New England Biolabs Launches Companion Module for Oxford Nanopore Direct RNA Sequencing — New England Biolabs, Inc.

Event summary

New England Biolabs (NEB) launched the NEBNext Companion Module for Oxford Nanopore's Direct RNA Sequencing on July 7, 2026.
The module includes NEB reagents recommended by Oxford Nanopore for the RNA004 sequencing kit workflow.
Key component: Induro Reverse Transcriptase to reduce RNA secondary structure and improve sequence yield.
Oxford Nanopore's VP Corporate Business Development, Dr. Thomas Bray, endorsed the product as enhancing customer capabilities.

The big picture

This launch solidifies NEB's role as a key enabler of next-generation sequencing technologies, aligning with the broader industry shift toward native RNA analysis. Direct RNA sequencing offers advantages in identifying RNA modifications and characterizing therapeutic mRNA, positioning NEB and Oxford Nanopore at the forefront of this evolving market.

What we're watching

Market Adoption: How quickly academic and applied markets will integrate direct RNA sequencing into their workflows.
Competitive Positioning: Whether NEB can sustain its partnership advantage with Oxford Nanopore against competitors in the RNA sequencing space.
Technological Impact: The pace at which direct RNA sequencing will displace traditional cDNA-based approaches in critical applications.