Day Zero Diagnostics and Oxford Nanopore today announced a collaboration to develop a solution for diagnosing bloodstream infections.
Boston-based Day Zero Diagnostics develops diagnostics utilizing whole-genome sequencing and AI to combat antibiotic-resistant infections. Oxford Nanopore offers a new generation of nanopore-based molecular sensing technology. They seek to enable early detection to combat bloodstream infections as they are a leading cause of sepsis.
The companies plan to integrate and optimize a diagnostic system for use in clinical settings like hospitals. They aim to offer same-day identification and genomic-based antibiotic susceptibility profiling without the need for blood culture. According to a news release, the companies plan to pursue regulatory approvals, including with the FDA, down the line.
In the collaboration, the companies intend to combine Day Zero Diagnostics’ ultra-high enrichment sample preparation technology and its AI-drive Keynome microbial identification and antibiotic susceptibility pipeline with sequencing reads from Oxford Nanopore’s high-throughput, small-format PromethION 2 Solo.
The companies target a fully automated sample processing and sequencing workflow fitting the needs of clinical hospital labs. Oxford Nanopore brings to the table real-time, scalable features and advances in single-nucleotide sequencing accuracy. This makes it “ideal” for rapid and cost-effective characterization of pathogens in clinical samples, the companies said.
“We are pleased to launch this collaboration with Oxford Nanopore that integrates nanopore sequencing innovations with Day Zero Diagnostics’ platform technologies to develop a first-of-its kind diagnostic solution for sepsis,” said Jong Lee, CEO and co-founder of Day Zero Diagnostics. “Culture free, same day, organism identification and antimicrobial susceptibility profiling directly from native samples will be a game changer for infectious disease diagnostics, directly enabling early, targeted life-saving treatment for patients.”
More details of the Day Zero Diagnostics-Oxford Nanopore collaboration
In addition to combining diagnostic systems, Day Zero Diagnostics agreed to offer ONT-based sequencing and analysis commercially.
The company currently offers a family of lab services under its epiXact brand. This utilizes proprietary technologies to help healthcare and life science organizations track and manage infection outbreaks. It also enables the characterization of organisms of interest for research purposes and high-impact R&D decisions.
Day Zero Diagnostics now offers ONT as a sequencing platform on which such services can be provided.
“We are excited to partner with Day Zero Diagnostics to bring the benefits of nanopore sequencing to fight bloodstream infections,” said Gordon Sanghera, CEO of Oxford Nanopore Technologies. “Our hope is that the rapid results, high accuracy and accessibility of the Oxford Nanopore system, combined with DZD’s expertise and workflow, will make it possible for more people to access a solution that’s fast and effective in the fight against bloodstream infections.”
