NHS to launch 'real-time surveillance system' to prevent future pandemics

Nanopore DNA screening technology may identify novel pathogens, propose treatments in as little as six hours

A public-private partnership in the UK is constructing what the government said is "the world's first real-time surveillance system" to track and prevent future pandemics. 

The program, which will involve the government and NHS working with technology from genome sequencing firm Oxford Nanopore, aims to identify respiratory infections and propose treatments for patients within six hours. The hope is that faster treatment times will aid patient outcomes, and that fast sequencing of pathogens will enable the UK to head off a repeat of the COVID-19 pandemic that rocked the world in 2020. 

"Early detection is absolutely crucial in enabling us to respond effectively to any emerging pathogen," UK Health Security Agency chief medical advisor Susan Hopkins said of the program. "The UK already has a wealth of expertise in genomic surveillance, and this program will build on that expertise and enable us to bring our resources and capability to tackle developing threats at greater speed."

Oxford Nanopore's third-generation sequencing technology, as its name suggests, uses nanoscopic pores in ultra-thin protein membranes, just large enough to pass a single strand of DNA through them. DNA strands passing through the membrane change their ion current, allowing for real-time identification of individual nucleotide bases. The company claims its technology is over 99 percent accurate under optimal conditions, a claim that appears to have held up in independent testing.

This nanopore-based sequencing technology will be used to process samples at as many as 30 NHS sites around England in an expansion of the NHS' existing respiratory metagenomics program. Data gathered from tests under the expanded initiative will be provided to the NHS and UK Health Security Agency for the purposes of identifying emerging diseases, with Genomics England and the UK Biobank also contributing data. 

"If we fail to prepare, we should prepare to fail," said Health and Social Care secretary Wes Streeting. "Our NHS was already on its knees when the pandemic struck, and it was hit harder than any other comparable healthcare system. We cannot let history repeat itself."

Beyond pandemics

In addition to helping the NHS develop its pathogen surveillance system, the government said the partnership will help shift the NHS "from [analog] to digital" as part of the government's 10-year transformation plan.

Oxford Nanopore said its technology can be used more broadly to translate research-based discoveries into clinical medicine, with its sequencing system also showing potential for identifying cancer at earlier stages and catching other genetic diseases before symptoms emerge. Future uses of the tech could include screening newborns for genetic disorders, according to the outfit.

The rollout timeline remains unclear, with the government only mentioning the program will begin sometime next year. It's also unclear where the technology will be deployed, with 10 to 30 sites expected but no specific locations confirmed yet. We reached out to learn more, but haven't heard back. ®