Oxford Nanopore announces global distribution agreement with Avantor® for handheld MinION DNA/RNA sequencer

Partnership will broaden global access for scientists to benefit from powerful, portable DNA/RNA sequencing technology that provides rich data in real time, for life science research applications

OXFORD, UK – Aug. 16, 2021 – Oxford Nanopore has signed a distribution agreement with Avantor, a leading global provider of mission-critical products and services to customers in the life sciences, advanced technologies and applied materials industries. The agreement enables scientists to have broader access and support of Oxford Nanopore’s portable, information-rich, real-time nanopore sequencing device, MinION.

The agreement combines the sequencing technology from Oxford Nanopore with the breadth and depth of Avantor’s global laboratory and production customer relationships in the biopharma, healthcare, education & government, and advanced technologies & applied materials industries.

A plug-and-play device, MinION provides real-time, high-performance, portable sequencing of DNA/RNA of any fragment length from short to ultra-long. MinION sequencers include: MinION Mk1B, the smaller pocket size nanopore sequencer and MinION Mk1C, the palm-sized sequencer with an integrated computer.

Nanopore sequencing has been featured in more than 2,000 scientific publications and is used in more than 100 countries around the world, including for scientific research into cancer, human genetics, plant, animal, pathogen and environmental science, as well as industrial applications including health, agriculture and food.

MinION starter packs, MinION flow cells and Oxford Nanopore Library preparation kits will be available to purchase through Avantor’s industry-leading e-commerce platform, vwr.com, in addition to Oxford Nanopore’s own website.

The Oxford Nanopore sales and support teams will be enhanced by Avantor’s sales and Life Science Specialist teams, who can now provide local support for MinION. Avantor’s comprehensive workflow offerings, technical insights, and global reach is designed to provide far-reaching access to life scientists everywhere. All Oxford Nanopore users will continue to be supported in the online Nanopore community, where they can keep up to date with latest product news and collaborate with other Nanopore users.

The agreement includes distribution for MinION devices and consumables starting in September 2021 for the United States (including Puerto Rico) and Europe (including United Kingdom, Norway and Switzerland). Other regions, including Canada, will be added in 2022. Customers will still be able to buy MinION starter packs and consumables directly from Oxford Nanopore if they choose. The Oxford Nanopore store continues to operate for these and other items in the Oxford Nanopore range such as VolTRAX, Flongle, GridION and PromethION devices and consumables.

Gordon Sanghera, CEO, Oxford Nanopore Technologies said:

“MinION is the most accessible sequencer on the market. We developed MinION because we wanted our technology to be accessible and affordable, to empower scientists to take control of sequencing and apply it in new ways, to new samples, in new places.

“Our long-term vision is to enable the analysis of anything, by anyone, anywhere, and MinION is central to enabling this goal. We see our collaboration with Avantor as a way of broadening access further, to more scientists in more global life science communities.”

Rohit Shroff, Senior Vice President, Global Lab Portfolio Strategy at Avantor said:

“Avantor’s offerings are foundational to the work of scientists in fundamental research and applied settings across academic, biopharma, industrial and clinical segments. These customers rely on our ability to bring them unparalleled choice, expertise across key workflows, innovation and a seamless purchasing experience through a market-leading digital platform. We are delighted to collaborate with Oxford Nanopore Technologies to bring transformative, new sequencing capabilities that enable breakthrough research and accelerated commercialization. Deepening access to a new generation of DNA and RNA sequencing technology will further advance Avantor’s mission of setting science in motion to create a better world.”