MGI's BGISEQ-500RS Sequencer Deployed at iGeneTech: A Milestone in Domestic NGS Upstream Collaboration

Recently, MGI’s BGISEQ-500RS sequencer was officially installed at Agitkon and commenced routine operations, initiating comprehensive integration between China’s proprietary target capture technology and domestically developed sequencing instruments. This milestone marks the beginning of the localization of upstream technologies in the NGS industry chain within China, signifying the formation of an ecosystem where domestically produced sequencing equipment drives the development of domestic reagents and downstream independent services.

MGI Tech is a subsidiary of BGI Group, specializing in the research and development, intelligent manufacturing, and production of instruments, equipment, reagents, and consumables for the life sciences and healthcare sectors.

The BGISEQ-500RS is a high-throughput sequencing system launched by MGI Tech. It adopts advanced combinatorial Probe-Anchor Synthesis (cPAS) technology and improved DNA Nanoball (DNB) core sequencing technology, and is equipped with an automated application analysis module. The system provides precise, one-stop sequencing with simple operation, dedicated to delivering flexible and open NGS solutions.

Aigitaikang is a genetic testing product design company specializing in next-generation sequencing (NGS) targeted capture and library preparation technologies. It is currently the only company in China with independent development capabilities for both mainstream capture technologies: liquid-phase chip capture and multiplex PCR capture.

Generally speaking, the NGS industry chain comprises seven segments: sequencer manufacturing, sample isolation and extraction (CTC, ctDNA), capture and library preparation reagent components, high-throughput sequencing, data analysis, interpretation and reporting, and channels and public relations.

Historically, the major international manufacturers of sequencing platforms have included Illumina and Thermo Fisher, while the leading suppliers of capture and library preparation reagents have been Agilent, Roche, and Thermo Fisher. Downstream data output primarily relies on cloud platforms such as Amazon and Google.

In China, due to constraints in core technologies, industry standards, industrial layout, and national policies, the domestic market lacks awareness of indigenous Chinese technologies. Consequently, the development of domestic enterprise platforms and homegrown brands has been relatively lagging, resulting in overseas companies dominating the majority of the upstream NGS market for sequencers and reagent components, with over 90% of the profits from the technology services sector flowing out of the country.

If MGI Tech represents the domestic force in the upstream sequencer market, then Agilent Technologies (China) exemplifies innovation by Chinese enterprises in the same segment. As leading companies in the fields of capture library preparation reagents and sequencer manufacturing, respectively, they will join forces to integrate the technical interfaces of upstream platforms owned by independent Chinese enterprises, thereby facilitating the localization of the technology services market.

Aiji Taikang will leverage its independently developed technologies, TargetSeq® (liquid-phase probe capture technology) and MultipSeq® (multiplex PCR amplicon capture technology), to fully develop gene capture products compatible with MGI’s BGISEQ platform.

Leveraging AgiTech’s stabilized production workshop for customized capture reagents, along with MGI’s BGISEQ sequencing platform and high-throughput data output channels, both parties will collaborate to establish an automated and standardized manufacturing process for the “Gene Capture Kit for the BGISEQ Sequencing Platform.”

As representative Chinese independent enterprises in their respective fields, the two companies have established their own user channels during their development. Leveraging this strategic partnership, they will complement each other in technology and distribution channels to provide more optimized total solutions for high-throughput sequencing-based gene capture.

Dr. Jiang Hui, Vice President of MGI Tech, and Dr. Hang Xingyi, Founder and CEO of AgiTech, jointly agreed upon and announced a strategic partnership. Both parties stated, “We are highly confident in this strategic collaboration. The integration between AgiTech and MGI Tech represents a comprehensive alignment of China’s proprietary target capture technology with its independent sequencing platforms. We are committed to delivering high-quality products developed through our own R&D efforts, thereby bolstering domestic confidence in Chinese-made technologies, instruments, and products, and striving to enhance the voice of China’s indigenous technology enterprises in the domestic market.”

Next, MGI Tech and AgiTech will also work to establish the China Gene Testing Independent Innovation Alliance, integrating resources from the government, enterprises, associations, and users to build an open ecosystem for independent innovation, thereby launching the “Belt and Road” initiative for “Made in China” in the NGS industry.