Enhancing advanced therapy product quality: how CDMOs are leveraging Oxford Nanopore sequencing
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Join experts from Ascend Advanced Therapies to learn how they have implemented Oxford Nanopore sequencing to advance the characterisation of recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) vectors. Their approach enables high-resolution analysis of biological products, compared with legacy methods, including identity, truncation hotspots, product-related DNA impurities, and encapsidated host-cell DNA, providing actionable insights without extending turnaround times or increasing sample requirements.
Attendees will also learn how peer-reviewed benchmarking has demonstrated that Oxford Nanopore sequencing achieves parity with other analytical methods, including alternative long-read sequencing platforms, while providing additional advantages in speed, lower sample input, and workflow flexibility. Together, these advances show how contract development and manufacturing organisations (CDMOs) are adopting modern sequencing tools to generate information-rich data and accelerate progress from development towards clinical evaluation.
Learning objectives:
- How CDMOs, such as Ascend Advanced Therapies, are modernising analytical approaches for advanced therapies using Oxford Nanopore sequencing to improve product quality, reduce sample input, and accelerate development timelines.
- Key quality attributes that can be characterised in detail, including vector genome identity, truncation hotspots, product-related DNA impurities, and encapsidated host-cell DNA — analysed within a single sequencing assay.
- Real-world insights from Ascend Advanced Therapies on implementing Oxford Nanopore sequencing workflows, analytical methods and alternative long-read sequencing technologies.
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Meet the speakers
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Rebecca Feiner, Manager Technology Development, Ascend Advanced TherapiesWith nearly 10 years of experience in the AAV field, Rebecca brings a deep knowledge and expertise for the development and characterisation of gene therapy products. At Ascend Advanced Therapies, she works on multiple projects focusing on the characterisation of rAAVs using NGS methods alongside further improvements of the bioinformatics pipelines to enable deeper characterisation. Prior to her role at Ascend, she worked at Freeline Therapeutics focusing on capsid development, as well as the establishment of routine nanopore sequencing in early AAV development. Before transitioning into industry, Rebecca conducted her PhD as a student at Bielefeld University, focusing on general AAV biology and, more specifically, on AAV capsid engineering.
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Kathrin Breunig, Senior Scientist Technology Development, Ascend Advanced TherapiesKathrin Breunig is a Senior Scientist in the Technology Development department at Ascend Advanced Therapies, specialising in next-generation sequencing with a particular focus on long-read technologies and their bioinformatic interpretation. She works on the characterisation of rAAVs using both short- and long-read sequencing approaches for 5 years, and contributes to the development of advanced bioinformatics pipelines for deeper product insights. Prior to joining Ascend, Kathrin gained expertise in leukaemia diagnostics, where she established NGS workflows using both short- and long-read sequencing, further strengthening her foundation in genomics and data analysis.
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Florian Dunker-Seidler, Scientist Technology Development, Ascend Advanced TherapiesDr Florian Dunker-Seidler is a Technology Development Scientist at Ascend Advanced Therapies, where he focuses on molecular biology and nanopore sequencing. Previously, during his studies at the University of Würzburg and his doctoral studies at the University of Munich (LMU), he has worked with a wide range of model systems, ranging from downy mildew to glioblastoma cells to date palm trees. Four years ago, he finally found his professional home in the pharmaceutical industry, where he is using nanopore sequencing to improve the analytics of adeno-associated viral vectors. He works both at the bench and as a computational biologist focusing in particular on designing and implementing new data analysis pipelines.
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Aaron Pomerantz, Director, Global Segment Marketing, Oxford Nanopore TechnologiesAaron Pomerantz is the Director of Global Segment Marketing at Oxford Nanopore Technologies, where he leads strategic initiatives across key areas including microbiology, infectious disease, biopharma, and agricultural biotechnology. He received his PhD in Integrative Biology from the University of California, Berkeley, where he specialised in applying genomics, genome editing, and advanced bioimaging techniques to study the evolution and development of non-model organisms. His research also explored field-based DNA sequencing using portable nanopore platforms and miniaturised laboratory equipment to discover and characterise biodiversity in remote environments, from the Amazon rainforest to Antarctica. Through his role at Oxford Nanopore, he helps drive the development, awareness, and adoption of innovative sequencing approaches across research and applied markets to deliver real-world impact.
