Molecular sensing technology company Oxford Nanopore Technologies plc (LSE: ONT) and molecular diagnostics company Cepheid announced on Wednesday that they have entered into a strategic collaboration to develop an automated sequencing-based workflow for infectious disease analysis.

This partnership follows a successful proof-of-concept study integrating Cepheid's GeneXpert system with Oxford Nanopore's molecular analysis platform, enabling rapid, in-house sequencing with results in hours instead of days.

The joint workflow aims to simplify nanopore-based sequencing for labs with limited expertise, initially focusing on bacterial and fungal pathogen profiling. Future expansions could include direct sequencing from blood cultures, applications in cancer and human genetics, and potential regulatory-approved diagnostics.

Compatible with Oxford Nanopore's EPI2ME and other informatics tools, the solution will also feature an informatics platform commercialised by Cepheid. This collaboration underscores both companies' commitment to making advanced molecular analysis more accessible and scalable across diverse settings.