NEW YORK – Chinese next-generation sequencing service provider BGI Genomics said last Friday that it has inked several collaboration agreements for precision medicine with partners in Brazil, Argentina, and Chile.
"Over the past few years, we have carried out a series of partnerships in Latin America and have achieved significant outcomes," Liang Wu, general manager of BGI Latin America, said in a statement. "Our local collaboration includes establishing laboratories, providing technical support, and implementing training programs."
In Brazil, BGI signed a partnership with Brazlex Medical Genetics, a medical testing company, to introduce its prenatal screening and early tumor screening tests to the Brazilian market.
In Argentina, BGI reached agreements with Biogenar, an Argentinian precision medicine service provider, and with Biocodices, a Buenos Aires-based diagnostic service provider, for reproductive genetic testing. As part of the agreement with Biocodices, BGI said it will provide Biocodices with its technologies for noninvasive prenatal genetic testing, hoping to reduce the cost of NIPT for local customers.
Additionally, BGI said it has signed a collaboration agreement with Universidad Mayor in Santiago, Chile. Under this partnership, BGI said it will provide "comprehensive" NGS solutions, including sequencing platforms and other equipment, to the university’s precision oncology center.