University of California Santa Cruz

Dr. David Deamer and Dr. Mark Akeson, professors at UCSC, along with their colleague Dr. Dan Branton at Harvard, showed that DNA or RNA can be sequenced by pulling the DNA or RNA through a nanometer-sized hole (nanopore) with a charge differential across the hole and measuring the changes in charge as the different bases pass through the hole. A crucial breakthrough came when Dr. Akeson’s team developed a system incorporating an enzyme motor adjacent to the nanopore, slowing down nucleic acid transfer to allow accurate base identification. Yet another breakthrough involved performing this sequencing method using an array of nanopores, greatly increasing efficiency.

These nanopore sequencing technologies were licensed by Oxford Nanopore Technologies and led the products like MinION, GridION, and PromethION sequencing systems. These systems make it easier and more affordable for researchers around the world to analyze genetic material, whether they are working in a laboratory, in remote locations, or even in space.

The commercialization of this technology by Oxford Nanopore Technologies has created thousands of jobs across the globe in the biotechnology industry — not just for employees of Oxford Nanopore Technologies, but for individuals in research labs and biotechnology companies who are trained to use and analyze results from the various nanopore instruments. The low cost and high throughput of nanopore sequencing allows companies, universities, and research institutions to spend less on capital expenditures and achieve faster results than previously possible.