DBT partners Oxford Nanopore to launch two Genomic Centres of Excellence in India
New Delhi: Oxford Nanopore Technologies has signed Letters of Intent with the Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council-Centre for DNA Fingerprinting and Diagnostics (BRIC-CDFD), and the Biotechnology Research and Innovation Council–National Institute of Biomedical Genomics (BRIC-NIBMG), which commit to the establishment of two new Indian Centres of Excellence (CoE) in genomics.
Signed in the presence of the Secretary for DBT, Dr Rajesh Gokhale, the landmark CoEs will help to position India as a regional leader in advanced genomics, and are expected to span rare disease, cancer, and infectious disease surveillance, to support India’s national ambitions in addressing these public health issues. The CoEs will create opportunities for education and support skills development and training in sequencing technologies.
The first Letter of Intent, signed in collaboration with BRIC-CDFD, will see the two partners enter into a R&D collaboration in rare disease research, which will facilitate the deployment of Oxford Nanopore’s sequencing technologies for research, education, and clinical applications. This will enable BRIC-CDFD to benefit from cutting-edge advancements in genomics and to validate Oxford Nanopore sequencing for rapid characterisation of rare genetic diseases in the Indian clinical context.
In a separate agreement with BRIC-NIBMG, the parties agree to leverage the technology to implement new pipelines and multi-omics applications, including advancing research initiatives in key public health areas, such as maternal and child healthcare through newborn screening, and supporting the study and development of genomic applications in oral cancer. In addition, BRIC-NIBMG will use the Oxford Nanopore technology for antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance as part of the wider ‘One Health’ agenda.
The announcement demonstrates the increasing strength of the India-UK life science collaboration, and it is a clear realisation of recent bi-lateral strategic initiatives such as the 2025 UK-India Health and Life Sciences Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and the 2024 UK-India Technology Security Initiative (TSI). It will also provide strong foundations for future advanced genomic collaborations, expertise, and best practice sharing between the two countries.
Gordon Sanghera CBE, CEO of Oxford Nanopore Technologies, said: “We are proud to collaborate with leading government institutions in India on these key initiatives. They reflect the shared ambition to drive innovation in genomics to address some of the biggest public health concerns in the country. With Oxford Nanopore’s technology already supporting a wide range of Indian research projects, these Centres of Excellence are a natural next step forward in our long-term commitment to the region.”
Oxford Nanopore’s sequencing technology is currently being used across India as part of genome sequencing in rare disease, screening for neurodegenerative disorders, and infectious disease surveillance initiatives. Researchers are also exploring the use of Oxford Nanopore sequencing for point-of-care testing.
Professor Ullas Kolthur, Director of BRIC-CDFD, said: “BRIC-CDFD is looking forward to collaborating with Oxford Nanopore Technologies, UK, in setting up a world-class Centre of Excellence. This collaboration, at the forefront of genomic science, will boost basic and applied sciences in the domains of rare disease discoveries, precision diagnosis and forensic biotechnology. Focusing on extensive training and skilling, the Centre will scale up BRIC-CDFD’s Skill Development Centre to empower India’s next-generation genome scientists. This partnership is poised to re-write India’s future for genomics — from the heart of Hyderabad to the globe.”
Dr Sagar Sengupta, Director BRIC-NIBMG, said: “BRIC-NIBMG looks forward to this collaboration with Oxford Nanopore Technologies which will advance the frontiers of genomics. BRIC-NIBMG expects to make major innovations in multiple types of cancer, maternal and child health, pathogen and AMR surveillance and capacity building through the establishment of this Centre of Excellence. This initiative will leverage BRIC-NIBMG’s expertise in biomedical genomics and data science with cutting edge technologies of Oxford Nanopore and address certain major areas of public health.”
Harjinder Kang, His Majesty’s Trade Commissioner for South Asia and Deputy High Commissioner for Western India, said: “UK businesses are at the forefront of innovation that delivers real-world impact and Oxford Nanopore Technologies is a fitting example of this. As they expand their footprint in India with a new office in Bengaluru, I am delighted to see them engage with leading Indian institutions, supporting a number of strategic national genomic programmes. This collaboration reflects the deep commitment of both the UK and India in advancing life sciences, strengthening global health resilience, and delivering on our shared priorities under the UK-India Technology Security Initiative (TSI), underpinned by growth across both nations.”
Oxford Nanopore has been supporting genomic initiatives in India since 2017. This latest commitment signals its intent to further strengthen collaborations with researchers, clinicians, and public health bodies in the region, and will be cemented with the opening of a further office in Bengaluru later this year.
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