Han Ximin

1824295095@qq.com

MGI Tech Co. Ltd. (MGI), a Chinese company focusing on R&D, production and sales of DNA sequencing instruments, reagents and related products, has built the Champa LSEA Laboratory in Laos to help the country combat COVID-19.

The lab, which looks like a shipping container from outside, is Laos’ first third-party detection center. It was built with the support of the Belt and Road Life Science Economy Alliance (LSEA) and Sithandone Joint Development Co. Ltd. (STD) to help the country expand its mass COVID-19 testing capacity and prepare for the gradual reopening of its borders in 2022.

The lab was delivered to the Lao province of Champassak last week and is located inside the Champassak Provincial Hospital, STD’s co-partner in the US$11-million project.

Designed to meet large-scale testing demands, the 12-meter-long Champa LSEA Laboratory is equipped with MGI’s automation systems enabling laboratory technicians to deal with up to 3,000 samples per day, and up to 30,000 samples per day if 10 samples are mixed in one tube, thus, significantly boosting the country’s nucleic acid testing efficiency and capacity.

The container lab simplifies the labor-intensive and time-consuming procedures typically associated with diagnostic testing, as it is delivered with two high-degree automation systems, namely MGISP-960 and MGISTP-7000, for sample preparation and sample transfer, respectively.

The lab can also serve as a monitoring station for virus mutation, making it a versatile instrument for pandemic control.

“Since the start of the pandemic, MGI has been playing an instrumental role in the fight against COVID-19 by allowing communities and governments to scale up their testing capacity and increase their testing efficiency, while ensuring a safer working environment for frontline health workers,” said Dr. Roy Tan, general manager of MGI Asia Pacific.