Werfen and Oxford Nanopore forge strategic alliance to transform transplant diagnostics
Werfen, a global leader in specialised diagnostics, has announced a strategic collaboration with Oxford Nanopore Technologies to validate Werfen’s transplant assay portfolios for use on Oxford Nanopore’s sequencing platforms. The agreement builds on an initial collaboration between the two companies that began in 2020.
The partnership combines Werfen’s high-precision transplant assays with Oxford Nanopore’s nanopore-based sequencing technology, with the aim of delivering faster, high-resolution results critical to donor-recipient matching in transplantation medicine.
Streamlining the sample-to-answer workflow
A central objective of the collaboration is the optimisation and compatibility of Werfen’s transplant portfolio, which includes solutions for Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) typing and pre-transplant matching, with Oxford Nanopore’s sequencing platforms. The goal is to provide laboratories with validated, end-to-end “DNA-to-result” workflows that reduce operational complexity whilst maintaining analytical rigour.
In transplantation, timely and high-resolution genetic data is essential. Accurate HLA typing underpins successful donor-recipient matching and influences long-term graft outcomes. By inte-grating Werfen’s validated assays with the speed and scalability of nanopore sequencing, the collaboration seeks to make these capabilities more accessible to clinical laboratories globally.
Lowering barriers to adoption
Jordi Llorens, Chief Operating Officer for Transplant at Werfen, commented: “We are lowering adoption barriers for advanced diagnostics across transplant diagnostics and improving both professional and patient experience. This synergy allows laboratories a faster implementation of high-quality testing, ensuring that laboratories can deliver quick, actionable and precise insights that support informed decision-making in transplant patient care.”
Thomas Bray, Vice President of Corporate Business Development at Oxford Nanopore Technologies, said: “What began as a focused collaboration has evolved into a broader collaboration with a global leader, creating meaningful opportunities to extend the impact of nanopore sequencing across an expanding range of applications over time.”
Implications for clinical laboratories
For clinical laboratory scientists, the collaboration signals a move towards more integrated, validated sequencing workflows in transplant diagnostics, with the potential to reduce turnaround times without compromising resolution or accuracy.
For more information, visit: werfen.com
