
COVID Helped China Get Ahead on Genetic Therapies
Why is China trying to lead the world in genetic technology?According to a recent Washington Post article, the COVID-19 pandemic was a boon for China’s ambitions to be the world leader in precision therapeutics and genetic technology. China’s premier genetic sequencing company, BGI, set up over 100 portable gene sequencing labs in twenty countries, concentrated mainly in the Middle East and Africa, ostensibly to provide free or reduced-priced COVID-19 tests. The Washington Post article focused on Serbia, in Central Europe, where BGI delivered it’s pop-up COVID-19 testing labs, called “Fire-Eye,” named after the Monkey King, a popular Chinese mythical creature. BGI will set up permanent labs in Serbia for other genetic testing, where it will acquire human genome information on its population. In exchange for the lab donations, Serbian leaders Read More ›