Opportunities and challenges for nanopore-based clinical diagnostics

The detection technology based on micro-nanofluidics has been developed fast with wide applications in biochemical analysis and clinical diagnostics because of its small sample volume requirement, rapid detection and portability. Recently, nanofluidics emerges for DNA sequencing and biomarker detection. With nanopore technology,whole genome sequence in 24 hours with a cost of lower than $1000 could be realized. However, improvement in the detection accuracy and repeatability are still desired for clinic diagnostics. Nanopore technology could be powerful tools for clinical diagnostics, providing new opportunities for laboratory medicine. Key words: Microfluidics; Nanopores; Sequence analysis; Whole genome sequencing; Molecular diagnostic techniques