Oxford Nanopore will participate in a landmark project with Singapore's National Precision Medicine program, which is aimed at developing a comprehensive catalog of the country's population.
The initiative is intended to improve the understanding of the genetic architecture and diversity of Singapore, which in turn helps inform researchers in understanding complex diseases, the U.K.-based firm said in a statement.
Oxford Nanopore said that its portion of the landmark project, led by Precision Health Research Singapore (PRECISE), will focus on sequencing 10,000 genomes representing the three major ethnic groups in Singapore -- Chinese, Malay, and Indian -- from samples taken from communities participating in the PRECISE-SG100K cohort.
This project will use Oxford Nanopore's fleet of high-output PromethION 48 sequencing devices; it began in mid-2024 and is anticipated to run for up to 12 months, Oxford Nanopore said.
Oxford Nanopore's platform is capable of characterizing both short and ultralong native DNA/RNA fragments, including detection of methylation, an important biomarker found in DNA, at speeds faster than other platforms and without the need for additional steps, the company said.
Oxford Nanopore recently expanded its laboratory facilities in Singapore to support increased training and skill development for local technical staff. Additionally, the company has access to a distribution facility in Singapore through its expanded partnership with UPS Healthcare.
