Is Oxford Nanopore sequencing ready for analyzing complex microbiomes?

This minireview will discuss the improvements in Oxford Nanopore (Oxford; sequencing technology that make the MinION a viable platform for microbial ecology studies. Specific issues being addressed are the increase in sequence accuracy from 65 to 96.5% during the last 5 years, the ability to obtain a quantifiable/predictive signal from the MinION with respect to target molecule abundance, simple-to-use GUI-based pathways for data analysis and the modest additional equipment needs for sequencing in the field. Coupling these recent improvements with the low capital costs for equipment and the reasonable per sample cost makes MinION sequencing an attractive option for virtually any laboratory.

Automated summary

This minireview discusses the improvements in Oxford Nanopore sequencing technology that make the MinION a viable platform for microbial ecology studies. By increasing sequence accuracy, obtaining quantifiable signals, providing a user-friendly data analysis pathway, and requiring modest additional equipment for field sequencing, MinION sequencing has become an attractive option for laboratories with low capital costs and reasonable per sample costs.