IP Library Granted Patent US 12,398,421
Granted Patent B2
US 12,398,421 · App. 17/292,012 · Granted Aug 26, 2025

Nanopore sequencing method

Inventors: Guoli Zhu (Guangdong, CN); Hanjie Shen (Guangdong, CN); Jianxun Lin (Guangdong, CN); Yuan Jiang (Guangdong, CN); Tao Zeng (Guangdong, CN)
Assignees: BGI SHENZHEN; BGI SHENZHEN CO., LTD
C12Q1/6869
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,398,421
App. No.
17/292,012
Granted
Aug 26, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

A nanopore sequencing method, including: in a nanopore sequencing device, performing rolling circle amplification by using a single-strand ring or double-strand ring of nucleic acid as a template to produce an amplified single strand; under the action of an electric field, introducing the amplified single strand into nanopores of the nanopore sequencing device, so that the amplified single strand passes through the nanopores and generates an electrical signal for each base. By determining electrical signal differences caused by different bases, a base sequence on a template nucleic acid is measured.

Claims (40)

1. A nanopore sequencing method, comprising: in a nanopore sequencing device, performing a rolling circle amplification by using a single-stranded or double-stranded nucleic acid as a template nucleic acid to produce amplified single strands; under action of an electric field, introducing the amplified single strands into nanopores of the nanopore sequencing device in such a manner that the amplified single strands pass through the nanopores and generate an electrical signal for each base; and judging differences in the electrical signals caused by different bases to determine a base sequence of the template nucleic acid, wherein:

when the template nucleic acid is a single-stranded nucleic acid loop, the reaction system further comprises a probe sequence, the probe sequence comprises a specific modification, the specific modification is connectable to a support layer supporting the nanopores in the nanopore sequencing device, and the amplification primer comprises a probe recognition site capable of binding to the probe sequence; or

when the template nucleic acid is a double-stranded nucleic acid loop, the reaction system further comprises a probe sequence, the probe sequence comprises a specific modification, the specific modification is connectable to a support layer supporting the nanopores in the nanopore sequencing device, and the nucleic acid double-stranded loop comprises a probe recognition site capable of binding to the probe sequence.

2. The nanopore sequencing method according to claim 1 , wherein the template nucleic acid is a nucleic acid single-stranded loop; a reaction system of the rolling circle amplification comprises the nucleic acid single-stranded loop, an amplification primer configured to partially hybridize with the nucleic acid single-stranded loop, as well as a polymerase having a strand displacement activity, dNTPs, and a reaction buffer; and the method comprises:

hybridizing the nucleic acid single-stranded loop with the amplification primer to form a hybrid product;

adding the hybrid product into the nanopore sequencing device, and adding the polymerase, dNTPs, and the reaction buffer to perform the rolling circle amplification to produce the amplified single strands; and

under action of the electric field, allowing each base of the amplified single strand to gradually pass through the nanopore and generate the electrical signal for each base, and judging the differences in the electrical signals caused by different bases to determine the base sequence of the template nucleic acid.

3. The nanopore sequencing method according to claim 2 , the method comprises:

hybridizing the amplification primer and the probe sequence with the nucleic acid single-stranded loop to form the hybrid product;

adding the hybrid product into the nanopore sequencing device to connect the probe sequence to the support layer, and adding the polymerase, dNTPs and the reaction buffer to perform the rolling circle amplification to produce the amplified single strands; and

under action of the electric field, allowing each base of the amplified single strands to gradually pass through the nanopore and generate the electrical signal for each base, and judging the differences in the electrical signals caused by different bases to determine the base sequence of the template nucleic acid.

4. The nanopore sequencing method according to claim 2 , the method comprises:

hybridizing the amplification primer with the nucleic acid single-stranded loop to form the hybrid product;

adding the probe sequence into the nanopore sequencing device to allow the probe sequence to be connected to the support layer, adding the hybrid product to hybridize the amplification primer with the probe sequence, and adding the polymerase, dNTPs and the reaction buffer to perform the rolling circle amplification to produce the amplified single strands; and

under action of the electric field, allowing each base of the amplified single strands to gradually pass through the nanopore and generate the electrical signal for each base, and judging the differences in the electrical signals caused by different bases to determine the base sequence of the template nucleic acid.

5. The nanopore sequencing method according to claim 3 , wherein the specific modification is selected from a cholesterol modification or a biotin modification;

when the specific modification is the cholesterol modification, the support layer is a phospholipid bilayer, and cholesterol and the phospholipid bilayer are connected through affinity binding; and

when the specific modification is the biotin modification, the support layer comprises a streptavidin modification, and biotin and streptavidin are connected through affinity binding.

6. A nanopore sequencing method, comprising: in a nanopore sequencing device, performing a rolling circle amplification by using a single-stranded or double-stranded nucleic acid as a template nucleic acid to produce amplified single strands; under action of an electric field, introducing the amplified single strands into nanopores of the nanopore sequencing device in such a manner that the amplified single strands pass through the nanopores and generate an electrical signal for each base; and judging differences in the electrical signals caused by different bases to determine a base sequence of the template nucleic acid,

wherein the nucleic acid single-stranded loop comprises a special modification, and the special modification is connectable to a support layer supporting the nanopores in the nanopore sequencing device; and the method comprises:

adding the amplification primer and the nucleic acid single-stranded loop into the nanopore sequencing device, to allow the amplification primer to hybridize with the nucleic acid single-stranded loop to form the hybrid product and to allow the nucleic acid single-stranded loop to be connected to the support layer through the special modification, and adding the polymerase, dNTPs and the reaction buffer to perform the rolling circle amplification to produce the amplified single strands; and

under action of the electric field, allowing each base of the amplified single strands to gradually pass through the nanopore and generate the electrical signal for each base, and judging the differences in the electrical signals caused by different bases to determine the base sequence of the template nucleic acid.

7. The nanopore sequencing method according to claim 6 , wherein the special modification is selected from biotin or polyethylene glycol.

8. The nanopore sequencing method according to claim 7 , wherein the special modification is biotin, the support layer comprises a streptavidin modification, and biotin and streptavidin are connected through affinity binding.

9. The nanopore sequencing method according to claim 1 , wherein when the template nucleic acid is a nucleic acid double-stranded loop, the method comprises:

adding the nucleic acid double-stranded loop, the probe sequence, the polymerase, dNTPs and the reaction buffer into the nanopore sequencing device, to allow the probe sequence to be connected to the support layer through the specific modification, and performing the rolling circle amplification to produce the amplified single strands from the one strand having the gap of the nucleic acid double-stranded loop; and

under action of the electric field, allowing each base of the amplified single strands to gradually pass through the nanopore and generate the electrical signal for each base, and judging the differences in the electrical signals caused by different bases to determine the base sequence of the template nucleic acid.

10. The nanopore sequencing method according to claim 2 , wherein the polymerase having a strand displacement activity is selected from phi29 polymerase or Bst polymerase.

11. The nanopore sequencing method according to claim 1 , wherein a voltage of the electric field is a millivolt voltage.

12. The nanopore sequencing method according to claim 11 , wherein the millivolt voltage is a voltage above 10 mV, preferably a voltage above 50 mV, more preferably a voltage ranging from 100 mV to 250 mV, and most preferably a voltage of 120 mV.

13. The nanopore sequencing method according to claim 1 , further comprising a step of preparing the nucleic acid single-stranded loop or the nucleic acid double-stranded loop, wherein the step comprises:

cyclizing a DNA fragment to obtain a single-stranded loop or a double-stranded loop.

14. The nanopore sequencing method according to claim 13 , wherein the DNA fragment has a length ranging from 100 bp to 1 Mbp.

15. The nanopore sequencing method according to claim 1 , wherein the nanopores are biological nanopores and solid-state nanopores.

16. The nanopore sequencing method according to claim 15 , wherein the biological nanopores are protein nanopores, and a narrowest part of the protein nanopores allows a single-stranded nucleic acid to pass through.

17. The nanopore sequencing method according to claim 15 , wherein the solid-state nanopores are nanopores of a silicon-based material or a graphene two-dimensional material, and a narrowest part of the nanopores of the silicon-based material allows a single-stranded nucleic acid to pass through.

18. The nanopore sequencing method according to claim 4 , wherein the specific modification is selected from a cholesterol modification or a biotin modification;

when the specific modification is the cholesterol modification, the support layer is a phospholipid bilayer, and cholesterol and the phospholipid bilayer are connected through affinity binding; and

when the specific modification is the biotin modification, the support layer comprises a streptavidin modification, and biotin and streptavidin are connected through affinity binding.

19. The nanopore sequencing method according to claim 9 , wherein the polymerase is selected from phi29 polymerase or Bst polymerase.

Assignments (3)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Mar 17, 2026
From: BGI SHENZHEN; BGI SHENZHEN CO., LTD
To: BGI HANGZHOU CYCLONESEQ TECHNOLOGY CO., LTD.
Reel/Frame 074095/0253 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Feb 25, 2025
From: BGI SHENZHEN
To: BGI SHENZHEN; BGI SHENZHEN CO, LTD
Reel/Frame 070325/0453 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded May 7, 2021
From: ZHU, GUOLI; SHEN, HANJIE; LIN, JIANXUN; JIANG, YUAN; ZENG, TAO
To: BGI SHENZHEN
Reel/Frame 056164/0842 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220002798A1 · Jan 6, 2022
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