Nanopore Sequencing of Cancer Genomes

Nanopore sequencing is a rapidly developing third-generation sequencing technology which allows for sequencing of arbitrarily long reads coupled with the ability to directly infer nucleic acid modifications such as methylation. Long reads lead to improved accuracy in detecting structural changes which are frequently important drivers of carcinogenesis as well as allowing for long-range inference of haplotypes, enabling the detection of allele-specific methylation. This is very promising in a cancer genomics context where tumours have a combination of genetic and epigenetic drivers which can be surveyed comprehensively through this technology.