BGI, currently known as the BGI Group, formerly known as the Beijing Genomics Institute, is a Chinese genome sequencing company, headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, China.
It was formed in 1999 to participate in the Human Genome Project as a genetics research center. It also sequences genomes of other animals, plants and microorganisms. The company has morphed from a research institute that decoded the DNA of pandas and rice plants into a company active in animal cloning, health testing, and contract research, while its earlier non-profit research has been continued by the Beijing Institute of Genomics, Chinese Academy of Sciences which split in 2006, alongside its BGI Research and China National GeneBank not-for-profit arms.
In 2021, details came to light about multiple controversies involving the BGI Group. These controversies include alleged collaboration with the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and use of genetic data from prenatal tests, which number in the millions, to "map the prevalence of viruses in Chinese women, look for indicators of mental illness in them, and single out Tibetan and Uyghur minorities to find links between their genes and their characteristics." BGI denied that it shares prenatal genetics data with the PLA, stating “All NIPT data collected overseas are stored in BGI's laboratory in Hong Kong and are destroyed after five years, as stipulated by General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)”.
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