On April 18, 2024, the BGI mountaineering and scientific research team arrived at the foothills of Mount Everest to conduct scientific research on themselves. At different altitudes from sea level to 8,848 meters, they collected phenotypic data on team members' brain cognition, eye movements, and motor functions, and obtained multi-omics data, including genomics, proteomics, and cell omics.

The following interview is with Jin Xin, Chief Scientist of the Institute of Precision Health Research at BGI-Research, Jiang Xiaosen, Scientific Research Assistant of the Chairman of BGI Group.

The preparation for this Mount Everest expedition started two to three years ago

Question: Could you please introduce the specific objectives of this Everest scientific research program?

Jin Xin: We didn't start preparing for this Mount Everest scientific research project just before the climb; the preparation began two to three years ago. To climb Mount Everest, you first need to climb a 6,000-meter mountain and then a 7,000-meter mountain, which serve as rehearsals for the ultimate climb. During these preparatory climbs, we conducted several rounds of experiments for our entire scientific project, including sample collection and data analysis.

We wanted to analyze the multidimensional characteristics of the human body during mountaineering and explore how human multi-omics change in this context. Although each person's genes are unchangeable, our ability to adapt to high altitudes varies. During this process, some people adapt well, while others adapt less effectively. Some people have stronger physical abilities, while others are weaker. What are the underlying mechanisms behind this? What is the fundamental molecular logic of life? We hope that through this project, we can achieve new breakthroughs in our exploration of this unknown area.

Discoveries might be plentiful and interesting

Question: Based on the research data collected this time, how will the subsequent research work be carried out?

Jiang Xiaosen: This time, the statistics included data from more than 20 major dimensions. The data from each dimension can be combined with athletic performance to identify which characteristics at a single-dimensional level are related to high-altitude adaptability and athletic performance. These characteristics, in themselves, can lead to scientific discoveries.

At the same time, we can also look at the interrelationships between the dimensions. The central dogma of molecular biology states that genetic information flows from DNA to RNA to proteins and ultimately to one's performance. During the transition from low-altitude to high-altitude, which stages and dimensions respond first, and which respond later? In the response process, do the relationships between dimensions support or antagonize each other? All these aspects can be deeply explored.

The dimensions collected from Mount Everest this time probably constitute the most extensive set of dimensions in a mountain scientific expedition worldwide, so the discoveries may be numerous and very interesting.

Promoting a Plateau Research Alliance

Question: What do you think are the similarities and differences between BGI's Everest Expedition and other Everest scientific research teams?

Jin Xin: There is actually a lot of collaboration and synergy among different research teams. For example, Academician Zhu Tong's team from Peking University established the first container-style laboratory at the Mount Everest Base Camp. Our equipment operates there thanks to the use of Academician Zhu's laboratory.

Additionally, throughout the entire climbing process, we received substantial support from other professional teams in areas such as physiological measurements. During the research, we also shared relevant data with these teams and utilized our expertise to achieve some preliminary results in omics data analysis. This collaboration allows everyone to work together and gain a more comprehensive understanding of scientific questions.

Jiang Xiaosen: The similarity is that sampling at high altitudes is indeed challenging. Every expedition member needs the "spirit of striving for the extreme," which I find quite demanding. The difference lies in the fact that BGI's team has Wang Jian, Chairman and Co-Founder of BGI Group, personally leading them. He has participated in many large-scale international scientific research projects, so he deeply understands what type of research is most comprehensive and meaningful.

The process of sample collection need not just be BGI alone. Wang hopes to establish a plateau research alliance, inviting more institutions interested in plateau research to participate. In the future, we will also make some of the collected data available and share it with more organizations and institutes for their use. This data, covering a wide range of academic disciplines, includes geology, plateau medicine, and the microbial environment.

Relentless, striving for the extreme

Question: What do you think about Wang Jian's second attempt to climb Mount Everest?

Jin Xin: Wang Jian shared something on the Mount Everest that particularly moved me. He said there are many physiological data points that no one has measured before, including the collection of multi-omics samples. If Wang didn't do it this time, who knows how many years it would take to have another 70-year-old person collecting omics data at an altitude of over 8,000 meters for everyone to deeply explore. This is a scientific ideal.

This was also a great motivator for the entire research team to give their best effort.

Wang is someone who never stops and is always exploring to the extreme. We can see this from his daily work; he doesn't settle in an already relatively mature industry but continuously explores. This includes the establishment of BGI Bioverse, explorations in perennial rice, desert soilization, and in the field of synthetic biology, among others. The field of life sciences is vast, and Wang is constantly exploring its possibilities and boundaries.

Wang’s second ascent may also be an effort to inspire more people to feel the spirit of mountaineering, encouraging them to carry this spirit into their work and project explorations in the future.