Wasatch BioLabs and Oxford Nanopore Team Up to Accelerate Methylation Sequencing Towards Clinical Use

November 4, 2024 |

5 min read

SALT LAKE CITY and OXFORD, United Kingdom, Nov. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Wasatch Biolabs (WBL), a disruptive R&D and high-throughput clinical laboratory, today announced a collaboration with Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT), the company delivering a new generation of nanopore-based molecular sensing technology, to develop a Direct Whole Methylome Sequencing product that addresses key limitations associated with traditional bisulfite sequencing and methylation microarrays.

WBL develops proprietary methylation and genomic assays for mass-market research and customized clinical applications incorporating Oxford Nanopore’s rich genomic insights and rapid, accessible, and affordable sequencing technology. This collaboration is designed to build on Wasatch BioLab’s existing proprietary methylation assays and create market-leading offers to drive innovation in genomic and epigenomic analysis, accelerating breakthroughs in research and clinical applications.

“Through this collaboration, we are utilizing Oxford Nanopore’s industry-leading sequencing technology and additional technological expertise to accelerate product development and bring groundbreaking innovations to market faster,” said Chad Pollard, CEO and Co-Founder of Wasatch BioLabs. “These products are poised to redefine the standard for epigenetic research and revolutionize the field.”

New Product Announcement: Direct Whole Methylome Sequencing

Following Wasatch BioLabs’ recent release of a cell-free whole genome methylation sequencing assay that significantly improves sensitivity and data quality in assays targeting highly fragmented cfDNA, WBL is excited to announce their latest product: Direct Whole Methylome Sequencing (dWMS). This innovative technology addresses key limitations of traditional methods, such as bisulfite sequencing and methylation microarrays.

By eliminating DNA damage from harsh chemical treatments, sequencing biases from PCR amplification, batch effects, and restricted genomic coverage, dWMS offers comprehensive genome-wide coverage, capturing up to 98% of the 28.1 million CpG methylation sites in the human genome. It delivers precise single-molecule resolution and enables the simultaneous detection of DNA sequence, methylation, and hydroxymethylation patterns.

“We’re excited to work closely with the Wasatch BioLabs team to help facilitate a paradigm shift in methylation research,” said Kathleen Barnes, SVP of Population Health and Precision Medicine at ONT. “Together we will co-develop products that will replace conventional technologies such as sequencing arrays and bisulfite sequencing and reshape how methylation is incorporated into clinical research and diagnostics.”

ASHG 2024 Speaking Event Announcement

From Arrays to Sequencing: Enhancing Methylation Analysis for Biomarker Discovery and Clinical Applications

WBL will discuss this product and other key developments in a joint WBL and Oxford Nanopore CoLab session at the upcoming American Society of Human Genetics (ASHG) Annual Meeting, held November 6th-8th in Denver, CO. The presentation will unveil key product details, including more robust details of MethylSeqR, a proprietary analysis package designed to provide researchers with the tools to perform complex analyses on robust native-read DNA output in minutes.

Date and time: Nov 6^th at 12pm MT

Location: Colab: Theater #1

About Wasatch BioLabs
Wasatch BioLabs (WBL) is a leading R&D laboratory and next-generation sequencing service provider dedicated to advancing scientific discovery and clinical epigenomics. Headquartered in Utah, WBL specializes in developing innovative methylation-based technologies and delivering custom assays built for scalability, precision, and impactful results. WBL’s offerings empower researchers and other clients with unprecedented insights into the genome. With a focus on collaboration, adaptability, and excellence, Wasatch BioLabs is a trusted partner for academic, biotech, and pharmaceutical industries worldwide. To learn more, visit www.wasatchbiolabs.com. About Oxford Nanopore Technologies
Oxford Nanopore Technologies’ goal is to bring the widest benefits to society through enabling the analysis of anything, by anyone, anywhere. The company has developed a new generation of nanopore-based sensing technology for real-time, high-performance, accessible, and scalable analysis of DNA and RNA. The technology is used in more than 125 countries to understand the biology of humans and diseases such as cancer, plants, animals, bacteria, viruses, and whole environments. Oxford Nanopore Technologies products are intended for molecular biology applications and are not intended for diagnostic purposes. For more, visit: https://nanoporetech.com/

Forward-looking statements

This announcement contains certain forward-looking statements. For example, statements regarding expected revenue growth and profit margins are forward-looking statements. Phrases such as “aim”, “plan”, “expect”, “intend”, “anticipate”, “believe”, “estimate”, “target”, and similar expressions of a future or forward-looking nature should also be considered forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements address our expected future business and financial performance and financial condition, and by definition address matters that are, to different degrees, uncertain. Our results could be affected by macroeconomic conditions, delays or challenges in manufacturing or delivering of products to our customers, suspensions of large projects and/or acceleration of large products or accelerated adoption of pathogen surveillance or applied uses of our products. These or other uncertainties may cause our actual future results to be materially different than those expressed in our forward-looking statements.

For more information, please visit:

Wasatch BioLabs: www.wasatchbiolabs.com

Oxford Nanopore Technologies: https://nanoporetech.com