IT LOOKS like an ordinary USB memory stick, but a little gadget
that can sequence DNA while plugged into your laptop could have
far-reaching effects on medicine and genetic research. The UK
company Oxford Nanopore Technologies built the device, called
MinION, and claims it can sequence simple genomes - such as
those of some viruses and bacteria - in a matter of seconds.
More complex genomes might not be practical at first, but MinION
could also be useful for quickly sequencing DNA from cells in a
biopsy to look for cancer, for example, or to determine the
genetic identity of bone fragments at an archaeological site.
MinION has already sequenced a simple virus called Phi X, which
contains 5000 genetic base pairs, the company announced last
week at the Advances in Genome Biology and Technology (AGBT)
conference in Marco Island, Florida. This was done as a proof of
principle. "Phi ... To continue reading this article, subscribe
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