So we just got a new sequencer in the lab I'm pretty excited to try out. It's a minION high throughput sequencer from Oxford Nanopore technologies and bless its heart it's cute!

 

 

Supposedly capable of generating about 10 base pairs (bp)/sec for a total of about 110 million base pairs per run, it generates data in real time so you can stop sequencing when you have enough data for your experiment. It generates long (10-2kbp) reads, so we're hoping to pair it with our MiSeq to captialize on the strengths of both systems.

It's dirt cheap for this technology at $1000 USD for the sequencer and set up kit, although consumables for it are pretty expensive.

 

We're hoping to use it for investigating transposable elements in bacteria, and developing rapid diagnostic methods for clinical application. Let's see how it goes.

 

 

Hmm, let me know how it performs, I'd be interested in it, too.

Wow please do share details. I don't do much research but I've been contemplating building a personal workbench and consumer grade tools like these intrigue me