The West African Ebola epidemic that began in 2014, and still threatens to re-emerge, prompted a flurry of efforts to sequence the genome of the virus as it spread. Genomic information can contribute to epidemiological tracking, identify mutations that increase the disease's virulence and inform therapeutic strategies. But sequences must be obtained fast if they are to help to control a raging epidemic.

Credit: Tommy Trenchard/European Mobile Labs

On page 228 of this issue, Quick et al. describe a portable, real-time sequencing system that they used in local, resource-poor sites in Guinea during 2015 (J. Quick et al. Nature 530, 228–232; 2016). The requisite equipment, including the tiny MinION genome sequencer (pictured), fitted into 50 kilograms of standard airline luggage. The researchers generated sequence data within 24 hours of receiving a patient's viral RNA sample — days to weeks less than it would have taken to receive data from a central sequencing facility. Marian TurnerFootnote 1