Illumina and Oxford Nanopore partner

San Diego, USA-based Illumina and Oxford Nanopore Technologies of the UK, have announced a strategic alliance including a commercialization  agreement and equity investment. Under the terms of the  commercialization agreement, Illumina will exclusively market, sell,  distribute, and service BASE Technology products developed by Oxford  Nanopore for DNA sequencing into the research and diagnostic markets on  a worldwide basis. Illumina and Oxford Nanopore will share profits  generated from sales.

Oxford Nanopore's new generation sequencing system uses protein  nanopores coupled with a processive enzyme. This system is designed for  direct electrical identification of DNA bases at the single-molecule  level, without the need for fluorescent labels. Currently in  development, this technology has the potential to provide substantial  advantages over now used sequencing approaches, not only in speed and  cost but also in simplicity and versatility of overall workflow. The  removal of the traditional fluorescent labeling step and reduced burden  of sample preparation are highly desirable in future generations of  sequencing technology, the firms say.