MinION
MinION is part of the Nanopore Wiki learning path. MinION is a portable nanopore sequencing device associated with Oxford Nanopore Technologies and widely used for field, teaching, and laboratory sequencing.
Core concepts
- MinION uses disposable flow cells with many nanopore channels.
- It supports real-time sequencing and portable workflows.
- Run success depends on sample quality, library preparation, flow cell state, and software configuration.
- Downstream interpretation requires appropriate bioinformatics and quality control.
Practical workflow
| Step | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Check flow cell status and plan library input. |
| 2 | Prepare and load the sequencing library. |
| 3 | Monitor run metrics such as active pores, yield, read length, and quality. |
| 4 | Analyze reads with a documented pipeline. |
Typical applications
- Rapid microbial and viral sequencing.
- Teaching long-read sequencing concepts.
- Field and resource-limited deployments.
- Small genome assembly and targeted sequencing.
Common pitfalls
- Assuming portability removes the need for sample quality control.
- Using old basecaller models without recording versions.
- Ignoring contamination and negative controls in field workflows.