The keyring that can sequence DNA

SMALL PRINT:WE ARE all used to phones getting smaller and handier, but how about this: a device the size of a computer memory stick that can read the sequence of "letters" in DNA.

In recent years the process of sequencing DNA has sped up and costs have fallen, but last week UK company Oxford Nanopore Technologies turned heads by unveiling details of a relatively tiny device for reading single molecules of DNA.

Called the MinION, it plugs into the USB port on a laptop or desktop computer.

The company describes it as “a disposable DNA sequencing device the size of a USB memory stick whose low cost, portability and ease of use are designed to make DNA sequencing universally accessible”.

It works by using an array of tiny protein “nanopores” embedded in a plastic membrane. Individual strands of DNA get passed through the pores and the device reads the combinations of bases as they come through.

The company, a spin-out from Oxford, also released information about its larger GridION platform, where nodes can be clustered to scale up the sequencing operation.

According to the release, “a 20-node installation using an 8,000 nanopore configuration would be expected to deliver a complete human genome in 15 minutes”.

The company presented details at the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology conference in the US. The devices aren’t yet available for order, but you can find out more at nanoporetech.com