Portable DNA sequencer helping fight anti-microbial resistance

Clinical researchers across the North will have the chance to use a portable DNA sequencing device to help fight against anti-microbial resistance (AMR). 

The Northern Heath Science Alliance (NHSA) introduced the DNA sequencing device Minion in a trial initiating in Liverpool and afterwards continuing to centres in Sheffield, York and Hull Medical School, Newcastle and Lancaster.

The overall aim of the trials is to scale up and implement the use of the technology across the five centres and eventually have it integrated into standard NHS practice to help fight anti-microbial resistance.

The device, Minion, was created by British company Oxford Nanopore. It can be used to provide rapid identification of infectious agents and to identify genes involved in AMR from clinical samples. The device is to be used to help screen samples, letting clinicians know which antibiotics will be effective when treating a disease.

The portability of the device gives researchers access to the kind of technology, previously unavailable to them. The device has been used in areas such as the Arctic, in Guinea for Ebola surveillance and even on the International Space Station.

Alistair Darby, director of the centre for Genomic Research at the University of Liverpool said: “The potential for this device is tremendous and extremely relevant for clinical research. Using the consortium the NHSA brought together we hope to convert the technology into a clinically valid test for use with patients.”

Dr Hakim Yadi, CEO of the Northern Health Science Alliance said: “The accessibility and portability of this technology means that it is highly relevant for taking sample analysis to more locations, for example out of centralised labs and into hospitals or primary care. Its real time nature means that results can be available very quickly and could help clinicians to choose the right antibiotic for treating patients in a more timely way. We have been working with Oxford Nanopore, who recognise its potential within hospitals. Within a month we were able to gather key researchers from Liverpool, Sheffield, York & Hull Medical School, Newcastle and Lancaster around a table with Oxford Nanopore to begin discussing possible clinical applications. With expertise based in clinical pathology, the potential for this technology to quickly assess anti-microbial resistance was realised and an agreement to begin validating the technology in this capacity was formed.”