MinION Mk1C now in-field, for COVID-19 and beyond

From COVID-19 research and epidemiology to plant genomics, analysis of eDNA to whole genome sequencing, the applications of MinION Mk1C are now being thoroughly explored by the Nanopore Community.

The MinION Mk1C combines the real-time, rapid, portable sequencing of MinION and Flongle with real-time, powerful GPU based computing and a high-resolution screen, in one portable device. The device was shipped to early access users at the start of 2020, and is now broadly available.

Mk1C in COVID-19

In China, researches at Fuyang City CDC became the first in China to sequence COVID-19 samples using MinION Mk1C. The team is part of a growing network of public health and CDC labs in China that are deploying nanopore products for rapid epidemiological surveillance. In February, Nanopore deployed 200 MinIONs to China, and many of these are now in use for viral and bacterial sequencing surveillance programmes. Increasing numbers of China CDC labs are looking to use MinION Mk1C in the coming weeks and months.

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A group of scientists in Canada led by Dr. Martin Smith have been ramping up their efforts to sequence SARS-CoV-2 genomes on MinION Mk1C. So far, 28 whole genome sequences have been made available on GISAID, with more to come.

Beyond COVID-19

MinION Mk1C is designed to enable rapid DNA/RNA sequencing in any environment and is increasingly being used by scientists around the world to deliver new insights and actionable, real-time results across a range of applications.

Reindert Nijland was one of the first to receive the MinION Mk1C and has been using the device to sequence eDNA from the North Sea. He tested the portability to the limit when he sequenced on the device whilst riding a bike!

Meanwhile, the team at KeyGene in the Netherlands had the device up and running in their greenhouse in less than 2 hours and have since been using it for plant pathogen detection development.

At Shanghai Animal Disease Prevention and Control Centre, scientists also successfully installed and tested their first MinION Mk1C in just a couple of hours and will now use the device for rapid detection of pathogenic miroorganisms in animal diseases.

Just yesterday, the Lavretsky Lab received their MinION Mk1C. They’ll be using it in the lab and in the field for their research, which focuses on the study of speciation, evolution, adaptation, and the role of gene flow. As for the Brickopore team, we look forward to seeing what they've got planned for their Mk1C...

The MinION Mk1C is available to buy in our store, with a lead time of up to 12 weeks. You can find our more information about the device, and features to come, here.