Portable DNA sequencing equipment tested for first time

Scientists have been testing a new piece of portable DNA sequencing equipment for the first time, leading them to believe it has potential for future use on a wider scale.

Developed by Oxford Nanopore Technologies, the MinION Access Programme has been trialled by a team from the The Genome Analysis Centre, who have been assessing its effectiveness in analysing genetic material recovered directly from a particular environment.

Portable equipment in this form could potentially be useful in industries such as forensics, as well as in medical and pharmaceutical research.

The testers concluded that although there were some challenges in using the complex piece of equipment, they found it did have a significant impact in helping them to achieve the desired results of their study.

Dr Richard Leggett, who helped to develop the invention, commented: "In-field surveillance presents a number of hurdles. With its compact size, cheap device costs, simple library preparation and streaming nature, the MinION provides a significant step towards addressing these challenges."