Main Page

Welcome to Nanopore Wiki

A knowledge base and science outreach site for nanopore technology, sequencing, single-molecule detection, bioinformatics, 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.

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

News and Research Updates

• 2026-06-27 - Nanopore Wiki homepage launched with a portal-style layout for tracking nanopore technology, sequencing, tools, and research progress.

Did You Know?

• Nanopore sequencing reads molecular signals directly as DNA or RNA passes through a nanoscale pore.
• Long reads can help resolve repeats, structural variants, and complex genome regions.
• Some nanopore methods can detect RNA or base modifications without converting molecules into short amplified fragments.
• Portable instruments make sequencing possible in field, classroom, clinical, and small-laboratory settings.

What Is a Nanopore?

A nanopore is a very small opening, often only a few nanometres wide. In nanopore experiments, ions or molecules pass through or near the pore, and the resulting signal can be measured. The signal can carry information about molecular size, charge, shape, sequence, binding, or chemical modification.

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 properties at single-molecule scale.

Picture of the Day

Principle of nanopore sequencing

A schematic view of nanopore sequencing, where molecular movement through a pore is converted into measurable signal.

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.

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

Nanopore Wiki Reminds You

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. Claims about breakthroughs, clinical use, or product performance should be supported by reliable sources.

Nanopore Wiki is a knowledge and science-outreach project. The site can host related multilingual, open-content tasks and community-maintained resources:

Glossary

Concise definitions for nanopore terms.

News and papers

Research updates, high-level papers, and technology progress.

Data and bioinformatics

Workflows for signal, reads, mapping, assembly, and variants.

Instruments and workflows

Portable sequencing devices and practical methods.

Help

How to read, search, and contribute.

Editorial guidelines

Quality standards for rigorous writing and sourcing.

References

• Nanopore - Wikipedia
• Nanopore sequencing - Wikipedia
• Principle of nanopore sequencing - Wikimedia Commons