Avantor, a global provider of mission-critical products and services to customers in the life sciences, advanced technologies and applied materials industries, has signed a global distribution agreement with Oxford Nanopore Technologies, a manufacturer of Next Generation Sequencing instruments, kits and consumables. The agreement enables scientists to have broader access to Oxford Nanopore’s portable real-time nanopore sequencing device, MinION, associated consumables and reagents.
 
The agreement combines the breadth and depth of Avantor’s global laboratory customer relationships in the biopharma, healthcare, education & government, and advanced technologies & applied materials industries with the sequencing technology from Oxford Nanopore. 
 
“Avantor’s offerings are foundational to the work of scientists in fundamental research and applied settings,” said Rohit Shroff, senior vice president, Global Lab Portfolio Strategy at Avantor. “These customers rely on our ability to bring them unparalleled choice, expertise across key workflows, innovation and a seamless purchasing experience through a market-leading digital platform.”
 
“We are delighted to collaborate with Oxford Nanopore to bring transformative, new sequencing capabilities that enable breakthrough research and accelerated commercialization. Deepening access to a new generation of DNA and RNA sequencing technology will further advance Avantor’s mission of setting science in motion to create a better world,” Shroff concluded. 
 
A plug-and-play device, MinION provides real-time, high-performance, portable sequencing of DNA/RNA fragments from short to ultra-long. MinION sequencers include: MinION Mk1B, the smaller, pocket-size nanopore sequencer and MinION Mk1C, the palm-sized sequencer with an integrated computer. 
 
As part of the agreement, Avantor’s Sales and Life Science Specialist teams will provide local support for MinION. Avantor’s comprehensive workflow offerings, technical insights, and global reach is designed to provide far-reaching access to life scientists everywhere. The agreement also includes distribution for MinION devices and consumables starting in September 2021 for the United States (including Puerto Rico) and Europe (including United Kingdom, Norway and Switzerland). Other regions, including Canada, will be added in 2022. 
 
“Our long-term vision is to enable the analysis of anything, by anyone, anywhere, and MinION is central to enabling this goal,” stated Gordon Sanghera, CEO at Oxford Nanopore. “We see our collaboration with Avantor as a way of broadening access further, to more scientists in more global life science communities.”
 
MinION starter packs, MinION flow cells and Oxford Nanopore Library preparation kits will be available to purchase through Avantor’s e-commerce platform.