Accelrys and Oxford Nanopore Enter Software Partnership for DNA Sequencing Data Analysis

The partnership will help advance scientific innovation by simplifying and accelerating NGS analysis

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Accelrys, Inc. (NASDAQ:ACCL), a leading scientific enterprise R&D software and services company, today announced the signing of a partnership agreement with Oxford Nanopore Technologies Ltd. Under the terms of the partnership, Accelrys and Oxford Nanopore will develop software to enable complex, real-time analyses of experimental data produced by the Oxford Nanopore single molecule analysis system. Nanopore-specific data analysis pipelines for Pipeline Pilot will be offered as the preferred and supported solution for secondary and higher level data analysis for the Oxford Nanopore DNA sequencing system at the time of its commercial release. These pipelines will use a variety of collections including Accelrys’ newly launched NGS Collection for Pipeline Pilot, a software solution that is compatible with all leading DNA sequencing technologies.

“Pipeline Pilot is a highly adaptable software platform that helps solve a major contemporary problem for scientists”

“Pipeline Pilot is a highly adaptable software platform that helps solve a major contemporary problem for scientists,” said Clive G. Brown, chief technology officer of Oxford Nanopore. “Molecular analysis and particularly DNA sequencing is an accelerating field of life science research, but data management and analysis are becoming more challenging. As data volumes grow and algorithms rapidly evolve, the informaticians and scientists involved in NGS analysis need to keep pace. Managing this requires a versatile and agile software platform.”

Clive Brown elaborated, “In our nanopore technology development, we focus on the need to improve overall workflows that deliver experimental results to the end user, not just the molecular analysis part of an experiment. The Accelrys Pipeline Pilot software is uniquely placed to deliver nanopore-specific workflow features such as real-time experimental analysis, in an accessible and versatile way appropriate for a broad range of users from individual researcher to large scale installations. We are pleased to be working with Accelrys on this important project.”

Dr. Frank Brown, senior vice president and chief science officer at Accelrys commented, “The NGS market is growing at a rapid pace, enabled by new higher-throughput technologies and decreasing costs. This is providing life science researchers unprecedented insights into human disease. We are pleased that Oxford Nanopore has selected the Pipeline Pilot NGS Collection as the preferred analysis platform for the single molecule NGS technology that the company is developing. As we enter the NGS market, we are excited to be collaborating with Oxford Nanopore to advance scientific innovation by simplifying and accelerating NGS analysis for genomics researchers.”

The Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) Collection for Pipeline Pilot comprises a number of algorithmic, data management and visualisation components. Using these components, scientists can quickly assemble efficient data processing pipelines using simple drag-and-drop construction in an easy-to-use visual programming environment. The pipelines simplify and accelerate comprehensive NGS analysis workflows, providing a wide selection of popular algorithms including methods for de novo assembly, mapping reads to reference sequences, identifying polymorphisms and structural variants, measuring RNA expression levels, and identifying transcription factor binding sites. Users are empowered to develop and contribute new protocols, enabling researchers to access a broad range of traditional and cutting-edge analyses through their network or local computer.

Note to Editors

While initially focusing on DNA sequencing, the Accelrys-Oxford Nanopore partnership allows for development into other applications including protein analysis. The Accelrys software uniquely enables real-time analyses of primary data that is acquired and processed locally in real time on Oxford Nanopore’s GridION instrumentation. This allows users to input a desired experimental endpoint and run the system until sufficient data has been collected to complete the experiment. Real-time monitoring of the experiment also allows feedback adjustment during an experiment.

About Accelrys Pipeline Pilot

Accelrys Pipeline Pilot is a versatile, high-performance enterprise R&D platform that optimizes the research innovation cycle, increases operational efficiency, and reduces costs for both research and IT. Pipeline Pilot provides integrated and controlled access to the large volumes of disparate research data locked in silos and automates the scientific analysis of that data, enabling scientists across the enterprise to rapidly explore, visualize and report research results and collaborate more effectively with colleagues. Information about the NGS Collection for Pipeline Pilot can be found here.

About Accelrys, Inc.

Accelrys (NASDAQ:ACCL), a leading scientific enterprise R&D software and services company, supports industries and organizations that rely on scientific innovation to differentiate themselves. Accelrys’ Enterprise Research & Development Architecture, built on the industry-leading Pipeline Pilot™ platform, provides a broad, flexible scientific solution optimized to integrate the diversity of science, experimental processes and information requirements across the research, development, process scale-up and early manufacturing phases of product development. By incorporating capabilities in applications for modeling and simulation; enterprise lab management; workflow definition and capture; and data management and informatics, Accelrys enables scientific innovators to access, organize, analyze and share data in unprecedented ways, ultimately enhancing innovation, improving productivity and compliance, reducing costs and speeding time from lab to market.

Headquartered in San Diego, Calif., Accelrys has more than 1,300 customers in the life sciences, energy, chemical, aerospace, consumer products and industrial products industries and employs approximately 150 full-time PhD scientists. For more information about Accelrys, visit www.accelrys.com.

About Oxford Nanopore Technologies, Ltd.

Oxford Nanopore Technologies Ltd is developing a revolutionary technology for direct, electronic detection and analysis of single molecules. The technology platform, GridION, is designed to offer substantial benefits in a variety of applications. The Company’s lead application is DNA sequencing, but the platform is also adaptable for protein analysis, small molecules and a range of other molecules. The technology is modular and highly scalable, driven by electronics rather than optics.

Two methods of DNA sequencing in development, Exonuclease and Strand sequencing, combine a protein nanopore with a processive enzyme, multiplexed on a silicon chip. The Company is also collaborating in the development of solid state nanopores for further improvements in speed and cost. For more information, visit www.nanoporetech.com.