Infectious disease
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- Infectious disease
- Immediate access to actionable results with real-time data — including pathogen identification and AMR profiling
- Rapidly characterise and identify pathogens using fast and flexible end-to-end workflows in the lab or field
- Resolve complete bacterial and viral genomes and mobile genetic elements with long nanopore reads
Rapid access to results
Offering comprehensive, real-time insights into the genomics of infectious diseases — from pathogen identification and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiling to the assembly of high-quality genomes and variant identification — nanopore sequencing delivers immediate access to the critical genomic epidemiology data required to effectively control infectious disease outbreaks. Sequence in the lab or at sample source at a scale that suits your needs, with powerful portable and high-throughput nanopore sequencing devices.
Featured content
Bacterial isolate sequencing
The nanopore-only microbial isolate sequencing solution (NO-MISS) is an end-to-end workflow, providing a flexible and rapid approach for whole-genome sequencing of bacterial isolates, generating data for a range of applications from public health to clinical microbiology research.
Delivering the future of genomic pathogen surveillance
Find out how nanopore sequencing overcomes the limitations of legacy genomic analysis technologies to deliver rapid, affordable, and informative results for a range of pathogen outbreaks, including SARS-CoV-2, Zika, Ebola, and many more — improving surveillance of infectious diseases.
Technology comparison
Oxford Nanopore sequencing
Legacy short-read sequencing
Any read length (20 bp to >4 Mb)
Short read length (<300 bp)
- Generate complete, high-quality genomes with fewer contigs and simplify de novo assembly
- Resolve genomic regions inaccessible to short reads, including complex structural variants (SVs) and repeats
- Analyse long-range haplotypes, accurately phase single nucleotide variants (SNVs) and base modifications, and identify parent-of-origin effects
- Sequence short DNA fragments, such as amplicons and cell-free DNA (cfDNA)
- Resolve mobile genetic elements — including plasmids and transposons — to generate critical genomic insights
- Enhance taxonomic resolution using full-length reads of informative loci, such as the entire 16S gene
- Assembly contiguity is reduced and complex computational analyses are required to infer results
- Complex genomic regions such as SVs and repeat elements typically cannot be sequenced in single reads (e.g. transposons, gene duplications, and prophage sequences)
- Important genetic information is missed
Direct sequencing of native DNA/RNA
Amplification required
- Eliminate amplification- and GC-bias, along with read length limitations, and access genomic regions that are difficult to amplify
- Create cost-effective, amplification-free, targeted panels with adaptive sampling to detect SVs, repeats, SNVs, and methylation in a single assay
- Amplification is often required and can introduce bias
- Uniformity of coverage is reduced, resulting in assembly gaps
Real-time data streaming
Fixed run time with bulk data delivery
- Analyse data as it is generated for immediate access to actionable results
- Stop sequencing when sufficient data is obtained — wash and reuse flow cell
- Combine real-time data streaming with intuitive, real-time EPI2ME data analysis workflows for deeper insights
- Time to result is increased
- Workflow errors cannot be identified until it is too late
- Additional complexities of handling large volumes of bulk data
Accessible and affordable sequencing
Constrained to centralised labs
- Sequence on demand with flexible end-to-end workflows that suit your throughput needs
- Sequence at sample source, even in the most extreme or remote environments, with the portable MinION device — minimise potential sample degradation caused by storage and shipping
- Scale up with modular GridION and PromethION devices — suitable for high-output, high-throughput sequencing to generate ultra-rich data
- Perform cost-effective targeted analyses with single-use Flongle Flow Cells
- Sequence as and when needed using low-cost, independently addressable flow cells — no sample batching needed
- Use sample barcodes to multiplex samples on a single flow cell
- Bulky, expensive devices that require substantial site infrastructure — use is restricted to well-resourced, centralised locations, limiting global accessibility
- High sample batching is required for optimal efficiency, delaying time to results
Streamlined, automatable workflows
Laborious workflows
- Prepare samples in as little as 10 minutes, including multiplexing
- Use end-to-end whole-genome, metagenomic, and targeted (including 16S barcoding) sequencing workflows
- Scale and automate your workflows to suit your sequencing needs
- Perform real-time enrichment of single targets or panels without additional wet-lab prep by using adaptive sampling
- Lengthy sample prep is required
- Long sequencing run times
- Workflow efficiency is reduced, and time to result is increased