Introduction
For years, BGI Group, along with its independent subsidiary MGI Tech, has been the flagship name in Chinese genomics, competing with Illumina to dominate the domestic sequencing market. The DNBSEQ technology platforms, developed from technology acquired through the purchase of Complete Genomics in 2013, have played a central role in its international expansion, drawing both industry attention and political scrutiny, and frequently making headlines in the international media.
But today, China’s sequencing landscape is evolving rapidly. Fuelled by national policy, geopolitical pressures, and an ambition to reduce dependence on imported technologies, a new wave of domestic sequencing companies with their own proprietary platforms is emerging.
Understanding the background to these new Chinese sequencing companies, and who they are, is key for anyone interested in the future of the genomics market, not just in China, but globally.
Chinese Sequencing Companies
Though BGI and MGI still dominate in terms of installed base and data production, multiple emerging players are making significant strides. These firms offer alternatives based on second, third, and even fourth generation sequencing platforms.
“China’s sequencing industry is entering a new phase,” notes Dr. Lei Sun, CTO of Genemind. “Domestic manufacturers now have sequencers with performance metrics on par with global leaders, and falling costs will unlock more population-scale projects.”
Executives also highlight that competition is intensifying. In Dr. Sun’s words, “it is no longer a single-company market, multiple challengers are now innovating in chemistry, optics, and nanopore technologies.” This marks a notable shift in an ecosystem once dominated almost exclusively by BGI.
The Companies to Watch
We have profiled the Chinese sequencing companies that claim to have their own proprietary technology and/or platforms, and who we judge to be active in the space. Below are short profiles of the companies we think the industry should be watching. For a deeper dive into any of the featured companies, please contact us.
Genemind (真迈生物)
Founded: 2012
Headquarters: Shenzhen, Guangdong
Sequencing Technology: High-throughput sequencing (NGS) using sequencing by synthesis (SBS)
Platforms: FASTASeq series, SURFSeq series
Application Focus: Infectious Disease, Reproductive health, Oncology, R&D
Company Profile: Headquartered in Luohu, Shenzhen, Genemind is one of the most established Chinese sequencing players after BGI and MGI. Genemind claims a range of independent intellectual property rights and key core technologies for gene sequencers with global validity. The company is focussed on technological innovation in gene sequencers and bio-omics instruments, developing its proprietary SURFSeq sequencing technology system, with over 500 granted and pending domestic and international patents. Genemind offers a comprehensive product portfolio covering low-, medium-, high-, and ultra-high-throughput sequencing technologies. It states its products have been adopted by over 300 users in over 50 countries and regions worldwide, with over 500 sequencers widely used in reproductive health, cancer prevention and control, infectious diseases, forensic science, and molecular breeding.
Salus (赛陆医疗)
Founded: 2020
Headquarters: Shenzhen, Guangdong
Sequencing Technology: Spatial Omics, High-Throughput Sequencing (NGS)
Platforms: Saluseq Nimbo, Salus Pro, Salus Evo
Application Focus: R&D, NIPT, Oncology, Diagnostics, Forensics
Company Profile: Salus's domestic presence is already firmly established with several national technology recognitions and key certifications, including the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA) Class III medical device registration. The company is focused on developing proprietary sequencing platforms, 'super-resolution spatial omics' platforms, and solid-phase gene chip detection platforms. Salus states it has overcome bottlenecks in throughput, cost, resolution, and automation for previous sequencing and omics products with a combination of new optical systems, new enzymes and proprietary dye systems. The company has grown rapidly domestically and is actively trying to increase its sales abroad, with a particular focus on the European market having won EU CE-IVDR certification.
AXBIO (安序源)
Founded: 2016
Headquarters: Shenzhen, Guangdong
Sequencing Technology: A fusion of nanopore sequencing and sequencing by synthesis (SBS)
Platform Name: Axbio Sequencer
Application Focus: Multi-omics research solutions
Company Profile: Axbio positions itself as a global life sciences company with R&D centers in China and the United States. Its subsidiary, Axbio Shenzhen, is a national high-tech enterprise. Axbio's core technology combines semiconductor engineering, synthetic biology, and microfluidics. It claims its Bio-CMOS sequencing chip integrates millions of nanopore channels on a single high-density circuit, enabling ultra-high throughput and cost-efficient data generation.
QITAN Technology (齐碳科技)
Founded: 2016
Headquarters: Chengdu, Sichuan
Sequencing Technology: Nanopore sequencing
Platform: QNome
Application Focus: Research, Clinical diagnostics, Pharmacogenomics
Company Profile: Qitan Technology claims to be the first domestic nanopore gene sequencing company to independently develop and mass-produce nanopore gene sequencers, along with supporting chips and reagents, with independent intellectual property rights. Its headquarters and first production base are located in Chengdu, Sichuan, with an R&D center in Beijing. Qitan Technology also claims to have achieved breakthroughs in key core technologies, including pore proteins, fluidic chips, and core algorithms.
CYGNUS (赛纳生物)
Founded: 2015
Headquarters: Beijing
Sequencing Technology: Improved sequencing by synthesis (SBS) technology (fluorogenic sequencing)
Platform: GP1000, GS100
Application Focus: Reproductive health, Agricultural breeding, Disease screening, Oncology
Company Profile: Cygnus was founded by a team led by Academician Xie Xiaoliang of Peking University. Its core technology is "fluorogenic" sequencing chemistry, a novel SBS technology approach designed to achieve higher accuracy and lower cost sequencing. It claims its core technology is protected by nearly 200 domestic and international patents.
Sikun Bio (思昆生物)
Founded: 2021
Headquarters: Suzhou, Jiangsu
Sequencing Technology: Semiconductor-based Sequencing by Synthesis (SBS)
Platforms: Sikun RapidGS480, Sikun 2000, Sikun1000,
Application Focus: Pathogen detection, Oncology, Reproductive health.
Company Profile: Sikun Bio is located in the Zhengzhou Economic and Technological Development Zone. The company focuses on technology research and product development in the field of gene sequencing. It has a comprehensive portfolio of gene sequencers and genetic testing reagents, and is working in multiple fields, including pathogen detection, tumor screening, and reproductive genetics. It provides a comprehensive suite of precision detection solutions for research institutions, enterprises, public health organizations, and medical institutions.
POLYSEQ (谱译生物)
Founded: 2021
Headquarters: Shenzhen, Guangdong
Sequencing Technology: Nanopore-based biopolymer sequencing
Platform Name: PolySeq series
Application Focus: Mobile diagnostics
Company Profile: PolySeq is developing a nanopore-based sequencing platform that combines nanopore sequencing chemistry with atomic-level structural analysis of novel membrane protein nanopores. The company claims to integrate expertise across nucleic acid chemistry, protein engineering, artificial membrane construction and characterization and semiconductor design.
Global Standards
Many of the platforms featured are still in the early stages of international validation, particularly in clinical applications, where global standards remain dominated by U.S. and European regulatory systems. That said, several of the Chinese platforms are working towards CE marking, and domestic validation efforts are rapidly evolving.
According to Dr. Zhao of Salus Biomed, “international adoption will depend not only on CE-IVDR and FDA pathways, but also on building trust with clinicians through large-scale validation.” He points out that Chinese firms are investing heavily in these studies to accelerate credibility abroad.
Policy Support and Strategic Drivers
The rise of so many homegrown platforms is not accidental, but is being driven by explicit policy priorities. China’s national strategy includes landmark initiatives such as Made in China 2025, the 13th and 14th Five-Year Plans, the Bioeconomy Development Plan (2021–2025), and Administrative Measures for the Government Procurement of Import Products (2021). These frameworks emphasize self-reliance in critical technologies and call for innovation in single-molecule sequencing, microfluidics, and high-throughput diagnostic systems.
Industry leaders stress that China’s policy-driven environment creates unique advantages. “The ecosystem differs from the West in scale and policy-driven localization,” says Dr. Zhao. “China can move quickly to deploy sequencing in oncology and infectious disease testing, while simultaneously reducing reliance on imported platforms.” This, he adds, creates “distinct opportunities to scale cost-effective clinical solutions within a vast, regulated market.”
In parallel, regulatory mechanisms such as the Human Genetic Resources (HGR) Management Ordinance have tightened control over genetic data use and export, reinforcing the state’s interest in domestically sourced technologies. The China Kadoorie Biobank, one of the world’s largest prospective studies with over 500,000 participants, is set to create a comprehensive multi-omics data infrastructure. In addition, the Human Genome Project II (HGP2), led by Chinese researchers, aims to sequence the genomes of approximately 1% of the global population (80 M individuals from > 100 countries). The initiative seeks to develop a comprehensive pangenome reference that better reflects global genetic diversity. It also aims to establish standards for integrating multi-omics data into precision medicine and to build large-scale multi-omics cohorts to support biomedical research. Collectively, these efforts emphasize the strategic importance of domestic platforms in advancing both national and global scientific objectives.
Executives note that these policies are not just top-down directives but are actively shaping commercial strategy. As Dr. Sun explains: “Companies are aligning roadmaps with national initiatives - whether in rare disease genomics, cancer prevention, or pathogen surveillance - because this alignment drives both funding and adoption.”
Conclusion: Innovation Through Necessity
The emergence of these platforms is not merely about competitive ambition.
Much of China's domestic sequencing development has been shaped not only by market opportunity, but also by geopolitical tension. U.S. restrictions on Chinese biotech firms and concerns over data security have accelerated efforts in China to build a de-risked domestic supply chain, while also highlighting the strategic value of biotech sovereignty.
These homegrown companies are often building modular, lower-cost, and more localized solutions that align directly with China’s national strategic goals in health data sovereignty and biotech resilience.
Regulatory, commercial, and scientific forces are aligning to support a more self-reliant genomics ecosystem in China.
As Dr. Zhao puts it: “In the long run, competition at home will make Chinese platforms stronger globally, as firms learn to differentiate on quality, affordability, and clinical relevance.”
China’s sequencing sector is no longer defined by a single company. It is becoming plural, competitive, and diversified, featuring a mix of large players, startups, and companies focussed on supporting specific applications and policy-backed national initiatives. While global acceptance will take time, the trajectory is clear: China will become a full-spectrum contributor to the future of genomics, from basic instrumentation to data infrastructure and clinical diagnostics.
As innovation and policy continue to converge, the question is no longer whether China can develop its own sequencing platforms, it’s how those platforms will shape the future of genomics, both locally and globally.