2015/06/17

Techradar June 16, 2015: This DNA sequencer fits in the palm of your hand

Smartphone-sized and USB-powered

A team of British and Canadian researchers has managed to successfully sequence the full genome of a living organism using a machine the size of a smartphone called the MinION. The miniaturisation breakthrough could allow for more personalised medical diagnosis and better research in the field.

The MinION was developed by Oxford Nanopore Technologies and is currently undergoing tests to evaluate the technology. Its tiny size and relatively low cost could allow scientists to perform much more advanced analysis away from a lab. "The amazing thing about this device is that it is many times smaller than a normal sequencer - you just attach it to a laptop using a USB cable," explained Jared Simpson, a lead author on the study.

"It's amazing," added Luiz Shozo Ozaki from the Centre For The Study Of Biological Complexity, who plans to use the handheld device to study mosquitoes that transmit malaria and other diseases in the Amazon. "It's something I can put in my pocket, take into the rainforest and get a genetic sequence right there." more