Action Seeks ITC Investigation and Exclusion Order Against Infringing Single-Molecule Sequencing Products

MENLO PARK, Calif. — Pacific Biosciences of California, Inc. (Nasdaq:PACB), today announced that it has filed a complaint with the U.S. International Trade Commission (the “ITC”) against Oxford Nanopore Technologies Ltd. and its affiliates. The complaint asserts that Oxford Nanopore’s MinION and PromethION devices and associated consumables, reagents, and software, as well as related commercialization activities by Oxford Nanopore and its affiliates, infringe one or more claims of U.S. Patent No. 9,404,146 (the “146 Patent”), owned by Pacific Biosciences.

The 146 Patent, entitled “Compositions and methods for nucleic acid sequencing”, was issued in August of this year and covers novel methods for sequencing single nucleic acid molecules using linked double-stranded nucleic acid templates, providing improved sequencing accuracy.

Pacific Biosciences is asking the ITC to institute a