Is Oxford Nanopore sequencing ready for analyzing complex microbiomes?

Area of Science:

• Microbial Ecology
• Genomic Sequencing
• Bioinformatics

Background:

• The MinION platform by Oxford Nanopore offers portable DNA sequencing.
• Previous limitations included lower sequence accuracy and complex data analysis.
• Its application in microbial ecology was previously constrained.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review recent advancements in Oxford Nanopore sequencing technology.
• To assess the MinION's suitability for microbial ecology research.
• To highlight key improvements making the platform more accessible.

Main Methods:

• Review of recent technological improvements in Oxford Nanopore sequencing.
• Analysis of sequence accuracy increases over the past five years.
• Evaluation of data analysis pipelines and field sequencing requirements.

Main Results:

• Sequence accuracy has risen from 65% to 96.5% in five years.
• The MinION now provides a quantifiable signal for target molecule abundance.
• Simplified graphical user interface (GUI)-based data analysis is available.
• Minimal additional equipment is needed for field sequencing.

Conclusions:

• Recent improvements make the MinION a viable platform for microbial ecology.
• Low equipment costs and reasonable per-sample pricing enhance accessibility.
• The MinION is an attractive sequencing option for various laboratories.