DNA sequencers from Chinese firm MGI Tech can rival those from global market leader Illumina in spite of US sanctions, according to Yin Ye, CEO of BGI Group, former parent of the Shenzhen-based biotech company.
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MGI’s sequencers offer the best “comprehensive value” in terms of time, quality and cost, Yin said in an interview on the sidelines of the BioHK 2025 conference on Thursday.
Yin, 46, pointed out that MGI’s latest product, the DNBSEQ-T7+, is “pushing physics and chemistry to the limit”, as it can sequence 144 human genomes a day, or one every 10 minutes.
While the overseas sales of MGI sequencers have fallen in recent years because of US sanctions, international markets “still show strong vitality overall”, he said, adding that the company was “gradually gaining a leading position” in its field.
That reflected the resilience of Chinese biotech companies in the industry, despite being targeted by US authorities.
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Last year, the US House of Representatives passed the Biosecure Act that aimed to restrict American companies from doing business with Chinese biotech firms. These included BGI Group, Complete Genomics, MGI, Wuxi AppTec and Wuxi Biologics. The bill did not become law in 2024.
