An educational guide for nanopore sequencing in the classroom

The last decade has witnessed a remarkable increase in our ability to measure genetic information. Advancements of sequencing technologies are challenging the existing methods of data storage and analysis. While methods to cope with the data deluge are progressing, many biologists have lagged behind due to the fast pace of computational advancements and tools available to address their scientific questions. Future generations of biologists must be more computationally aware and capable. This means they should be trained to give them the computational skills to keep pace with technological developments. Here, we propose a model that bridges experimental and bioinformatics concepts using the Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) sequencing platform. We provide both a guide to begin to empower the new generation of educators, scientists, and students in performing long-read assembly of bacterial and bacteriophage genomes and a standalone virtual machine containing all the required software and learning materials for the course.
Author summary Genomes contain all the information required for an organism to function. Understanding the genome sequence is often the key to answer important biological questions. For example, the sequences of human genomes are used for diagnosis of genetic disorders or for the development of personalized treatments, while the sequences of microbes may inform about their mechanisms of infection and guide the development of novel drugs. Today, our capacity to generate genome sequencing data is tremendous. However, our capacity to process this information is insufficient. This is partially due to limitations of current methods for data analysis but is mostly caused by lack of training for most biologists to leverage high-throughput sequencing data and use their full potential. It is urgent that we train the new generations of biologists to become computationally aware and able to keep pace with technological developments in the field. In this manuscript, we illustrate our efforts in adopting an integrated teaching model that bridges experimental and bioinformatics works. Our course integrates data generation in the lab with bioinformatics work to illustrate the interlinking of lab practices and downstream effects. In our demonstration course, we used nanopore sequencing to train nanobiology students, but the model is easily customizable to suit students of different educational backgrounds or alternative technologies. The tools we provide help not only science educators but also biologists to address many relevant questions in biology.