SHENZHEN, China, 6 June 2024 – MGI Tech Co., Ltd. (“MGI”), a company dedicated to building core tools and technologies that drive innovation in life science, today announced a highly efficient, end-to-end solution for large-scale Low-pass Whole Genome Sequencing (Low-pass WGS) for agricultural applications at the International Plant and Animal Genome Conference Asia (PAG Asia 2024), held from 5–7 June in Shenzhen, China. The solution delivers a fully automated workflow for molecular breeding genotyping of agricultural diploid species, covering DNA extraction, library preparation, sequencing, and SNP & InDel calling.
The new MGIEasy Large-scale PCR-Free FS Library Prep Set for Low-pass WGS, available in 96RXN and 384RXN specifications, is designed specifically for low-pass WGS applications. Featuring a plate-based reagent module, it simplifies library construction into three easy steps, eliminates the purification step, and reduces both time and consumable requirements compared with conventional PCR-free kits.
Paired with MGI’s advanced automation platforms, this solution breaks conventional throughput limits. Fewer automated instruments achieve ultra-high throughput while maintaining a high degree of automation, enabling large-scale library preparation in a short time, at low cost, and with excellent operational efficiency.
For sequencing, the solution offers high-throughput and medium-throughput options, leveraging the DNBSEQ-T7 ultra-high-throughput sequencer and the versatile DNBSEQ-G400 benchtop sequencer, empowering large-scale agricultural genomics projects to be completed quickly.
The initial workflow includes a pig reference panel and GLIMPSE2-based data analysis software, allowing users to perform pig genotyping without building their own database. A free format conversion service is also available for compatibility with existing reference panels.
“Genome selection has become widely used in agricultural breeding, and sequencing technology increasingly demonstrates its irreplaceable advantages,” said Duncan Yu, President of MGI. “Low-pass WGS has been applied in both animal and plant breeding, but implementation challenges remain. Our new solution for large-scale pig breeding addresses these pain points, offering flexible automation, simplified library preparation, high-throughput sequencing, and efficient data processing.”
Backed by MGI’s powerful instruments, the solution delivers a daily throughput of 96–1,536 samples and an annual throughput of 24,000–384,000 samples (based on 1.0X pig genome coverage and 3G average sample output). In pig ear tissue samples, high-accuracy SNP results were achieved with 0.5–1X low-pass sequencing, showing 98.4% consistency with SNP arrays and 98.1% with 50X WGS. Using MGI’s MegaBOLT bioinformatics accelerator, 192 pig 1.0X samples can be analysed daily, increasing to ~1,536 per day with ZBOLT Pro.
Compared with traditional microarray genotyping, MGI’s solution provides genome-wide data at comparable cost while capturing a broader range of genetic variation, enhancing new variant discovery, and increasing statistical power in genome-wide studies—without the high design and start-up costs associated with microarrays. Its dynamic features also support continuous updates and optimisation of genomic analyses.
“As a provider of core tools in life science, MGI is committed to equipping agricultural scientists and breeders with high-quality, convenient, and reliable genome products, while actively driving growth in agricultural research and industry,” added Yu.
