Direct RNA Sequencing with the Oxford Nanopore MinION

Nanopores offer a fundamentally different method for sequencing RNA, allowing direct interrogation of original RNA strands. A recently developed method at Oxford Nanopore has demonstrated strand sequencing of polyadenylated RNA, via a MinION sequencer. I will talk about a collaborative effort between UC Santa Cruz and Oxford Nanopore to develop other applications for RNA. We have developed a method for directly reading 16S rRNA sequence using the MinION. I will discuss preparation methods and examine the possibility of microbial detection from minimally prepared samples. Also, I will discuss our application of MinION direct RNA method to tRNA, where modified and unmodified RNA are examined.