PromethION by Oxford Nanopore Technologies: status and timeline

PromethION

PromethION is a real-time long-read sequencing platform delivering terabases per run. It reads DNA and RNA at full length (20 bp to 4 Mb) with base-modification calling in real time.

DeployStage 4 of 5

P24, P48 deployed; P2i early access; PromethION Plus launching 2026.

Updated Jan 2026Checked 10 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · PromethION Plus Flow Cell and Q-Line launch

PromethION 24 and 48 launched2019Complete.
PromethION 2 Integrated early access beginsMar 2024Complete.
PromethION Plus Flow Cell and Q-Line launchTarget 2026Current milestone.

Most important updates

Upcoming

2026PromethION Plus Flow Cell and Q-Line launch (next)
2026Q-Line PromethION release
2026Two-genome-per-flow-cell chemistry available

Current obstacles

Raw accuracy trade-offNanopore raw reads are lower accuracy than Illumina; correction by polishing, duplex, or consensus reduces throughput or cost advantage.
GC-rich regionsHigh-GC DNA can show reduced basecalling accuracy and threading through the nanopore, limiting performance in some genomes.

Physics limits

Noise in the poreSignal-to-noise ratio in nanopore current limits the error rate. Thicker membranes improve clarity but slow DNA transit.
DNA fragilityUltra-long reads require gentle handling; every break produces shorter reads. Shear stress from pipetting or flow speed reduces long-read yield.

How it works

3 parts

Single nanopore

One pore reads the strand

As DNA moves through a protein nanopore, current changes indicate each base, one at a time. No fluorescent labels needed.

Real-time data

Basecalling during the run

The instrument processes raw signal to sequence bases while the run is active, so data is ready before the cartridge is finished.

Multiple cells in parallel

Thousands of nanopores in one cartridge

A single flow cell contains 3,000 nanopores, and the PromethION 48 can run 48 cartridges at once for terabase-scale output.

Spec sheet

Spec	PromethION
PromethION 24 maximum flow cells	24^R (reported)
PromethION 48 maximum flow cells	48^R (reported)
PromethION 48 flow cells per week	96^R (reported)
PromethION 24 72-hour throughput	5+ Tb^R (reported)
PromethION 48 72-hour throughput	10+ Tb^R (reported)
Per flow cell yield	Up to 290 Gb^R (reported)
Read length range	20 bp to 4+ Mb^R (reported)
Median raw read accuracy	>Q20 (99%)^R (reported)

^R reported by the company

Papers & demos

1 item

Mar 2024demo
PromethION 2 Integrated launched in early access (opens nanoporetech.com)Self-contained benchtop device with integrated computing, NVIDIA GPU, and MinKNOW.

Update log

4 updates

About Oxford Nanopore Technologies

The team behind PromethION

Oxford Nanopore Technologies

PromethION nanopore long-read sequencing, real-time base modification

Oxford Nanopore develops nanopore sequencing technology for real-time DNA and RNA analysis. PromethION delivers terabases of sequence data with base modification calling, supporting ultra-long reads from 20 bp to 4 Mb.

Oxford Nanopore listed on the London Stock Exchange in October 2021 and entered the FTSE 250 in 2024.
The company is developing improved sequencing chemistry to enable sequencing two human genomes per PromethION flow cell.
A Q-Line version of the high-throughput PromethION sequencer is expected to launch in 2026.

nanoporetech.com (opens nanoporetech.com)Company profile →

Founded: 200521 yrs
Headquarters: United Kingdom
Status: Public
Listed: ONT (opens google.com)LSE
Valuation: $2Bmarket capOct 2026
Last round: IPO on London Stock Exchange · $445MOct 2021
Works in: BiotechGenomics & sequencing
Coverage: 1 program · 6 updateslatest 1 Jan 2026checked 10 Oct
Partners: Illumina (opens illumina.com)
People: Hagan Bayley (opens en.wikipedia.org)Co-founderGordon Sanghera (opens en.wikipedia.org)Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer (until March 2, 2026)Francis Van Parys (opens linkedin.com)Chief Executive Officer (from March 2, 2026)

Spec

PromethION

PromethION 24 maximum flow cells

24^R (reported)

PromethION 48 maximum flow cells

48^R (reported)

PromethION 48 flow cells per week

96^R (reported)

PromethION 24 72-hour throughput

5+ Tb^R (reported)

PromethION 48 72-hour throughput

10+ Tb^R (reported)

Per flow cell yield

Up to 290 Gb^R (reported)

Read length range

20 bp to 4+ Mb^R (reported)

Median raw read accuracy

>Q20 (99%)^R (reported)

PromethION

Milestones

Most important updates

Upcoming

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

One pore reads the strand

Basecalling during the run

Thousands of nanopores in one cartridge

Spec sheet

Papers & demos

Update log

Jan 2026

Wed 15 Oct 2025

2024

Oct 2021

About Oxford Nanopore Technologies

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

One pore reads the strand

Basecalling during the run

Thousands of nanopores in one cartridge

Spec sheet

Papers & demos

Update log

Jan 2026

Wed 15 Oct 2025

2024

Oct 2021

About Oxford Nanopore Technologies