Midwest ONT Sequencing Training #

Group photo of attendees, speakers, and organizaers at the Midwest ONT Sequencing Training in Lansing, MI.

Training Overview #

April 2-3, 2025 ~ Michigan Department of Health & Human Services, Bureau of Laboratories ~ Lansing, MI

The Midwest Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) Sequencing Training was an in-person training for Midwest lab and sequencing personnel interested in learning about ONT sequencing or long-read sequencing, in general. Through a combination of hands-on wet bench training, educational presentations, and group discussions, this event aimed for trainnees to be able to leverage long-read sequencing technologies to bolster genomic surveillance and outbreak investigation in their jurisdictions.

Event Organizers
Michigan Department of Health & Human Services

• Macy Pell, PhD - AMD Training Lead & Analyst
• Kristin Jacob, PhD, MS - Next Generation Sequencing Specialist
• Becky Kramer - Genomic Sequencing Unit Manager
• Heather Blankenship, PhD - Genomics Technical Director

Oxford Nanopore Technologies

• Maddy Hartley - Field Applications Scientist
• Torrin McDonald, PhD - Field Applications Scientist
• Ishita Parikh, PhD - Field Applications Scientist

Training Content #

Introduction to long-read sequencing & Oxford Nanopore Technologies

• Long Read Sequencing in Public Health ~ Kristin Jacob, PhD, MS
• ONT: Technical Background & Overview ~ Torrin McDonald, PhD; Ishita Parikh, PhD

Hands-on training with ONT NO-MISS & GridION workflow

• Lab introduction & safety orientation ~ Becky Kramer
• Hands-on training - NO-MISS protocol ~ Kristin Jacob, PhD, MS; Maddy Hartley; Torrin McDonald, PhD; Ishita Parikh, PhD

Overview of real-time run metrics & downstream analysis

• Sequencer offloading, cleanup & real-time run analysis ~ Kristin Jacob, PhD, MS; Maddy Hartley; Torrin McDonald, PhD; Ishita Parikh, PhD
• EPI2ME - Introduction to ONT’s analysis workflow ~ Maddy Hartley

Common errors & troubleshooting

• Common errors & troubleshooting Q&A panel

Case studies: ONT in other jurisdictions

• Utah Department of Health & Human Services ~ Kelly Oakeson, PhD
• Wadsworth Center, NY State Department of Health ~ Kim Musser, PhD
• Michigan State University Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory ~ Lindsy Hengesbach, MB(ASCP)CM

Event Resources #

• Full Agenda
• Oxford Nanopore Technologies ***

  Funding Acknowledgement #

  This training event was made possible through funding provided under the Epidemiology and Laboratory Capacity (ELC) for Prevention and Control of Emerging Infectious Diseases Cooperative Agreement (CK24-0002), Project D: Advanced Molecular Detection to the Michigan Department of Health & Human Services. The conclusions, findings, and opinions expressed by presenters and organizers of this event do not necessarily reflect the official position of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Public Health Services, or the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.