Oxford Nanopore Sequencing
Cambridge Genomic Services is hosting the PromethION 24 as part of a shared equipment scheme accross the School of Biological Science. This scheme allows members of the school to become trained users and access this technology to run their project, using the instrument in our facilities.
To know more about this and register please contact cgs@path.cam.ac.uk
For users outside the school or the university, we can run your project as part of our service offering. We can help with your library preperation, setting up runs on the instrument and bioinformatics analysis. You can send us a request using this form.
To know more please use the link at the bottom of the page to submit a request or contact us: cgs@path.cam.ac.uk
DNA applications
Our team has developped a wealth of experience with the DNA workflow using Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT). This platform can be used for a great variety of applications such as whole genome sequencing, epigenetics and metagenomics.
Whole Genome sequencing
The long reads techonology available through ONT enable the resolution of complex regions for assemblies, something that can be impossible to resolve using short read technology. Repeat regions, structural variants can be analysed using ONT. Additionally, epigenetic modification can be interogated during the same sequencing run, no prior modification of the DNA is necessary.
Targetted sequencing
ONT allows high coverage and phasing of Structural variants (SV), repetitive regions and base modifications. Using adaptive sampling, a method underpinned by the real time analysis provided by ONT, it is possible to selectively enrich for sequences of interest. All you need is the sequence of the region you would like to enrich.
Metagenomics
Thanks to the long read technology, it is easy to analyse metagenomics sample using ONT. The depth of sequencing and long reads allow to characterise most bacteria and other microbiote present in a sample, allowing to get great resolution at the species level.
RNA applications
In addition to our expertise with DNA worklow, our team considerable experience working with RNA can be leverage into the ONT RNA workflows.
Gene expression
Due to the long reads available on the platfom it allows reduce muti mapping rate, better resolution and quantifications of transcript variants. All of this without any PCR bias.
Single cell transcriptomics
One of the limiting factor in single cell transcriptomics on short reads is the inability to investigate transcript variant. Usually targetting the 3' or 5' region of the reads, it prevent the characterisation of transcript isoform. Long reads worflow for single cells unlock the ability allow to investigate transcripts abundance at the isoform level. This lets you investigate previously unknown avenues in your research.
RNA epigenetic modification
As the workflow use native RNA without any PCR step, it is possible to investigate the epigenetics variation present on RNA. This can be done in tandem with the other RNA applications.