BGI is a leading global life science frontier organization, that was established in 1999. In 2003, BGI just took 36 hours to decipher the full genome sequence of the SARS virus and took 96 hours to develop a virus test kit. It donated 300,000 copies to the National Atypical Pneumonia Control Command.

Hu Jintao, the General Secretary, spoke highly of the BGI’s efforts in “thinking what the Government wants, urging what the people want and doing what is needed to fight the disease”.

After the discovery of an unidentified pneumonia case in December 2019, BGI discovered the novel coronavirus through its own database and expert diagnostic system, and used its own high-throughput sequencing platform, the T7 system, to be the first to decipher the virus genome sequence. The sequences were compared with those of SARS, MERS and other coronaviruses, and specific sequences were selected to design primers and develop a nucleic acid detection method for the new coronavirus. The initial development was completed in just 72 hours, and the development of the new coronavirus nucleic acid test kit was officially announced on 14 January, after going through a rigorous process and quality control of the kit production.

The “Huo-Yan Laboratory” is a high-throughput nucleic acid testing laboratory based on BGI’s many years of experience in laboratory technology solutions for the prevention and control of the epidemic. It is equipped with the high-throughput automated virus nucleic acid extraction equipment developed by BGI, which is fully qualified, and well-equipped, with strict quality control and a professional team.

BGI has set up sample testing in 14 locations, including Shenzhen, Wuhan, Tianjin, Changsha, Shijiazhuang, Beijing, Qingdao, Shanghai, Nanjing, Chongqing, Chengdu, Kunming, Wuxi (technical support) and Harbin (technical support).

The “Huo-Yan Laboratory”, was initiated by Wang Jian, Chairman of BGI. It took only 5 days from start to finish and has accumulated more than 346,000 nucleic acid samples for the testing of the new coronavirus. Besides, BGI’s self-operated “Huo-Yan Laboratory” has completed more than 750,000 nucleic acid tests for the new coronavirus, with a national daily throughput of 60,000 cases. This has provided scientific assurance for the nation’s fight against the epidemic and the restoration of orderly socio-economic operations, as well as reserving China’s ability to respond to public health emergencies in the future.

With the spread of the epidemic, the rapid enhancement of local testing capabilities has become a priority for countries to prevent and control the epidemic. The “Huo-Yan Laboratory” is an effective technological measure that has been proven in the prevention and control of epidemics in China, reflecting the advanced standard of medical technology in China. Until 2022, BGI has launched 81 Huo-Yan Laboratories in 26 countries and regions, with a total daily testing throughput of 270,000 cases.