Intestinal flora, as a complex microbial ecosystem, forms a mutualistic symbiosis with humans and plays a crucial role in various aspects, including physiological metabolism, disease development, and the immune system. Therefore, understanding the role of intestinal flora in the development of chronic diseases is essential for their prevention and treatment.
In December 2022, MGI’s automated ultra-low-temperature biobank (MGICLab-LT) was delivered to the Shanghai Engineering Technology Research Center for the Functional Development of Human Intestinal Microflora (hereinafter “the Engineering Center”), contributing to the establishment of the “Chinese Human Intestinal Model Bacteria Bank”. We spoke with Professor Huanlong Qin, President of Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital, and Dr Ni Ming, Senior VP of MGI, about MGICLab-LT.
What was the Engineering Center’s original intention in introducing MGI’s automated ultra-low-temperature biobank (MGICLab-LT)?
“At the inception of the Engineering Center, we faced the challenge of transferring healthy donors’ feces into bacterial suspensions and capsules. The preservation of intestinal flora was one of the major problems we encountered,” said Professor Huanlong Qin.
Professor Huanlong Qin, President of Shanghai Tenth People’s Hospital
Microorganisms are prone to contamination, mutation, and even death during handling and passage, often resulting in reduced bacterial viability or the loss of superior strains. The significance of bacterial preservation lies in several aspects: it maintains the vitality and original properties of bacteria to the greatest extent, protects them from death, mutation, and contamination, preserves the superior properties of strains, and ensures the survival of key strains. Consequently, bacterial preservation facilitates research, collaboration, and practical application. MGI’s automated ultra-low-temperature biobank is ideally suited to meet the needs for long-term, stable preservation of microorganisms.
MGI’s automated ultra-low-temperature biobank
How does MGICLab-LT support the Engineering Center in building the first “China Human Intestinal Flora Bank”?
“The preservation of samples is crucial for studying the evolution of chronic diseases based on intestinal microbiome, metagenomics, and metabolomics. The scientific relationship between disease onset and development and the intestinal flora remains a controversial issue, particularly regarding whether changes in flora precede or follow disease evolution. The flora plays a pivotal role in influencing disease progression and phenotypes,” added Professor Huanlong.
In this context, constructing sample libraries is especially significant for research projects involving large populations, as it provides a reliable foundation for studying the evolution and development of chronic diseases. Moreover, establishing sample preservation platforms lays the groundwork for building comprehensive databases. These platforms are expected to offer substantial benefits to society, the healthcare sector, and scientific research in the future.
How will MGI’s platform empower users in fields such as microbiology through MGICLab-LT?
“Our ultra-low-temperature automated biobank is designed to perform automated sample preservation, information input, and precise tube selection under ultra-low-temperature conditions. In the future, we aim to enable full-chain sample utilisation—from collection and preservation to sequencing and analysis—powered by MGI’s platforms,” said Dr Ni Ming.
Dr Ni Ming, Senior VP of MGI
To meet the preservation demands for large volumes of human intestinal flora, particularly the requirements for automated sample handling with biosafety and data security, MGICLab-LT combines safety, stability, intelligence, and efficiency. It simplifies complex and tedious operations, providing automated and precise single-tube access to biosamples, thereby achieving closed-loop control of the entire process. MGICLab-LT can be customised for ultra-low-temperature large-scale storage ranging from 500,000 to over one million samples.
Innovative technologies and instruments hold tremendous potential for the foreseeable future. MGI is committed to building a comprehensive life science ecosystem of core tools for genetic reading, writing, and storage to address fundamental human needs and empower the application of FMT technology in chronic disease research and treatment.
