Nanotechnology Now

Our NanoNews Digest Sponsors
Heifer International



Home > Press > Mini DNA sequencer tests true: The performance of the MinION™ miniature DNA sequencing device has been evaluated by an open, international consortium, and the resulting recommendations and protocols published before peer-review on the F1000Research platform

Oxford Nanopore's MinION™ USB-attached miniature sensing device.
CREDIT: Oxford Nanopore Technologies
Oxford Nanopore's MinION™ USB-attached miniature sensing device.

CREDIT: Oxford Nanopore Technologies

Abstract:
Summary:

Public access to Oxford Nanopore's MinION™ miniature sensing device enabled an international consortium to evaluate the technology and provide a standard protocol for its use;
Preliminary analysis of data generated in five very different laboratories indicates the performance and accuracy of the device is consistently good;
Data are freely available for re-analysis and innovation in the Nanopore analysis channel on F1000Research.

Mini DNA sequencer tests true: The performance of the MinION™ miniature DNA sequencing device has been evaluated by an open, international consortium, and the resulting recommendations and protocols published before peer-review on the F1000Research platform

Hinxton, UK | Posted on October 15th, 2015

The MinION, a handheld DNA-sequencing device developed by Oxford Nanopore, has been tested and evaluated by an independent, international consortium coordinated by EMBL's European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI). The innovative device opens up new possibilities for using sequencing technology in the field, for example in tracking disease outbreaks, testing packaged food or the trafficking of protected species.

The MinION works by detecting individual DNA bases that pass through a nanopore, and unlike existing sequencing technologies, there are few inherent sensing limits on the length of the DNA sequence that it could read at one go. The MinION device was initially made available to thousands of laboratories all over the world, who were inspired to explore the technology and contribute to its development through the MinION Access Programme (MAP).

"The MinION Access Program was a brilliant thing to do. Because the device weighs only 100 grams, Oxford Nanopore could share it easily with more than 1,000 labs worldwide. Some of those people are tinkerers who invented new informatics tools or wet lab techniques that improved MinION performance," says Mark Akeson of the University of California Santa Cruz, a co-inventor of nanopore sequencing, consultant to Oxford Nanopore, and a MAP participant. "The device performs well now, particularly for viral and bacterial genomes, so you can ship it anywhere and know you're going to get the same result. We're looking at a democratisation of sequencing in the not-so-distant future. That is changing things for people who need to solve critical problems in challenging environments, like tracking Ebola strains during the recent outbreak in West Africa. Another challenging environment is space - the MinION will be the first DNA sequencer tested in space, by NASA on the International Space Station."

"In a few years' time, people who may be several steps removed from basic genomic research, like teachers in a classroom, could be using this device to teach science in new, exciting ways that have never been possible before," adds first author Camilla Ip, of Oxford University. "I'm using the MinION in a project with secondary-school students in Oxford because this technology will probably be so much a part of daily life in a few years' time that they take it for granted. The kids who are about to go to university and join the workforce are the ones who will be creating new smartphone apps that use this sensing device for applications we haven't yet imagined."

Five laboratories in the UK, the US, Canada and The Netherlands conducted two sets of ten experiments, for the same E. coli isolate (strain K-12 sub-strain MG1655), using a single, shared protocol. The accuracy and reproducibility of the data were consistent between labs and of good quality. However, there is much work to be done in molecule delivery to flow cells, software protocol clarity and other areas.

The data generated in the study published today represents a snapshot of the MinION's performance in April 2015. Since then, innovation on the MinION has outpaced analysis, with new chips and kits released every 3-6 months. The paper, which includes details of the protocol used and preliminary analysis of the data generated, is available in the Nanopore analysis channel on F1000Research. The data are hosted in the European Nucleotide Archive (ENA).

"Oxford Nanopore has excited the world with the promise of a technology that can be truly disruptive," says David Buck of Oxford University. "When the MinION Access Programme opened it seemed like the largest virtual R&D group ever established in genomics - now the MAP is open to anyone. Working with the MARC team from the start of the MAP has been exciting - we've had the chance to push the technology and gain some traction on understanding what is going on under the hood. We've published the paper in F1000Research before peer review as a baseline for the community, so that everyone can look at the paper and data, go on to do their own analyses share their results and stimulate discussion."

"Nanopore sequencing will open the door for the development of novel tools and applications to analyse the influx of new data," says Rebecca Lawrence, Managing Director of F1000Research. "The Nanopore analysis channel on F1000Research will be a central, open platform on which scientists can publish and discuss new applications and analyse workflows for nanopore sequencing data. People can access and contribute data easily, so that the wider life-science community can realise the full potential of this new technology quickly."

EMBL-EBI has been coordinating the data distribution and analysis for MARC, using the ENA to handle the raw data.

"This new device enables fully mobile sequencing with real-time data streaming, which means that with a high-speed Internet connection, the first dataset could arrive 20 minutes after the DNA is loaded," says Guy Cochrane, who leads the ENA at EMBL-EBI. "The ENA is a public resource that extends the reach and usefulness of sequencing, and with new technologies like this we provide the space, flexibility and expertise needed to test it and get it into shape. We were delighted to use it as the platform for data management and sharing in MAP, so we can place the results in the public domain swiftly."

The next phase of analysis is already underway by the consortium, which is exploring ways to reduce the error rate and pushing to see how small the sample and how long the reads can be.

###

Participating organisations

MAP participants are too numerous to list here. Authors on this paper are from the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics at the University of Oxford, Queens Medical Centre at the University of Nottingham, The Genome Analysis Centre (TGAC), the University of East Anglia and the European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) in the UK; the Malaghan Institute of Medical Research in New Zealand; the University of British Columbia and the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research in Canada; Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of California Santa Cruz, Brown University and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in the US; and ZF-screens B.V. in the Netherlands.

About the MinION Access Programme

The portable MinION device, developed by Oxford Nanopore Technologies Ltd, is a proprietary technology platform for the direct, electronic analysis of single molecules. It works with consumable flow cells that contain the proprietary nanopore sensing apparatus required to perform experiments, and plugs into a PC or laptop that controls the sequencing run. DNA sequencing users generate long reads, analyse data in real-time with a high-speed Internet connection, and use the device in multiple environments. The MinION Access Programme (MAP) is a community-focused technology access programme that started in April 2014 and includes participants in more than 30 countries. Launched as an 'early-access' community the MAP seeks to enable a broad range of people to explore how the MinION may be useful to them in nucleic acid analysis, to contribute to developments in analytical tools and applications and to share their experiences and collaborate. The MAP is now open to any registrant. See tools and publications at publications.nanoporetech.com

About the Nanopore analysis channel

F1000Research, launched in 2013, is an open publishing platform for life scientists that offers immediate publication and transparent peer review. F1000Research allows groups to establish their own channels to serve the needs of their community, for example enabling researchers to publish analyses of nanopore sequencing data quickly and easily. This open-science approach facilitates an effective, global, community-wide discussion around the research being produced. The Nanopore analysis channel published on F1000Research features the Phase 1 MARC paper complete with MinION data and a guest editorial. Guest editors of the Nanopore analysis channel are Nick Loman of the University of Birmingham, Matt Loose of the University of Nottingham, Sara Goodwin of Cold Spring Harbour Library and Hans Jansen of ZF-screens B.V. f1000research.com/channels/nanoporeanalysis

####

About European Bioinformatics Institute
The European Bioinformatics Institute is part of EMBL, and is a global leader in the storage, analysis and dissemination of large biological datasets. EMBL-EBI helps scientists realise the potential of 'big data' by enhancing their ability to exploit complex information to make discoveries that benefit mankind. We are a non-profit, intergovernmental organisation funded by EMBL's 21 member states and two associate member states. Our 570 staff hail from 57 countries, and we welcome a regular stream of visiting scientists throughout the year. We are located on the Wellcome Genome Campus in Hinxton, Cambridge in the United Kingdom.

For more information, please click here

Contacts:
Mary Todd Bergman

44-012-234-94665

Copyright © European Bioinformatics Institute

If you have a comment, please Contact us.

Issuers of news releases, not 7th Wave, Inc. or Nanotechnology Now, are solely responsible for the accuracy of the content.

Bookmark:
Delicious Digg Newsvine Google Yahoo Reddit Magnoliacom Furl Facebook

Related News Press

Standards/Certifications

Compact Model Developed at CEA-Leti for FD-SOI Technologies Designated as a Chip-Industry Standard: ‘This Is of Paramount Importance for Large Chipmakers And Positions CEA-Leti Among the Few Compact-Model Developer Teams Able to Develop and Support a Standard Model’ April 1st, 2020

NIOSH Releases New Nanotechnology Workplace Design Recommendations March 13th, 2018

SUNY Poly’s Center for Semiconductor Research in Albany Earns World-Class TÜV SÜD AMERICA INC. ISO 9001:2015 Certification: Albany NanoTech Complex Certification Assures Top-Tier Quality in Semiconductor Test Structures; Certification a First for a SUNY Campus March 6th, 2018

Oxford Instruments NanoScience achieves the latest ISO9001:2015 certification March 2nd, 2017

Govt.-Legislation/Regulation/Funding/Policy

What heat can tell us about battery chemistry: using the Peltier effect to study lithium-ion cells March 8th, 2024

Researchers’ approach may protect quantum computers from attacks March 8th, 2024

The Access to Advanced Health Institute receives up to $12.7 million to develop novel nanoalum adjuvant formulation for better protection against tuberculosis and pandemic influenza March 8th, 2024

Optically trapped quantum droplets of light can bind together to form macroscopic complexes March 8th, 2024

Nanomedicine

High-tech 'paint' could spare patients repeated surgeries March 8th, 2024

Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

The Access to Advanced Health Institute receives up to $12.7 million to develop novel nanoalum adjuvant formulation for better protection against tuberculosis and pandemic influenza March 8th, 2024

Announcements

What heat can tell us about battery chemistry: using the Peltier effect to study lithium-ion cells March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

The Access to Advanced Health Institute receives up to $12.7 million to develop novel nanoalum adjuvant formulation for better protection against tuberculosis and pandemic influenza March 8th, 2024

Nanoscale CL thermometry with lanthanide-doped heavy-metal oxide in TEM March 8th, 2024

Tools

First direct imaging of small noble gas clusters at room temperature: Novel opportunities in quantum technology and condensed matter physics opened by noble gas atoms confined between graphene layers January 12th, 2024

New laser setup probes metamaterial structures with ultrafast pulses: The technique could speed up the development of acoustic lenses, impact-resistant films, and other futuristic materials November 17th, 2023

Ferroelectrically modulate the Fermi level of graphene oxide to enhance SERS response November 3rd, 2023

The USTC realizes In situ electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy using single nanodiamond sensors November 3rd, 2023

Nanobiotechnology

High-tech 'paint' could spare patients repeated surgeries March 8th, 2024

Researchers develop artificial building blocks of life March 8th, 2024

Curcumin nanoemulsion is tested for treatment of intestinal inflammation: A formulation developed by Brazilian researchers proved effective in tests involving mice March 8th, 2024

The Access to Advanced Health Institute receives up to $12.7 million to develop novel nanoalum adjuvant formulation for better protection against tuberculosis and pandemic influenza March 8th, 2024

Alliances/Trade associations/Partnerships/Distributorships

Manchester graphene spin-out signs $1billion game-changing deal to help tackle global sustainability challenges: Landmark deal for the commercialisation of graphene April 14th, 2023

Chicago Quantum Exchange welcomes six new partners highlighting quantum technology solutions, from Chicago and beyond September 23rd, 2022

CEA & Partners Present ‘Powerful Step Towards Industrialization’ Of Linear Si Quantum Dot Arrays Using FDSOI Material at VLSI Symposium: Invited paper reports 3-step characterization chain and resulting methodologies and metrics that accelerate learning, provide data on device pe June 17th, 2022

University of Illinois Chicago joins Brookhaven Lab's Quantum Center June 10th, 2022

Research partnerships

Researchers’ approach may protect quantum computers from attacks March 8th, 2024

How surface roughness influences the adhesion of soft materials: Research team discovers universal mechanism that leads to adhesion hysteresis in soft materials March 8th, 2024

'Sudden death' of quantum fluctuations defies current theories of superconductivity: Study challenges the conventional wisdom of superconducting quantum transitions January 12th, 2024

Development of zinc oxide nanopagoda array photoelectrode: photoelectrochemical water-splitting hydrogen production January 12th, 2024

NanoNews-Digest
The latest news from around the world, FREE




  Premium Products
NanoNews-Custom
Only the news you want to read!
 Learn More
NanoStrategies
Full-service, expert consulting
 Learn More











ASP
Nanotechnology Now Featured Books




NNN

The Hunger Project