Advances in DNA/RNA sequencing promise to revolutionize how medical communities identify, detect, and treat diseases and manage public health threats. To make this technology more accessible and increase its impact, Oracle has teamed up with Oxford Nanopore Technologies, the company behind a new generation of high-performance, rapid, scalable, and accessible sequencing technology.

Oracle and Oxford Nanopore have recently begun a collaboration to jointly explore several potential new solutions that would use genomic sequencing running on Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) to help speed medical breakthroughs and improve patient care.

Scientific researchers in more than 100 countries are already using nanopore sequencing to further their understanding of biology in a range of areas including human and cancer genetics as well as plant, animal, and environmental analyses. In addition, nanopore sequencing has been used for pathogen analysis, including the outbreak surveillance of tuberculosis, food-borne pathogens, Ebola, Zika, Lassa fever, dengue fever, influenza, and most recently COVID-19.

As part of the collaboration, Oxford Nanopore will be using OCI in applied and clinical markets. Leveraging the high performance, security, and extensive reach of Oracle Cloud, Oracle and Oxford Nanopore will have the ability to extend population-scale genetic sequencing across the globe.

The organizations will also take on several ambitious projects spanning epidemiology, whole-genome sequencing, and healthcare and drug discovery. This includes integrating Oxford Nanopore’s DNA/RNA sequencing capabilities and data into Oracle’s broad portfolio of healthcare and life sciences applications to strengthen the links between genomics, medical treatment, and drug development.

“Oxford Nanopore’s innovative sequencing technology is unparalleled in the market for its ability to generate rich, accurate genomic data at any scale, from handheld devices to ultra-high output installations,” said Mike Sicilia, executive vice president of Oracle Vertical Industries. “By integrating genomic data into our existing applications and cloud infrastructure solutions, we can get these powerful tools into the hands of more people to solve critical health issues faster and improve patient outcomes to usher in a new era of genomic breakthrough.”

In parallel, Oracle has committed to investing £150 million in Oxford Nanopore, subject to customary conditions.