Seminar Series Implications of nanopore sequencing for tropical disease research Dr Aaron Jex, The University of Melbourne Thursday 11th September 2014, 1 pm James Cook University (JCU) Cairns A21.002 Teaching Annex videolinked to JCU Townsville 40-103 Padua Theatre All welcome In this seminar, Dr Jex will discuss the implications of a major new sequencing technology for genomics research and ‘in the field’ diagnostics of neglected tropical pathogens. The last decade has seen a paradigm shift in biological research with the advent of next generation sequencing technologies. Despite their impact, a challenge of NGS has been its reliance on short sequence ‘reads’ that must be analysed through complex bioinformatics. Also, although the cost of NGS data is low, the sequencing platforms remain too costly for most laboratories. The advent of nanopore sequencing allows the generation of ultra-long reads with little prior processing. Because nanopore sequencing does not rely on imaging to read sequence data, these devices are highly miniaturizable and low-cost. In November 2013, Oxford Nanopore Technology invited researchers to beta-test the minION platform, a nanopore sequencer the size of a modern smart phone that allows real-time NGS in any setting on a standard laptop. As one of these beta-testers, I will present our early experiences with this platform and a perspective on its potential to advance tropical medicine research. Aaron Jex is Senior Lecturer in Parasitology at the Faculty of Veterinary Science of the University of Melbourne. He has a broad range of interests, with a particular focus on the use of advanced technologies and bioinformatics to explore neglected tropical diseases, with a particular focus on infectious enteric parasites, including soiltransmitted helminths, Cryptosporidium and Giardia.