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Principle of nanopore sequencing. Source: Wikimedia Commons, DBCLS, CC BY 4.0.

Welcome to Nanopore Wiki

A knowledge base and science outreach site for nanopore technology, nanopore sequencing, single-molecule sensing, bioinformatics workflows, instruments, and frontier research.

Nanopores are nanoscale openings that allow ions or molecules to pass through a membrane or solid-state material. When a molecule moves through or near a nanopore, it can change an electrical current, ion flow, or another measurable signal. These signal changes can be used to study DNA, RNA, proteins, small molecules, and other biological or chemical systems at single-molecule scale.

Nanopore methods matter because they can connect molecular events with real-time measurements. In sequencing, long DNA or RNA molecules pass through a pore and generate signals that can be converted into sequence information. In sensing, changes in current or other signals can reveal molecular size, charge, structure, binding, or chemical modification.

Start Here Nanopore technology - principles, pore types, signals, and measurement concepts. Nanopore sequencing - how DNA and RNA sequencing with nanopores works. Single-molecule detection - how nanopores can detect individual molecules. Bioinformatics - basecalling, read mapping, assembly, variants, and quality control. Glossary - concise definitions of common terms.	Why It Matters Long reads can span repeats, structural variants, and complex genomic regions. Real-time analysis can support rapid decisions in field, clinical, and laboratory settings. Portable instruments make sequencing and sensing possible outside large sequencing centers. Direct molecular measurements can preserve information about RNA, base modifications, or molecular context.
Applications Public health surveillance and pathogen genomics Clinical and infectious disease research Environmental DNA and biodiversity monitoring Microbiome and metagenomic analysis Agriculture, food safety, and biosecurity Structural variation, genome assembly, RNA analysis, and epigenetic modification detection	Tools and Workflows MinION and other portable sequencing instruments Oxford Nanopore platforms and chemistry concepts Basecalling from raw signal to sequence reads Read mapping, variant calling, genome assembly, and quality control Experimental design, metadata, reproducibility, and responsible interpretation
Latest Progress 2026-06-27 - Nanopore Wiki homepage launched with a portal-style layout for tracking nanopore technology, sequencing, tools, and research progress.	Contribute Nanopore Wiki welcomes careful contributions: clear definitions, reliable sources, reproducible methods, and balanced summaries of recent research. New progress items should include a date, a concise explanation, and a source when available. Site Notes Nanopore Wiki is an educational and knowledge-organization project. Its pages are intended for science communication and general technical reference, and do not replace professional medical, legal, regulatory, or commercial advice. References Nanopore - Wikipedia Nanopore sequencing - Wikipedia Principle of nanopore sequencing - Wikimedia Commons