History
Company History
Oxford Nanopore Technologies was spun out from the University of Oxford
in 2005. Until May 2008, the company was named Oxford NanoLabs Ltd.
The company was founded by Professor
Hagan Bayley, who is currently
Professor of Chemical Biology at the University of Oxford, in partnership with IP Group plc. Since
its inception, the Company has focused on developing the pioneering
work of Professor Bayley and our other
collaborators into a mass producible biochip and reader
system for molecular analysis.
The development of a technology platform for molecular sensing based on nanopore technology is the
culmination of nearly two decades of of research by Professor Bayley and our other collaborators, at a
number of the world's most prestigious academic institutions including the University of Oxford, Harvard, MIT, the University of Massachusetts, the University of California Santa Cruz and Texas A&M University. Oxford Nanopore has a strong intellectual property
position for the use of nanopores in molecular analysis and
specifically DNA sequencing.
In the summer of 2008, the company announced the creation of an exceptional
Technology Advisory Board, including leading nanopore academics from around the world. It also announced a series of
IP collaborations with leading institutions,
allowing the Company to take a leadership position in the development
of immediate and future generations of nanopore DNA sequencing
technologies and other nanopore applications.
In 2005,
Dr Gordon Sanghera joined Oxford Nanopore as CEO. Gordon brings his experience of
combining biological and electronic technologies; he previously
delivered blood glucose sensing products to the market, transforming
the lives of diabetes patients worldwide. Gordon now leads an
experienced management team towards the development and
commercialisation of a new gold-standard in DNA sequencing products.
In 2008,
Dr John Milton and
Clive G Brown joined the executive management team, bringing experience developing the current world-leading DNA sequencing system.
In July 2009, the Company relocated to the
Oxford Science Park. Our new
premises at Edmund Cartwright House were inaugurated by the UK Science
and Innovation Minister, Lord Drayson.
Finance History
To date, the Company has raised nearly £50 million in five rounds of private funding, from a combination of private and
institutional investors.
Seed funding was obtained in two rounds, from
IP Group in 2005. In June 2006 the company raised £7.75m, and in March 2008 the
company raised a further £10m.
In February 2010 Oxford Nanopore
raised £17.4 million from existing investors and new, undisclosed US-based investors.
