BGI trebles production to bring timely COVID-19 detection and intervention to over 80 Countries

▴ BGI trebles production to bring timely COVID19 detection and intervention to over 80 Countries
The BGI Group has a long history of responding to public health crises including decoding the genome of the SARS virus in 2003, then developing the virus detection kit in 96 hours

Global genomics leader BGI has produced more than 10 million of its RT-PCR Test for SARS-CoV-2 and is distributing them to more than 80 countries around the world, including India, Indonesia, Thailand, Philippines, Brunei, and Japan. BGI's Huo-Yan ("Fire Eye") Laboratories have also been set up in Asia, US, Europe, and the Middle East, bringing population-scale detection and diagnosis of COVID-19 to the world.

"The most critical thing for all of us at BGI is to help bring this pandemic under control. We are working with governments and institutions globally to achieve this mission," says Yin Ye, CEO of BGI Genomics, part of BGI Group. "We have more than trebled our production capacity to two million reactions a day to meet demand and expect to increase that again to three million reactions in the coming weeks."

In addition, BGI has donated over 130,000 test kits, while partner organizations have donated another 178,000 of BGI's test kits.

BGI is one of the few companies globally that has products recognized as officially approved for use in China, the European Union, the United States, and Japan. BGI's RT-PCR Test for SARS-CoV-2 has been granted approval by the US FDA Emergency Use Authorization, Europe's CE-IVD, China's NMPA and Japan's PMDA.

BGI Group was at the forefront of the fight against COVID-19 in China and is now spearheading a worldwide response, deploying not only BGI tests but also MGI laboratory robots to automate sample preparation and powerful sequencers to track virus mutations.

In Wuhan, BGI set up its first Huo-Yan or "Fire Eye" Laboratory in five days. The 2,000 square-meter automated Biosafety Level-2 PCR testing laboratory can perform 10,000 tests a day. This comprehensive solution for rapidly scaling-up diagnostic testing is now being implemented by other markets including Brunei, the UAE, Sweden, Serbia, Israel, Gaza and the US, with more locations under consideration. Fire Eye laboratories combine the best of BGI Group expertise, with the laboratory equipment produced by MGI, a part of the BGI Group focused on sequencing tools and lab automation.

Sequencing plays a number of roles in the fight against COVID-19, explains Duncan Yu, President of MGI. "It helped identify the virus that caused COVID-19 and can track new strains of the virus as it mutates and the speed of those changes."

BGI has also designed a mobile, inflatable biosafety lab called an Air Lab to offer an effective deployment solution for COVID-19 testing in places where setting up a traditional lab is difficult.

The BGI Group has a long history of responding to public health crises including decoding the genome of the SARS virus in 2003, then developing the virus detection kit in 96 hours, and helping fight

Tags : #BGI #Duncan #Yu #MGI #Laboratory

About the Author


Team Medicircle

Related Stories

Loading Please wait...

-Advertisements-




Trending Now

Scientists in Moscow Develop Fetal Phantom for Obstetric UltrasoundNovember 19, 2024
International Men’s Day: A Celebration of Strength, Vulnerability, and ChangeNovember 19, 2024
The Bloody Truth: Why Menstruation Is Still a Taboo in Indian SchoolsNovember 19, 2024
Toxic Air, Fragile Hearts: The Hidden Cost of Pollution on Heart Failure PatientsNovember 19, 2024
Government of Telangana Hosts the AI in Healthcare Summit – Road to BioAsia 2025November 18, 2024
In yet another groundbreaking medical milestone, Sarvodaya Hospital successfully performs India’s youngest cochlear implant on a 5- month old babyNovember 18, 2024
Sightsavers India in collaboration with AbbVie Therapeutics India Private Limited Hosted the 4th State-Level Consultation on ‘Prevention of Visual Impairment Caused by Glaucoma’November 16, 2024
Is Your Saree Hurting You? How Tight Waist Petticoats Could Trigger Skin CancerNovember 16, 2024
10 New-born Lives Lost: The Jhansi Hospital Fire That Shook India’s ConscienceNovember 16, 2024
Streax introduces revolutionary Shampoo Hair Colour in South India at accessible price point.November 15, 2024
The Silent Killer in Your Genes: Can Splicing Errors Unlock New Cancer Cures?November 15, 2024
Stress on a Schedule: What Your Gut Bacteria Know That You Don’tNovember 15, 2024
A Preventable Catastrophe: Why Are Children Still Dying from Measles?November 15, 2024
The University of Tasmania invites applications for Master of Marine and Antarctic ScienceNovember 14, 2024
ICMR’s Bold Bet: Can India’s Scientists Deliver World-First Health Breakthroughs?November 14, 2024
The Dark Reality Behind India’s Ayushman Bharat: Profits Before Patients?November 14, 2024
Not a Fan of Exercise? Here’s How Few Steps You Actually Need for Better HealthNovember 14, 2024
Shiprocket launches AI Powered Shiprocket Copilot to empower a Self-Reliant Digital Future for over 1,00,000+ Indian MSMEsNovember 13, 2024
AIIMS Darbhanga and More: Can PM Modi’s 12,000 Crore Investment Turn Bihar into India’s Next Growth Engine?November 13, 2024
Self-Made Survivor: How a Virologist Battled Breast Cancer with Her Own Lab-Grown VirusesNovember 13, 2024