Threading life’s needle: an interview with David Deamer

David Deamer (right) and Mark Akeson (left) in 2014 - pioneers of nanopore sequencing.

From liposomes to nanopores

Deamer’s journey began long before he started investigating nanopores. In the 1970s, he worked with liposomes — tiny bubbles of lipid bilayers designed to mimic cell membranes. He aimed to create a synthetic cell model that could assemble RNA from simple nucleotide diphosphates (NDPs). Yet, a significant hurdle remained: how to transport NDPs across the liposome membrane.

Initially, Deamer experimented with gramicidin, a pore-forming molecule that allowed ions to pass through cell membranes. Then, inspired by the principle behind Coulter counters — devices that count cells by detecting changes in electrical current as they pass through an aperture — he wondered, "What if we could detect single molecules passing through a pore by monitoring disruptions in ionic current?" This spark became the foundation for Oxford Nanopore sequencing.

Working with Harvard’s Prof. Dr Daniel Branton, Deamer helped draft a patent application in 1991 for single-molecule analysis via nanopores. The patent, issued in 1998, laid the groundwork for the technology that is now an indispensable tool in genomics.

Unravelling the origins of life

While Oxford Nanopore sequencing devices now fit in the palm of your hand and are used everywhere from university labs to the International Space Station, Deamer remains focused on the question that first ignited his career: how did life begin?

He proposes that life’s earliest steps were driven by wet-dry cycles on volcanic landmasses. "We went beyond warm little puddles and found hot ones, up near boiling temperatures on volcanic land", he explains. His fieldwork in places such as Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula, Hawaii, New Zealand, Iceland, and California reveals that water undergoing wet-dry cycles — whether driven by geyser activity, wave action, or evaporation — can concentrate organic building blocks on mineral surfaces.

During these cycles, water carrying organic molecules flushes over mineral surfaces and, as it evaporates, forces the ingredients into close contact. "Chemists often look for a single reaction that creates a desired product. In our approach, it is a cycling reaction, with products accumulating cycle by cycle. This results in populations of nucleic acids, each different from all the rest", Deamer notes.

The underlying concept is simple yet profound: evolution requires variety. In the primordial milieu, billions of different RNA-like molecules could emerge in this smashing together from wet-dry cycles, beginning a molecular competition where some structures degrade and others survive. Oxford Nanopore sequencing now enables scientists to track these individual molecules in complex mixtures — revealing which sequences thrive, which compete, and which eventually vanish.

Beyond Earth: life’s cosmic possibilities

Deamer’s vision extends far beyond Earth. He believes that wet-dry cycles could not only explain the origins of life on our planet but might also have been instrumental in creating life elsewhere. Mars, with its ancient volcanic terrain and traces of water, is a prime candidate. "I really think that nanopore sequencing should be part of an instrument package sent to Mars", he asserts. "If we can drill into ancient ice, let’s pull up a sample. If there’s anything polymeric in there, a transient change in current through a nanopore would be a dead giveaway."

Early experiments by NASA and other space agencies are already testing Oxford Nanopore technology under simulated extraterrestrial conditions. Laboratories around the world have begun to mimic Martian environments, proving that nanopores can detect polymer molecules preserved in icy, permafrost-like conditions.

Bold ideas and the entrepreneurial spirit

Reflecting on the evolution of Oxford Nanopore sequencing from a roadside sketch to a global technology, Deamer offers both inspiration and caution. "I had the experience of watching an idea turn into a billion-dollar industry. It depended on a handshake between a few scientists and several entrepreneurs who were willing to take the risk of thinking that something might work. That is a rarity", he recalls.

Deamer is critical of a research funding landscape that favours incremental progress over ambitious leaps. "The way it works now, much of the research funding is aimed at incremental progress — applications in medicine, for instance. What we need are bold, basic research efforts like ours thirty years ago. It might not have worked, but it did, and it opened new frontiers." His work, supported by royalties and investment capital, has allowed him to pursue high-risk, high-reward projects without the delays of lengthy grant applications.

He reminisces about the early days with Oxford Nanopore Technologies: "When Gordon and Spike came to us in 2007, we hadn’t even got to the point of demonstrating our idea of nanopore sequencing. Five years later, Clive Brown got up in front of an audience to share the concept of a MinION for the first time. The whole room was stunned into silence while he spoke. As soon as he finished, the silence gave way to the sounds of scuffling as all the reporters bolted for the door to get on the telephone and tell their editors about what they just saw."

A full circle

As Oxford Nanopore Technologies marks its 20th anniversary, Deamer’s journey comes full circle. The technology he helped pioneer to study synthetic life in liposomes now serves as the key to unravelling the mysteries of life’s origins. His work not only illuminates our past but also charts a course for future discoveries — whether on Earth or beyond.

Deamer’s ongoing pursuit of life’s fundamental questions exemplifies the transformative power of bold ideas and daring entrepreneurialism. His research underscores how the fusion of innovative science and a willingness to take risks can propel us into uncharted territories of knowledge — from the formation of primitive RNA strands in boiling puddles to the potential detection of life on Mars.

In celebrating two decades of Oxford Nanopore Technologies, we are reminded that scientific progress often hinges on the courage to explore the impossible. Deamer’s story is one of persistence, creativity, and a relentless drive to push the boundaries of what we know about life itself.