Biotech company MGI Tech's branch in Qingdao city - located in East China's Shandong province - has invented cutting-edge gene sequencers and made China the second country in the world that has mastered the entire industrial chain of gene sequencing.

The DNBSEQ-T10×4RS ultra-high throughput gene sequencer, invented by the Qingdao branch, is one of the highest throughput gene sequencers in the world.

"The sequencing work of the gene sequencer is completed automatically by robotic arms, which boasts the advantages of ultra-high throughput, ultra-low costs, ultra-strong customization and full automation," said Xue Yu, who is responsible for external affairs at the branch.

Xue added that the gene sequencer can not only generate 20 terabytes of data every 24 hours, but also reduce the cost of human genome sequencing to around $100. The time of sequencing a person's whole genome has been shortened to 24 hours.

In contrast to the large gene sequencer, the company also invented the DNBSEQ-E5 - a portable gene sequencer that can finish sequencing in 3.5 hours at the fastest.

Taking the sequencing of COVID-19 as an example, the DNBSEQ-E5 can output gene annotation, variant clade identification and the full-length sequence of COVID-19 mutation sites within 10 minutes after the completion of sequencing.

"The gene sequencer is just about reading the genes and we also researched and developed other core tools in life technology, such as devices to store the samples," said Liu Shanshan, deputy general manager of the company.

In order to optimize the operation and reduce potential errors, the company worked with Aucma Co Ltd and launched the MGICLAB-LT series of ultra-low temperature automatic biobanks, which can automatically complete the whole process of sample checking, transporting, positioning, caching and sorting.

At present, the ultra-low temperature automatic sample bank has been used by the Yellow Sea Fisheries Research Institute at the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences to support the protection of diversity resources in China.

What's more, the Qingdao intelligent production base - the first and largest multi-module automated integrated sequencing enzyme reagent in China - has gone into production and the sequencing enzyme is fully autonomous and controllable, effectively reducing the cost of sequencing reagents.

At the same time, the Qingdao gene sequencing chip production base has also achieved through-line mass production. The development and preparation of sequencing enzymes are at the upstream of the genomics and molecular diagnostics industry chain, which is technology-intensive and high in added value.

Moving forwards, the company is seeking greater breakthroughs in talent and support facilities, as well as in the promotion of applications scenarios.

According to Bian Cheng, director of the Qingdao municipal bureau of industry and information technology, they will maximize services for enterprises, expand the sales markets of products and strive to build Qingdao into a global leader in gene sequencing equipment production.