Oxford Nanopore raises $140 million

The British DNA sequencer company Oxford Nanopore Technologies has raised $140 million from a group of investors. The company sells the MinION, a popular handheld gene sequencer that can be plugged into a laptop to read DNA sequences in remote locations, including aboard the International Space Station. Oxford Nanopore is also introducing a larger, more powerful sequencer called the PromethION, and a small, real-time DNA sequencer called the Flongle that could be used to monitor infectious diseases. The company will use the funds to build a production facility for its sequencers at a U.K. science and business park.