What is a flow cell in the context of nanopore detection?

A flow cell is the consumable component of the MinION system that contains the lipid bilayer membrane with embedded nanopore proteins. The flow cell has two fluid chambers separated by this membrane — the cis (sample) side and the trans (collection) side. The urine-derived, osmium-tagged miRNA sample is loaded into the cis chamber. An electrical voltage drives ions and tagged miRNA molecules from the cis chamber through the 2,048 nanopores to the trans side, generating the current signals that are recorded. Each flow cell is used for one sample analysis and then discarded. The flow cell design allows Yenos to run independent, uncontaminated analyses for each patient sample.