From Azerbaijan to China: BGI Genomics promotes thalassemia awareness worldwide

Marking International Thalassemia Day with awareness events and HSCT donation drives in Azerbaijan and China

2023-05-08

(Press-News.org) Thalassemia (thal-uh-SEE-me-uh) is an inherited blood disorder that affects about 300 million people worldwide. Treatments for moderate to severe thalassemia include frequent blood transfusions, chelation therapy to remove excess iron from the blood, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

In line with the theme of this year's International Thalassemia Day – "Be Aware. Share. Care: Strengthening Education to Bridge the Thalassemia Care Gap", BGI Genomics will co-host an event with the Shenzhen Municipal Health Commission for thalassemia patients and their family members on May 6, 2023, in Shenzhen, China, providing tips on thalassemia control and leading an HSCT donation drive.

This event will be followed by a seminar and another HSCT donation drive for children with thalassemia in Chenzhou, Hunan province, China, on May 8, 2023 – International Thalassemia Day – where BGI Genomics will participate.

"BGI Genomics is a world leader in genomics research and has been dedicated to the prevention and treatment of thalassemia for many years," commented Shiping Chen, BGI Genomics Senior Product Manager. "We are working towards a vision that in a not-too-distant future there will be a world without this disease."

Contributing to thalassemia control worldwide

The company seeks to reach beyond China to countries along the 'Belt and Road Initiative' to achieve comprehensive thalassemia control. This includes countries such as Azerbaijan, which has one of the highest prevalence rate of thalassemia worldwide.

On May 3, 2023, the BGI Genomics Satellite Symposium was held at the AZLTK & LAB EXPO 2023, where experts gathered in the country to discuss the application of next-generation sequencing to prevent congenital disabilities, including thalassemia.

In September 6, 2022, the Azerbaijan Thalassemia Center and BGI Genomics sealed a Collaboration Agreement. This is one of the company's pioneer overseas thalassemia projects. This partnership aims to improve thalassemia screening in Azerbaijan through genetic technology.

About BGI Genomics

BGI Genomics, headquartered in Shenzhen, China, is the world's leading integrated solutions provider of precision medicine. In July 2017, as a subsidiary of BGI Group, BGI Genomics (300676.SZ) was officially listed on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

The company has pioneered thalassemia genetic testing services based on next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology since 2013. BGI'sThalassemia Gene Detection Kit (Combinatorial Probe-Anchor Synthesis Sequencing Method) obtained CE-IVDD approval in Europe and gained certifications in Thailand and Saudi Arabia.

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