By Xinmei Shen

Copyright scmp

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.
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.
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.

MGI’s revenue from its DNA sequencer business declined 9.34 per cent from a year earlier to about 300 million yuan (US$42.1 million) in the first half of 2025, according to its financial report.
Still, these sequencers had great potential in developing economies because of its cost efficiency, according to Yin, who said that its tests cost about one seventh of its US counterparts.
He said MGI’s customers included the countries and regions covered by China’s Belt and Road Initiative, as well as some countries like Germany and Japan.
On the mainland, MGI seized the opportunity brought by China’s move to block the import of Illumina gene sequencers in March. That saw MGI’s domestic sequencer sales in the first half jump 82.74 per cent year on year.
Meanwhile, Yin – who joined BGI Genomics in 2002 and became BGI Group CEO in 2021 – has been steering the company’s push into consumer-facing wellness goods such as probiotics and skincare products.
Founded in 1999, BGI Group is one of China’s largest life sciences firms. Its Shenzhen-listed subsidiary, BGI Genomics, offers services that include genetic testing. The group spun off MGI in 2022, when it was listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange.
Yin has gained more than 4.7 million followers on ByteDance-owned short video platform Douyin, where he promotes more than 300 BGI products available for purchase.
He said that social media strategy comes from recognising that advertising in the internet age is a different game.
“Consumer-facing products must be seen and heard”, Yin said. “Nowadays you don’t even know where to advertise, and you have to turn yourself into an IP of the new era.”
BGI Group also has plans to bring some of its consumer products to overseas markets including Asean countries and the Middle East, he said.