French diagnostics company bioMérieux (Euronext Paris:BIM) and UK-based molecular sensing technology company Oxford Nanopore Technologies (LON:ONT) on Wednesday announced the launch of AmPORE-TB, a Research Use Only sequencing-based solution designed to rapidly identify genetic mutations associated with antimicrobial resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex.

Tuberculosis remains the world's leading cause of death from a single infectious agent, with multidrug-resistant strains affecting about 400,000 people annually. The World Health Organization (WHO) has highlighted the urgent need for rapid antimicrobial susceptibility testing and named AmPORE-TB as one of three targeted DNA sequencing methods meeting its performance criteria for detecting resistance gene mutations.

AmPORE-TB uses Oxford Nanopore's GridION device to analyse 24 TB-resistance genes and delivers same-day, automated results through integrated software.

The solution is developed by Oxford Nanopore and distributed by bioMérieux, with initial deployment focused on regions most affected by TB, particularly low- and middle-income countries where 99% of new cases occur.