February 27, Shenzhen - Dr. Yin Ye, CEO of BGI Group recently visited Thailand where he met with government officials, the scientific community, and business partners. During the visit, areas for intended cooperation were discussed and a memorandum of understanding concerning Spatio-temporal omics and talent training was signed.

Dr. Yin Ye’s visit followed the meeting between Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Wang Jian, Co-founder and Chairman of BGI Group, where cooperation in genomic medicine and other fields was discussed in December 2022.

During a meeting between Dr. Yin Ye and H.E. Mr. Kasem Watanachai, Privy Councillor, His Excellency affirmed support for BGI’s projects in Thailand and welcomed BGI’s commitment to the development of talent in the field of genomic technology. 

In the field of scientific innovation, Dr. Yin Ye met with Dr. Kanit Sangsubhan, Chairman of the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC) Advisory Board, and the two sides agreed on the cooperation of establishment of an International Life Science Innovation Center.

In the field of scientific research, Dr. Yin Ye held meetings to discuss cooperation on local scientific research, talent training, precision medicine, and other topics with Dr. Prasit Watanapa, Director of Chulabhorn Hospital, and Prof. Dr. Apichat Asavamongkolkul, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University.

Dr. Prasit Watanapa, Director of Chulabhorn Hospital, met with Dr. Yin Ye and his team.

Prof. Dr. Apichat Asavamongkolkul, Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University (fifth from left) met with Dr. Yin Ye and his team.

A Memorandum of Understanding was signed between BGI Group and the Faculty of Medicine of Chulalongkorn University in Thailand for cooperation on Spatio-temporal omics development and training of research talent. 

Dr. Yin Ye noted that the application of Spatio-temporal omics technology and the upgrade of the ultra-high-throughput sequencers will bring new development opportunities in the field of life sciences, and that BGI Group is willing to cooperate with the Faculty of Medicine of Chulalongkorn University in this field.

Dr. Chanchai Sittipunt, Dean of Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, welcomed the potential applications of BGI’s Spatio-temporal omics technology such as tumor research and cell therapy. He anticipated building local teaching and research capabilities, with BGI's platform and cutting-edge technology, and developing local talents through research projects.

Dr. Yin Ye, CEO of BGI Group (front row, left), Mr. Goanpot Asvinvichit, Director of Bangkok Genomics Innovation（front row, right）, and Dr. Chanchai Sittipunt, Dean of Faculty of Medicine of Chulalongkorn University（front row, middle）jointly signed an MoU.

Dr. Yin Ye also visited Bangkok Genomics Innovation Public Company Limited, BGI’s joint venture company in Thailand, and the laboratory for "Genomics Thailand Integrated Action Plan". 

Dr. Yin Ye (back row, fourth from left), and his team met with the team of Genomics Thailand Integrated Action Plan.

Dr. Yin Ye (front row, fifth from left) and his team visited Bangkok Genomics Innovation Public Company Limited.

In 2022, the "Genomics Thailand Integrated Action Plan" (2020-2024) was officially launched. This project entails the whole-genome sequencing of 50,000 Thais, focusing on understanding rare diseases, cancer, non-communicable diseases, infectious diseases, and pharmacogenomics. Two MGI DNBSEQ-T7RS ultra-high-throughput gene sequencers have been deployed in the high-throughput sequencing laboratory of Thailand’s Burapha University to support the Genomics Thailand Integrated Action Plan.