Introducing GridION Mk1

GridION is a desktop device that allows simple scaling of MinION and Flongle Flow Cells. Users are able to run up to five flow cells simultaneously, enabling the generation of as much as 150Gb (assuming 30Gb per flow cell) of sequence data if using all five MinION flow cells at the same time.

It offers the same real-time, on-demand, long-read, direct DNA or RNA sequencing as other nanopore platforms.  Added to this, the integrated compute for onboard, real-time analysis provides capacity well in excess of that required for basecalling alone.

Today we are introducing the new GridION Mk1, which demonstrates a boost in GridION X5 performance at no additional cost. It is now available to order in store and shipping will commence later this week.

Alongside big improvements in MinION Flow Cell throughput (current record, 43Gb from a single Flow Cell), this upgrade provides GridION users with enhanced compute and increased stability.

Why GridION?

GridION is suitable for a range of biological applications. For example, at London Calling 2019 Susan Engelbrecht spoke about using the GridION to sequence a low-abundance cDNA viral genome from chacma baboons (watch talk here), whilst Timothy Gilpatrick and team performed targeted, PCR-free analysis of cancer-associated genes using Cas9 enrichment on GridION — you can find the results in this Research Spotlight. GridION is also being used to analyse metagenomic samples, perform de novo species assembly and to characterise full-length transcripts in their native RNA form. See how users have applied GridION to their research here.

Using GridION it’s possible to automate sequencing at scale — Clear Labs integrated GridION X5 into fully automated food safety testing to serotype pathogens in under 24 hours.

GridION is ideal for labs running multiple cross-application projects which rely on the advantages of nanopore sequencing: simple library preparation, real-time analysis and new biological insights from ultra-long reads. GridION also provides a platform for users to offer DNA and RNA sequencing as a service across a diverse range of applications.

What’s new?

The GridION Mk1 contains cutting-edge GPU technology in the form of the Nvidia Volta GV100 card which provides an order of magnitude performance improvement on that in the GridION X5. This means that basecalling requires just 10% of GPU resource, leaving 90% available for additional analysis.

The power requirements have been simplified for the GridION Mk1, increasing the stability of the platform and the pathway to upgrade for existing users is simple.

Find full upgrade details in the Community.