Two Alfaisal University students, Waad Alqahtani, MSc student in Biomedical Sciences, and Ghaida Alrumaizan, were selected to participate in the highly competitive Introduction to Nanopore Sequencing course at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), organized in collaboration with Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT).
The intensive program combined lectures with laboratory training in Oxford Nanopore’s sequencing workflow, covering DNA quality assessment, library preparation, MinION sequencing, basecalling, data quality control, and data analysis.
As part of the course, the students worked on a practical project involving methylome profiling in a dosage-sensitivity mouse model, gaining experience in sequencing performance assessment and the interpretation of long-read sequencing data.
The program provided an opportunity to develop practical expertise in nanopore sequencing and epigenomics while working alongside researchers, instructors, and students from institutions across Saudi Arabia. The training also introduced participants to the use of long-read sequencing in genomics and biomedical research.
Their selection continues the participation of Alfaisal students in the KAUST–ONT program. In 2025, four Alfaisal students were among nine participants selected from across Saudi Arabia for the program, highlighting the continued engagement of the University’s Biomedical Sciences students with advanced genomic technologies and research.
