Singapore’s National Precision Medicine (NPM) programme, led by Precision Health Research, Singapore (PRECISE), has partnered with Oxford Nanopore Technologies to advance understanding of the genetics of Singapore’s multi-ethnic population.
The initiative aims to create a catalogue of structural variants representing the three major ethnic groups in Singapore including Chinese, Malay, and Indian.
The project is expected to benefit clinician-scientists and researchers by using these genetic variations to enhance the understanding of human genetic diversity and diseases.
According to UK-based Oxford Nanopore, the effort aligns with its dedication to advancing genetic research, especially for ethnically diverse populations that are often underrepresented in genomic databases.
Under the project, Oxford Nanopore will sequence 10,000 genomes from Singapore’s population within the PRECISE-SG100K cohort.
Utilising its advanced PromethION 48 sequencing devices, the sequencing technology developer will generate detailed genomic data to propel research and enhance precision healthcare.
The project commenced in mid-2024 and will span up to 12 months.
Oxford Nanopore’s sequencing platform is known for its scalability and flexibility and can analyse both short and ultra-long native DNA/RNA fragments.
It can detect methylation, a biomarker in DNA, without additional processing steps and at speeds exceeding those of other platforms. This will help identify a range of genetic variations, understand complex diseases and developing personalised treatment strategies.
Oxford Nanopore has invested in Singapore and expanded its laboratory facilities to enhance activities related to training, knowledge transfer, and up-skilling of local staff.
The expansion includes deploying sequencers at the Science Centre Singapore and the Singapore Institute of Technology and integrating these technologies into high school, undergraduate, and adult education programmes.
Additionally, through an expanded partnership with UPS Healthcare, Oxford Nanopore now has access to a distribution facility in Singapore.
Oxford Nanopore CEO Gordon Sanghera said: “We are excited to collaborate with Singapore’s National Precision Medicine (NPM) programme to create one of the most extensive and inclusive reference genome datasets globally.
“This collaboration not only enhances our commitment to precision healthcare but also strategically positions Singapore as a pivotal hub for genomics in the Asia Pacific, fostering significant advancements in medical research and healthcare outcomes.”
The project also features collaboration with other partners, including NovogeneAIT, to utilise advanced technology in genomics.
In July, the sequencing technology developer partnered with Plasmidsaurus to advance plasmid sequencing technology using nanopore technology.
