Small wonder: big DNA advances loom at university startup Oxford Nanopore

Company spun out of Oxford University makes DNA and RNA sequencing devices to identify viruses and variantsNot far from Didcot, once a halfway stop between London and Bristol on the Great Western Railway celebrated for Isambard Kingdom Brunel ’s engineering, innovation has returned witha hi-tech factory manufacturing DNA and RNA sequencing machines.Oxford Nanopore, a spinout from Oxford University, produces devices used to identify viruses and spot variants in the genetic makeup of humans, animals and plants. Its sequencers have been used to track Covid-19 variants globally and are now being trialled on intensive care patients with respiratory infections at Guy ’s and St Thomas’ hospitals in London, and in thefight against the 200 drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis, the second-biggest killer worldwide after Covid in 2020.Continue reading...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - Category: Science Authors: Tags: Manufacturing sector University of Oxford Science Coronavirus Infectious diseases Higher education UK news Business Medical research Biotechnology industry Source Type: news