World’s First Portable, High Yield Sequencer Provides Comprehensive DNA Analysis for Anyone, Anywhere

The world’s most accessible, high-yield sequencing device that provides comprehensive DNA analysis for anyone, anywhere has the potential to greatly expand access to accurate, fast and affordable sequencing for human genetics and other larger datasets.

Oxford Nanopore Technologies (Oxford, UK) has rolled out its PromethION 2 (“P2”) Solo sequencer, which is the only small, high-yield sequencer on the market – equivalent in size to one printed volume of the Lord of the Rings trilogy. This will allow anyone to move beyond basic DNA analysis by incorporating more comprehensive analysis of genetic variants, transcriptomic and epigenetic analyses on a single platform, to fuel scientific discovery and improve lives. Building on the demonstrated value of the PromethION platform, the device utilizes high-accuracy nanopore sequencing of any-length native reads (from 20 bases to more than four million bases) and captures full biology including SNPs, INDELs, structural variants and methylation from a single flow cell.

The new P2 Solo device is designed to open the genomics market by equipping anyone, anywhere with high-yield whole genome sequencing data in real-time. It will give users the ability to use nanopore sequencing technology to comprehensively sequence as many as 190-380 human genomes per year in their own labs. Users can scale to ~ 4,600-9,200 human genomes per year with the PromethION 48 (“P48”). Numbers quoted at 1-2 genomes per flow cell. With the unique “box is free” model offered by Oxford Nanopore, this enables users to complete comprehensive human genomes in their own lab for less than USD 1,000 with the P2, or, when running in production mode with P48 devices, achieve genome prices of approximately USD 300 to USD 600 (at 1-2 human genomes per flow cell, simple library prep costs from USD 43 per genome, with no additional cost for device, methylation and any-length fragments) with a future pathway for further reductions.

The size and functionality of the P2 Solo is matched by its exceptional accuracy, combining the latest R10.4.1 flow cells with the latest Kit 14 to deliver sequencing data that achieves modal raw-read simplex accuracies of 99.6% (Q24) and single molecule duplex accuracies of 99.92% (Q31) with tuneable run conditions for further flexibility and optimization. In an early program among a small test ‘developer’ group, the P2 Solo has already been used to analyze cancer research samples. Nanopore sequencing combines the facility to generate long sequencing reads (as long as 4 Mb) that can span complex genomic regions, together with integrated base modification detection (including DNA/RNA methylation) and real-time results. This offers a complete, streamlined, and rapid solution for comprehensive characterization of cancer samples.

The release of P2 Solo is accompanied by a whole genome workflow in EPI2ME, Oxford Nanopore’s data analysis solution, enabling users to simply upload their files and receive small variant, structural variant and methylation reports back with a simple click. The PromethION 2, Oxford Nanopore’s fully plug and play benchtop nanopore sequencer in the same range as the P2 Solo, contains a powerful GPU and runs two high-yield PromethION Flow Cells. This is available for pre-order and will be available for shipment in the coming months. The PromethION series was designed to minimize negative environmental impact by further integrating sustainability into product design, manufacturing processes and day-to-day operations.

“We have always designed products that redefine what is possible in genomics and open up important science to broader communities. Today, we are excited to reshape the future once again. With the world’s most accessible high-yield sequencing device, we are opening the genomics market by enabling anyone, anywhere, access to human-scale genomic data at the highest levels of accuracy,” said Gordon Sanghera, CEO of Oxford Nanopore. “The P2 Solo device will further contribute to the ongoing democratization of genomics research and expand scientific discovery using comprehensive nanopore data. This provides a broader foundation for those discoveries to be translated to real-world impacts in cancer, human genetics, infectious disease and to reshape our approach to interacting with our environment.”

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Oxford Nanopore Technologies