How is the Yenos use of the MinION different from Oxford Nanopore's standard sequencing?

Oxford Nanopore Technologies designed the MinION for DNA and RNA base sequencing — it reads the sequence of nucleotides in a long strand by analyzing the characteristic current changes as different base combinations pass through the pore. The Yenos protocol does not perform sequencing. Instead, it uses the MinION hardware in quantification mode: osmium-tagged miRNA molecules of known identity (miR-21, miR-375, miR-141) are introduced, and the system counts how many of each type pass through the pores within a measurement window. The osmium tag creates a reproducible current signature that identifies the molecule. This is analogous to repurposing a spectrophotometer — a general light-measurement device — for a specific colorimetric assay. The Yenos protocol is protected by US patents as a novel application.