BGI Group

ICG-21 was held at the BGI Center in Shenzhen from September 7 to 8 under the theme “Bio-Generative Intelligence for Health.” The meeting brought together experts from universities, research institutes, hospitals, and industry to discuss new directions in genomics, artificial intelligence, multi-omics, brain technology, regenerative medicine, public health, education, and well-being. Through keynote sessions, five parallel academic tracks on Beauty, Health, Longevity, Wisdom, and Well-being, as well as public science and education activities, ICG-21 continued the conference’s founding spirit: “Owned by All, Done by All, and Shared by All.” We thank all speakers, participants, partners, and colleagues who joined us in Shenzhen and contributed to this year’s discussions and exchanges. We look forward to continuing to build an open and inclusive platform for life science collaboration. Read: https://lnkd.in/gEitd9GM #ICG21 #Genomics #BioGenerativeIntelligence #LifeSciences #ArtificialIntelligence #MultiOmics #PublicHealth #GlobalCollaboration

BGI-Research, Zhejiang Lab and collaborators have introduced ATLAS, an Attention-based Locus Analysis System that applies genomic foundation models to disease gene discovery. Accepted by ACM SIGKDD Conference on Knowledge Discovery and Data Mining, the study shows how AI-learned genomic representations can complement traditional GWAS approaches, especially in settings where sample sizes are limited or disease variants are low-frequency. In validation using β-thalassemia data, ATLAS identified HBB as the top disease-associated gene and helped localize compact candidate regions, supporting more focused downstream research and interpretation. At BGI, we continue to explore how genomics and AI can support precision medicine, rare-disease studies and the discovery of biologically meaningful disease signals. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gQvQiZi8 #BGI #Genomics #AI #PrecisionMedicine #RareDisease #Bioinformatics #KDD #GenomicAI

BGI researchers, together with collaborators from Pu’er University and The First Affiliated Hospital of Kunming Medical University, have published a study in Cell Reports using CycloneSEQ long reads to examine the human gut microbiome at complete-genome resolution. By generating and modeling 1,150 gut bacterial genomes across 199 species, the team identified four predicted ecological roles based on metabolic competition and complementarity. This role-based view revealed associations with inflammatory bowel disease activity that were not captured by whole-community dysbiosis measures alone. The study highlights how complete genome sequencing and genome-scale metabolic modeling can provide a more detailed view of microbial interactions, strain-level differences, and potential community functions in human health. Read: https://lnkd.in/ggy6HtPK #BGI #CycloneSEQ #Microbiome #GutHealth #Genomics #LongReadSequencing #MetabolicModeling #IBD #CellReports

A new study published in Science, led by BGI-Research with Zhejiang University, the Kunming Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Marquette University, and collaborating institutions, offers new insight into how sex chromosomes evolve. By generating high-quality chromosome-level genomes for 19 gecko species, the team found that gecko sex chromosomes originated repeatedly and independently from different ancestral chromosomes. The study also suggests that their evolution is not purely random: paleoclimate and the gene content of ancestral chromosomes may influence when sex chromosomes emerge and whether they develop as XY or ZW systems. The findings contribute to a broader understanding of vertebrate genome evolution and highlight the value of comparative genomics in addressing fundamental questions in biology. Read the study: https://lnkd.in/gkFt_tvj #BGI #BGIResearch #Genomics #ComparativeGenomics #EvolutionaryBiology #Science

How does the primate brain age, cell by cell? In a new Cell study, BGI-Research, together with Jilin University and Jinan University, mapped brain aging in macaques across adulthood, profiling nearly 3 million cell nuclei from eight brain regions. The study found that some of the strongest age-related changes appeared in the pons and medulla, a white-matter-rich part of the brainstem that helps relay signals between the brain and body. The team also saw that aging was not simply a steady decline. Some major changes appeared around middle age, while the oldest macaques showed signs of active cellular maintenance, including pathways linked to recycling damaged cell components and supporting neuronal function. By making the atlas publicly available, the study provides a resource for researchers working to better understand primate brain aging, resilience, and links to neurological disease. Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gH84-WPD #BGI #BGIResearch #BrainAging #Neuroscience #Multiomics #CellAtlas #AgingResearch #Genomics

Meet Miosic Jana, a participant of the 2026 DUT-BGI International Summer School. In this video, Jana reflects on a meaningful learning experience where every lecture feels like “a story in itself,” bringing together science, technology, engineering, biology, and chemistry. We’re proud to support young talents as they broaden their perspectives, connect with professionals, and bring new knowledge back to their future studies and research. #DUTBGI #InternationalSummerSchool #BGI #STEMEducation #LifeSciences #Engineering #GlobalTalent #Research