After a stringent process spanning over 2 years, BGI Australia’s laboratory in Queensland has gained National Association of Testing Authorities (NATA) accreditation for clinical whole exome sequencing. The NATA accreditation adopts the internationally-recognised ISO 15189 and meets the accreditation standards for pathology laboratories set by the National Pathology Accreditation Advisory Council (NPAAC). Patients, healthcare providers and academic partners can look forward to clinical whole exome sequencing services for better health and research outcomes. 

The accreditation process evidenced competence to deliver timely, accurate and reliable results. BGI Australia has received independent assessments of the laboratory, including personnel competence, equipment, quality assurance of process controls and sample handling, plus data security and confidentiality. To ensure continued compliance with all quality standards, the laboratory will also be regularly reviewed by NATA.

“The BGI Australia local staff are some of the highest quality I have worked with,” said Dr. Peter Kaub, a genetic pathologist and medical consultant to BGI Australia for clinical Whole Exome Sequencing. “Receiving accreditation means that they can now service clinical Whole Exome Sequencing for any laboratories or hospitals that require it. This is the biggest growth area in medicine and any extra testing capacity is important as it may allow more patients to get results in a more timely manner.”

“NATA’s accreditation procedures are extremely rigorous, and it is a significant achievement that our laboratory, the MGI DNBSEQ-G400 platform that performs clinical Whole Exome Sequencing, and the procedures implemented by our technicians have qualified for the NATA accreditation,” said Dr. Bicheng Yang, Director of BGI Australia. “We will continue to improve and increase the accessibility of clinical sequencing to clinical laboratories, research institutes and hospitals.”