BGI Group patents win China patent gold and excellence awards for spatial omics, genome assembly and women’s health innovations. These achievements would not have been possible without the dedication of BGI researchers, technicians, and innovation teams.
The China Patent Award, jointly organized by the China National Intellectual Property Administration and the United Nations agency World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), is the highest national-level award in China’s intellectual property sector.
The Gold Award-winning patent jointly submitted by BGI-Research and MGI, “An Array and Detection Method for Detecting Spatial Information of Nucleic Acids” (Patent No. ZL202080036185.5), is a core foundational technology underpinning BGI’s spatial omics technology Stereo-seq. This foundational patent enables researchers to map spatial transcriptomics with unprecedented single-cell resolution and field-of-view.
By unlocking deeper insights into the dynamic cellular microenvironment, Stereo-seq continues to empower groundbreaking discoveries across developmental biology and precision medicine. To date, the technology has been widely applied in frontier fields including embryonic development, organogenesis, brain science, oncology, life evolution, and plant science, helping researchers worldwide publish more than 670 research outputs, including preprints, in journals such as Cell, Nature, and Science.
Genome assembly is a cornerstone of decoding genetic information. The award-winning patent submitted by BGI Tech, “A Method and System for Hybrid Assembly of Second-Generation Sequencing Reads and Third-Generation Single-Molecule Real-Time Sequencing Reads” (Patent No. ZL201610741984.8), establishes a technical pathway for the integrated assembly of short-read and long-read sequencing data, providing critical foundational support for accurate genome analysis.
Built on strong underlying technology capabilities, BGI Tech has accumulated experience in more than 6,000 de novo genome assembly projects and completed high-quality genome maps for over 1,000 important species, supporting global research partners in publishing more than 500 papers in leading international journals including Nature and Cell. This marks the sixth time BGI Genomics has received a China Patent Award. The award-winning patent is not only a standalone technological breakthrough, but also a key component of BGI Genomics’ broader intellectual property strategy. To fully protect its core patented technologies, BGI Genomics has developed a comprehensive portfolio of related and peripheral patents, creating a robust intellectual property protection network. Through the implementation of patented technologies, the company has also promoted standards development, integrating patents with standards to strengthen the industry advantages of its technologies.
The second award-winning patent, “Lactobacillus rhamnosus for Preventing and/or Treating Diseases Caused by Reproductive Tract Microbiota Imbalance and/or Bone Loss” (Patent No. ZL202011248842.0), centers on an independently developed probiotic strain, Lactobacillus rhamnosus OF44-15Ph10T, referred to as OF44. The patent addresses two major women’s health challenges in China: the high incidence and recurrence of reproductive tract infections among women of reproductive age, and the large population of women affected by osteoporosis.
Leveraging BGI’s human symbiotic microbial strain bank, which contains tens of thousands of preserved strains, the research team applied genome-guided functional screening and conducted rigorous validation through in vitro experiments and animal models. This process led to the successful identification of an independently developed strain with dual benefits for reproductive tract microecology regulation and bone health.
OF44’s core value lies in its “one strain, dual function” profile. On one hand, it can efficiently produce acid and hydrogen peroxide and demonstrates strong adhesion capacity, enabling it to occupy ecological niches, inhibit pathogenic bacteria, and support the restoration of reproductive tract microecological balance. On the other hand, by producing short-chain fatty acids, it helps regulate bone metabolism-related factors, inhibit bone loss, and improve bone microstructure, offering a safe new microbiome-based intervention pathway for women’s bone health. BGI Nutri has already applied OF44 in multiple probiotic products, bringing the benefits of a domestically developed proprietary strain to the public.
The three award-winning patents span core tools and technologies in spatial omics, life sciences, genome assembly, microbiome research, and the industrialization of precision nutrition, reflecting BGI’s integrated approach to industry, academia, research, and application. As of June 30, 2026, BGI Group had obtained 3,306 granted patents in China and overseas.
BGI Group has long adhered to an innovation model in which technological invention drives scientific discovery, which in turn supports industrial development. The Group will continue to advance the application and commercialization of cutting-edge research across diverse fields.