Strona: Oxford Nanopore Technology / Department of Complex Systems

Oxford Nanopore Technology

Oxford Nanopore Technology - enzyme optimization and genomic data analysis in commercial applications

red. Michał Wroński

The goal of the project is to achieve a form that allows potential commercialization of basic and industrial research on 4th generation sequencing technology - Oxford Nanopore at PRz. This technology is an innovative solution in the field of protein analysis and their mutation having many practical applications in the area of: rapid identification of pathogens, virus monitoring, analysis of the state of the environment, monitoring of the state of food, analysis of antibiotic resistance, genetic mutation testing leading to cancer. Particularly useful is the MinION solution that allows protein sequencing through a mobile USB device. The project provides for basic research based on a series of experiments on the industrial optimization of enzymes produced by Bacillus bacteria (proteases, amylases, lipases, chitinases, pectinases, as well as compounds with bactericidal and antifungal activity). In the field of Oxford Nanopore technology, cooperation with CeNT UW will be carried out. During the implementation of the project, experimental data will be collected and they will serve as motivation to finalize the bioinformatic server, which will automatically process data from the MinION sequencer, eliminating the need for bioinformatic skills by the person performing the sequencing (e.g. biologist). The progress of server development is possible thanks to the alpha version of the solution proposed by CeNT UW.

The project will combine three research areas: biotechnology (genetics), bioinformatics and computer engineering. The results of the work will be published in two articles (bioinformatics, biotechnology). Both areas of the project (i.e. new enzymes and server) may be commercialized in the future.