Oxford Nanopore Technologies ElysION™

Real-time sequencing

Oxford Nanopore Technologies was established in 2005 as a spin-off from the University of Oxford with the aim of developing a disruptive, electronic, single-molecule sensing system based on nanopore technology. The company has since launched several nanopore sequencing products that provide rapid, scalable and affordable access to genomic insights. These tools can be used both in the field and in the lab and are the only sequencing devices able to provide real-time analysis. Moreover, the technology enables the analysis of native DNA and RNA, allowing the sequencing of fragments of any length, from short to ultra-long reads. Stephanie Wilbraham, Director of Automation Product Management at Oxford Nanopore Technologies, explained how the company’s product line has evolved, highlighting the pivotal role of automation in making sequencing more accessible to the broader scientific community: “We started out in genomics, but as our product line matured, we expanded our offerings to other markets, such as biopharma and applied sciences, as well as production genomics, where automation is particularly beneficial. Our sequencers are very compact and don’t have lasers, which means they can be integrated with liquid handling platforms much more easily than many other devices. Recognizing the importance of automation, we invested in developing the ElysION™ device, which automates nanopore sequencing from sample to analysis, vastly reducing manual intervention and making sequencing workflows significantly easier. This innovation lowers the barrier to entry, allowing non-experts to harness the full potential of this technology and transforming it from a specialist technique into a general method.”

Finding the right partner

Partnering with an experienced OEM company can be an effective way to streamline product development and reduce some of the associated risks. Stephanie continued: “We chose to collaborate with Tecan as it has expertise in both liquid handling and automation, with a long track record of building and manufacturing automated platforms. Compliance with ISO 13485:2016 was another reason we wanted to partner with Tecan, as it is becoming a cornerstone of good manufacturing practice and clinical environments. The company’s ability to work in an agile way while adhering to strict ISO 13485 standards allowed us to get products to market quickly and gather valuable user feedback before finalizing the design. Other compelling reasons to choose Tecan were the company’s deep understanding of our customers’ markets – supported by a long history of OEM projects – and its well-established service business, with a large global team of field service engineers providing on-site support.”

Overcoming the challenges together

One of the challenges faced by Oxford Nanopore Technologies and Tecan was the integration of the MinION™ Mk1D sequencer onto a liquid handling platform without major modifications to the workstation or a redesign of the flow cell, to ensure pricing remained affordable. Stephanie explained: “We started by integrating the sequencers onto a Cavro® Magni Flex liquid handling platform with help from the Tecan team. The system is driven by MAPlinx™ software, which is connected to our sequencing software to provide a single end-user interface. Partnering with Tecan allowed us to launch ElysION for beta testing at an early stage, incorporating valuable feedback into the final product design. Within a year of completing the proof-of-concept stage, we had displayed our first device at a conference, and were able to bring the product to market quite quickly after that.”

Flexibility and ease of use

ElysION can accommodate a variety of workflows and use cases, offering an automated, sample-to-answer sequencing solution. Stephanie continued: “The new interface was created for production genomics environments, accommodating novice users that do not have the expertise to develop their own protocols in house. They can automate entire workflows – such as extraction of DNA or RNA, library preparation and loading onto the flow cell for sequencing, and data analysis – or choose to only perform the sequencing. Users also have access to pre-installed, plug-and-play workflows that can be customized by changing parameters like number of PCR cycles or bead clean-up ratios.”

All-round support

Tecan’s support regarding customer success and logistics was also very important to Oxford Nanopore Technologies, especially as the ElysION platform is much larger than other devices that the company is producing. Stephanie explained: “Shipping a large device can be tricky, but Tecan provided us with all the help that we needed. Tecan is also involved in providing customer support; we are the first point of contact and will help out with software or applications queries ourselves, but Tecan engineers perform visits if the issue is related to hardware.”

What the future holds

Oxford Nanopore Technologies is currently focusing on infectious disease and biopharma applications, but the long-term goal is to move into human genomics projects. “We are currently further developing ElysION by integrating a higher output sequencer – PromethION™ 2 Solo – and expanding the menu to address additional customer needs. We also plan to launch an ISO 13485 and IVD-compliant device to move into more regulated markets, and Tecan’s support will be vital for this endeavor. ElysION resulted from a large and complex integration project, and Tecan’s accommodating, flexible and collaborative approach made the process surprisingly straightforward,” Stephanie concluded.