Recently, MGI unveiled MGIFLP, the world’s first one-stop high-throughput sequencing workstation. In collaboration with Zhujiang Hospital of Guangzhou Southern Medical University, MGIFLP has been applied in clinical settings to provide rapid and accurate diagnoses for patients with suspected severe infections, guiding effective treatment through pathogen screening.
Challenges in Clinical Sequencing
- Complicated Procedures: Multiple steps including centrifugation, plasma processing, sample preparation, and sequencing.
- High Skill Requirements: Manual operations such as end repair, adapter ligation, purification, and DNB preparation demand highly trained personnel, leading to variable quality and low efficiency.
- Long Turnaround: Conventional methods require at least three days to deliver results, even with partial automation.
- Large Footprint & Contamination Risk: Sequencing often requires multiple laboratories or work areas, making contamination control and space management challenging.
MGIFLP: A True One-Stop Solution
MGIFLP addresses these challenges by integrating sample processing, sequencing, and analysis into a single, automated system. From insertion of the sample to report output, the entire workflow is streamlined and efficient.
Key Features
- Fully Automated Workflow: Multi-module cascading allows complete automation from sample processing to report generation. Functional modules include blood centrifuge, plasma separation, sample preparation, and sequencing, adaptable to different sample types including blood, throat swabs, alveolar lavage fluid, and cerebrospinal fluid.
- Ease of Use: Single-button operation, standardized process, minimal manual intervention, and mobile phone monitoring. One operator can process 16 samples with only 2 minutes of hands-on time.
- Rapid Results: Complete sequencing from sample to report in 24 hours, drastically reducing clinical turnaround times.
- Compact & Enclosed Design: Small footprint (less than one-tenth of traditional setups) with fully enclosed modules for contamination prevention.
Clinical Applications
Since October 2017, MGIFLP has undergone extensive validation in collaboration with clinical departments. At Zhujiang Hospital, MGIFLP was used in the Critical Care, Hematology, and Organ Transplantation departments for high-throughput pathogen screening.
“MGIFLP provides clear workflows and fast results. For example, Salmonella was detected within 24 hours from a whole blood sample of two patients with hyperthermia, enabling timely and accurate treatment,” said the hospital’s laboratory lead.
Building a Collaborative Clinical Sequencing Ecosystem
MGIFLP-100 has received the world’s first clinical Class II medical device certificate, with additional certifications in progress. MGI encourages third-party reagent manufacturers to develop kits for the MGIFLP platform, fostering a complete ecosystem of clinical sequencing applications.
MGIFLP is a milestone in making clinical sequencing faster, simpler, and more accessible, offering unprecedented efficiency for pathogen detection, precision treatment guidance, and clinical research.
