, real-time, portable MinION sequencer is now being used by researchers across China, who are working on myriad DNA sequencing applications including: pathogen research, human genetics, plant genetics, animal genetics, and metagenomics. Chinese researchers are also preparing to start cDNA and direct RNA sequencing projects.

The GridION X5 device, which allows five Flow Cells to be run individually or concurrently, and includes computing functionality, has also arrived in China. For example, GrandOmics has announced the arrival of three GridIONs with three more to come, and is establishing its nanopore sequencing service at NextOmics to Chinese customers. CookGene, the subsidiary of Forevergen that specializes in Oxford Nanopore sequencing, will be welcoming their new GridION this month, to continue their de novo assembly work that was recently published in Nature Methods.  Simcere Diagnostics, a division of Simcere Pharmaceutical Group, a leading Chinese pharmaceuticals provider and healthcare innovator, will be welcoming their first GridION X5 soon, in order to progress their work on development of future clinical diagnostic tools, R&D services, and healthcare products for infectious disease management. 

Oxford Nanopore hopes that this will be the jumping off point for more nanopore technology to make its way to China and across the world; some will be used in-house by researchers and some GridIONs/PromethIONs will be used to offer nanopore sequencing as a service.

Oxford Nanopore now has China-based commercial and support staff and is preparing to open a new Shanghai office this year. Working alongside a local distributor, Shanghai NanodigmBio, Oxford Nanopore is looking to service increasing demand for their products and services across China.