Qitan Tech Launches New Desktop Nanopore Sequencer QNome-3841hex, Advancing Domestic Fully Self-Developed Sequencing Platform Toward Matrix-Driven Growth

On June 28, the event “Harnessing Qitan’s Strength to Discuss Pathogens: QitanTech New Product Launch and Online Academic Symposium” was successfully held. QitanTech unveiled the QNome-3841hex nanopore gene sequencer and related reagent kits, providing a novel solution for flexible sequencing scenarios.

 QitanTech Online Launch Event

As the newest member of the QitanTech QNome family, the successful launch of the QNome-3841hex marks the beginning of a matrix-based development strategy for domestically produced nanopore gene sequencers. This advancement will meet more diverse sequencing demands in the market and provide core support for research and applications across various fields.

At the press conference, Xie Dan, co-founder of QitanTech, stated, “The QNome-3841hex nanopore gene sequencer is a desktop sequencer and an upgraded version of the QNome-3841. Its most significant feature is its more flexible throughput, supporting the independent operation of up to six sequencing runs. Sequencing chips can be freely combined during the process, offering flexibility and control without the need to pool samples, thereby minimizing startup costs to the greatest extent.”

 QNome-3841hex Nanopore Gene Sequencer

In terms of data output, the upgraded sequencer also demonstrates superior performance. The QNome-3841hex is equipped with the newly upgraded QCell-384 sequencing chip, which can generate 3 GB of data per chip. With six chips running simultaneously, a single sequencing run can yield 18 GB of data, meeting the demands for higher-throughput sequencing.

In terms of accuracy and read length, the QNome-3841hex retains the characteristics of its predecessor, with a single-pass accuracy remaining at 90% and a consensus accuracy reaching 99.9%. Long read lengths have always been a prominent feature of nanopore single-molecule gene sequencing; theoretically, there is no limit to sequencing read length, as it depends solely on the length of the nucleic acid in the sample. Consequently, the QNome-3841hex offers a wide range of read lengths, from as short as 200 bp to over 2 Mbp for the longest reads.

In terms of application performance, QitanTech conducted performance tests with various chip combinations on the QNome-3841hex to address diverse scenario requirements. Application testing was carried out in multiple areas, including pathogen identification, microbial assembly, tumor fusion gene detection, forensic identification, and low-coverage human genome sequencing. All tests yielded results or metrics that exceeded expectations, demonstrating the broad applicability and reliability of the QNome-3841hex.

As a desktop nanopore gene sequencer, the QNome-3841hex features a sleek design and user-friendly operation, freeing users from the constraints of central laboratories. With its simplified library preparation, real-time sequencing-and-analysis capability, and live basecalling feature, it enables rapid deployment to the front lines during public health emergencies to quickly identify sources of outbreaks. In pathogen research settings, it facilitates rapid detection and comprehensive characterization of pathogen genomic information.

Regarding the industry’s attention to QitanTech’s two new product launches within six months, Xie Dan stated, “As the Qitan QNome sequencing platform delivers value in an increasing number of scenarios and fields, the hard capabilities of China-made nanopore gene sequencing technology are being witnessed and recognized. Meanwhile, the market and application sectors have placed higher expectations on it, including more flexible sequencing, higher throughput, and lower costs. After six months, QitanTech has presented a new answer to the market with the QNome-3841hex.”

As an early adopter of QitanTech’s nanopore gene sequencer, Professor Li Ruichao from the College of Veterinary Medicine at Yangzhou University stated, “We have observed that the Qitan QNome platform demonstrates significant advantages in sequencing read length. As an upgraded version, the QNome-3841hex offers a substantial improvement in throughput, which will undoubtedly enable its adoption in a broader range of application scenarios. We look forward to this new product facilitating the generation of more scientific research outcomes. The advancement of sequencing technology will greatly propel progress in life sciences and medical research. We anticipate that domestically produced nanopore gene sequencing technologies will become increasingly mature and stable, thereby benefiting both technical research and clinical applications.”

At the press conference, QitanTech also unveiled a PCR barcode library preparation kit, designed to meet the needs of multiplexed sequencing of multiple samples on a single chip. The kit comprises two modules—a barcode kit and a PCR library preparation kit—providing 12 barcodes to support the construction of six pooled libraries. Library preparation can be completed within three hours, offering a simple and rapid workflow. When used in conjunction with the Qitan QNome sequencing platform, it significantly reduces the sequencing cost per sample.

Since the beginning of this year, QitanTech’s nanopore gene sequencers, along with their accompanying chips and reagents, have been progressively delivered to end users, marking the official market entry of domestically produced nanopore gene sequencing instruments.

Seizing the opportunity of this press conference, QitanTech also invited two experts—Professor Wang Hui, Director of the Department of Clinical Laboratory at Peking University People’s Hospital, and Researcher Yang Hang from the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences—to deliver themed presentations on the practical testing and application exploration of nanopore gene sequencers in the field of microbiological research.

Professor Wang Hui stated that over the past six months, his team has collaborated with QitanTech on projects including bacterial genome assembly and metagenomic sequencing, as well as clinical validation of QitanTech’s metagenomic pathogen detection solution. He expressed great satisfaction at witnessing the breakthroughs in QitanTech’s nanopore gene sequencing technology. The QitanTech QNome sequencing platform enables rapid and stable pathogen detection, and its results for clinically positive samples show high concordance with those obtained by classical methods.

Furthermore, nanopore gene sequencing holds immense potential in the field of drug-resistant bacteria detection. Researcher Yang Hang stated that rapid and accurate gene sequencing technologies are highly significant for both scientific research and clinical practice in studies involving bacteriophages, drug-resistant bacteria, and their interactions. He expressed his hope to continue collaborating with QitanTech’s QNome sequencing platform to deliver sustained value to research on bacteriophage-bacteria interactions and bacteriophage resistance.

As a core tool in life sciences, QitanTech’s nanopore gene sequencers are also being applied across diverse fields such as forensic investigation, public health and epidemic prevention, animal and plant research, and infectious disease diagnostics. Currently, more than 100 institutions are using the QNome sequencing platform, with domestically produced nanopore gene sequencing technology empowering an increasing number of scholars and researchers to achieve breakthroughs in their work.

At the press conference, experts from the Kunming Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing Tsinghua Changgung Hospital affiliated with Tsinghua University, and the West China School of Basic Medical Sciences and Forensic Medicine of Sichuan University pointed out that the Qitan QNome sequencing platform demonstrates the excellent performance of domestically developed and independently innovated precision instruments, showing outstanding results in sequencing stability and speed. They expressed high expectations for the continuous upgrading and optimization of QitanTech’s nanopore single-molecule sequencing technology to deliver value in more fields.

Currently, the life sciences revolution is sweeping across the globe, accelerating its integration into economic and social development, and providing more diverse solutions to meet the rapidly growing demand for human health and well-being. Biotechnologies, represented by gene sequencing, are ushering in unprecedented opportunities for development.

Recently, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) issued the “14th Five-Year Plan for Bioeconomy Development,” China’s first five-year plan dedicated to the bioeconomy. The Plan proposes accelerating the development of high-throughput gene sequencing technologies, promoting innovation in next-generation sequencing technologies represented by single-molecule sequencing, and continuously improving sequencing efficiency while reducing sequencing costs.

It can be said that innovation in next-generation sequencing technologies has been elevated to the level of national strategy. As Xie Dan stated at the press conference, “Nanopore gene sequencing technology has already demonstrated significant potential and disruptive power. We believe that the coming years will constitute a critical window period for the explosive growth of nanopore gene sequencing technology and its applications.”

QitanTech will leverage favorable policy support to continuously enhance its technological innovation capabilities, drive product iteration, and uphold an open and collaborative approach by engaging in scientific research partnerships across diverse fields. By further breaking down barriers to translation, the company aims to advance the pioneering application of next-generation gene sequencing technologies in various sectors, thereby accelerating the transformation of scientific achievements into tangible productive forces.