MGI automation systems safeguard Games

MGI’S innovative lab automation systems, including six units of MGISTP-7000, three units of MGISP-NE384 and two units of MGISP-960, are used in Zhangjiakou Olympic Village, providing mass COVID-19 testing for all participants to ensure a COVID-safe event, a release of the company said yesterday.

MGI's innovative lab automation system used in the mass COVID-19 testing in Zhangjiakou Olympic Village. Courtesy of MGI

The MGISTP-7000 high-throughput automated sample transfer processing system, specifically designed for fast mass COVID-19 testing, automates the labor-intensive and time-consuming procedures such as barcode identification, tube decapping, liquid transfer and tube recapping.

The MGISP-960 high-throughput automated sample preparation system can accommodate different sample batches to process 192 samples in 80 minutes to meet the requirements of the Winter Olympics for the testing speed, throughput and safety.

The MGISP-NE384 is a high-throughput automated nucleic acid extractor using magnetic rod technology. One unit of MGISP-NE384 can process 10,000 samples per day to provide instrumental support for large-scale testing.

MGI’s three powerful lab automation systems can work together to simplify the whole process from barcode identification, sample preparation, DNA/RNA extraction, liquid transfer and fluorescence quantitative PCR testing to report distribution in a diagnostic testing laboratory and enable a highly efficient streamlined workflow. The systems minimize the labor required and significantly shorten test report turnaround time, thus improving the testing efficiency and capacity.

“If all these equipment are put into use, the maximum daily testing capacity can reach up to 45,000 samples during the competition. It shortens the turnaround time for a test report to just four hours to meet the mass testing needs of the following two major competitions, six sub-competitions and 50 minor competitions held in Zhangjiakou Olympic Village,” MGI said.

During the Winter Olympics, Peking University Third Hospital provides athletes with rapid medical support. Empowered by MGI’s robotic ultrasound system, MGIUS-R3, doctors at Peking University Third Hospital will be able to conduct remote real-time scanning and consultation for patients in the closed-loop system.

MGI has been actively contributing to the global combat against COVID-19 by speeding up the efficiency of large-scale testing while ensuring a safer working environment for lab technicians. MGI automation systems have supported more than 70 countries to date, including safeguarding the World Figure Skating Championships held in Sweden.