PromethION 2 Solo from Oxford Nanopore: Latest Sequencing Technologies—Part 2

There has been a flurry of activity among next-gen sequencing companies this year with a number of new sequencers being announced. In October, Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) announced the release of their new device, the PromethION 2 (P2) Solo sequencer. The P2 Solo is a small, high-yield sequencer with considerably lower starting costs compared to some of its competitors; the starter pack for ONT’s latest device is priced around $10,455. Despite its small size, the P2 Solo stands as a valuable whole genome sequencer by maintaining the same sequencing options as their larger PromethION devices. Let’s take a closer look at some of the P2 Solo’s specs.

Image of the P2 Solo (courtesy of Oxford Nanopore Technologies)

Read type and length
The PromethION 2 Solo is a long-read sequencer, like the other ONT instruments. The reads can vary from 20 bases up to >4 Mb. Once again, users have the ability to terminate their sequencing run once they’ve obtained a sufficient amount of data, and wash the flow cell so it can be used again on a new set of samples. The P2 Solo can run up to 208 flow cells per year, assuming the flow cells run for 72 hours with 2 full runs per week.

Flow cell/SMRT Cell options
The instrument utilizes ONT’s newest R10.4.1 flow cells, and has two flow cell positions. Each flow cell is capable of being run independently or together, and users can multiplex up to 96 samples in a single run. The flow cells support direct RNA sequencing, direct methylation detection, and chromatin conformation capture with Pore-C.

Data output
Data output on the P2 Solo is up to 580 Gb when both flow cells are used. The output per flow cell is expected to be 100-200 Gb for native gDNA reads (read N50 -25 kb), 50-100 Gb for ultra-long native DNA reads (>50 kb read N50), and >200 Gb for metagenomic samples (read N50 ~ 10 kb).

Analysis
Unlike the standard PromethION 2, the PromethION 2 Solo doesn’t have the ability to analyze data. Instead, users can connect to a GridION Mk1 device or computer with the required specs for data analysis. The P2 Solo release does include a whole genome workflow in ONT’s analysis software (EPI2ME). This release also includes small variant, structural variant, and methylation reports.

Common applications
● Complex genomic regions
● Cancer research samples (used in P2 Solo’s initial testing)
● DNA/RNA methylation detection
● Native DNA and RNA sequencing

Release date
The PromethION 2 Solo is available for pre-order and is expected to ship in the coming months.

Highlights
● The most affordable genome sequencer to date. Its starter kit is priced for $10,455 and the cost per genome is estimated to be less than $1000.
● A compact sequencer, “equivalent in size to one printed volume of the Lord of the Rings trilogy (source ONT Press Release).”
● Higher data generation than other small ONT devices. A single P2 flow cell can generate nearly six times more data than the MinION.
● Ability to sequence native DNA/RNA and retain the original sequence, prevent amplification bias, and still obtain high yields on low input samples.
● Quick library preparations that can also be generated using VolTRAX, ONTS’s portable and automated library prep device.

To compare sequencing technologies please visit Biocompare