Joshua Porter – Journal of Human Genetics Post 1
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| Pocket-sized genetic sequencer, MinION |
The recent news about the increasing wide-spread coronavirus
outbreak serves as a clear reminder that we continue to be threatened by
infectious disease and additional resources are needed to combat it. For
decades, genetic sequencing has required substantial lab work and this
technology has remained relatively large and inconvenient to transport. Mongan et
al. noted that recently, nanopore sequencing has provided a new option for DNA
sequencing by measuring protein electrical disturbances in response to certain nucleotides.
This new technique has allowed researchers to develop a portable sequencer, MinION.
The portability of MinION is revolutionary for many remote locations,
such as Ecuador, the International Space Station, or the Canadian Artic. It has
already proven to be vital in disease surveillance by sequencing the Zika virus
during the 2016 Brazil outbreak. However, this portability has come at the cost
of accuracy. Sequencing errors remain between 5 and 15% but bioinformatic tolls
can improve the accuracy to 97%. However, MinION costs more than other sequencing
platforms. This portable sequencing technology has led to increased
whole-genome sequencing of humans and bacteria.
Mongan et al. also note that nanopore sequencing has
applications for RNA and epigenetic sequencing. MinION has also been used to reveal
structural variants of coronavirus. Overall, portable sequencing technology
provides researchers with a new resource to combat infectious disease and bring
genetic sequencing to impoverished and remote communities.
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