Oxford Nanopore Technologies, a leader in genetic sequencing, is joining forces with health agencies to expedite the screening of emerging pathogens throughout the UK and establish an “early-warning system” for future pandemics.

The collaboration with NHS England and various government entities aims to be implemented at up to 30 NHS locations, significantly reducing the lag time between the emergence of new pathogens in the UK and the initiation of treatment to mitigate their spread.

This initiative will build upon a pilot program spearheaded by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust, which leverages samples from patients suffering from severe respiratory infections along with rapid genetic testing to identify appropriate treatments within a six-hour timeframe.

The partnership, which also includes Genomics England and the UK Biobank, is part of broader efforts to enhance pandemic preparedness in light of the experiences from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Peter Kyle, the Secretary of State for Science and Technology, emphasized that this initiative would enhance Britain’s Covid surveillance framework to continuously monitor emerging diseases, allowing scientists and policymakers to be better prepared and equipped with vital information for decision-making.

Founded in 2005 as a spin-off from the University of Oxford and publicly listed at a valuation of £3.4 billion in 2021, Oxford Nanopore has developed innovative gene sequencing technologies aimed at facilitating quick diagnoses of cancers along with rare and infectious diseases.

The company gained from government contracts amid the pandemic and resolved an earlier dispute with the Department of Health and Social Care regarding the supply of devices, testing kits, and services, culminating in a £50 million settlement.

Following the announcement of this new partnership, shares of Oxford Nanopore rose 2.5 percent, equating to a 3.5 pence increase to 141.5 pence, although the stock remains down by approximately 75 percent since its initial public offering three years ago.

Analysts from RBC noted, “While we typically do not view the NHS as a fast adopter of new technologies, it is important to recognize that Genomics England is pioneering in population genomics and has significantly advanced the integration of genomics into cancer and rare disease diagnoses within the NHS over the last decade.”