Amgen injects £50m in UK gene-sequencing company

Amgen has invested £50 million ($66 million) in Oxford Nanopore Technologies, a UK company specialising in DNA/RNA sequencing technology.

According to the announcement made yesterday, October 18, the investment aligns with Amgen’s strategic focus on using human genetics to deliver new medicines to patients.

Oxford Nanopore’s proprietary sequencing technology uses nanopores (nano-scale holes made by proteins contained within a synthetic membrane) in combination with electronics to perform direct, real-time sequencing of DNA and RNA, the statement noted.

Amgen subsidiary deCODE Genetics already uses Oxford Nanopore’s sequencing technologies to conduct genome research and has sequenced several hundred human genomes, the announcement added.

“The study of human genetics continues to uncover insights into the diseases we face as a society,” said Kári Stefánsson, founder of deCODE Genetics. “Oxford Nanopore’s long-read sequencing capability creates a window into parts of the genome that have been out of reach, as well as giving us a much better handle on structural variants that confer risk of a wide variety of diseases.”

Amgen’s investment follows further funding for Oxford Nanopore, which announced in March that it had raised £100 million—double Amgen’s financing—from global investors. The money was due to be used to support the company’s next phase of commercial expansion, including a new high-tech manufacturing facility in Oxford, according to a statement at the time.

The investment is yet another success for a life sciences company based in Oxford, UK.

Last month, Oxford Genetics announced it had extended a licensing deal with ERS Genomics, based in Dublin, Ireland, allowing the UK company to supply CRISPR-modified cell lines to the Asia-Pacific region as well as to the US and Europe.

Did you enjoy reading this story?  Sign up to our free daily newsletters and get stories sent like this straight to your inbox.