Since the technology behind DNA sequencers advances quickly, DNA sequencers can become outdated quickly. In 2013, BGI bought the company Complete Genomics in the US and tried to develop its own whole-genome sequencer but had failed by last November. Meanwhile, the competing sequencing system — the Illumina X series of genome sequencers have rose to dominance with one machine clearly dominating all others: the Illumina HiSeq X Ten that entered the market in 2014. A set of ten of these machines has broken through speed and cost thresholds, sequencing a human genome for around $1000 US and sequencing as many as 18,000 genomes per year. By the end of the year, China will probably have at least 70 units of this machine. Around 300 of the machines had reportedly been sold worldwide by the end of 2015 and by the end of 2016 China will have 70 of the machines. BGI rivals quickly emerged with Novogene, created in 2011, leading the field. Other rivals include Cloud Health and WuXi PharmaTech that have targeted pharmaceuticals research companies and personal-genomics. BGI has also developed a smaller machine, the BGISEQ-500, that can reportedly sequence a human genome for $1,000 (with a target of $200 in the next few years) and is ideal for medical use in clinics and hospitals. CHINA'S DEVELOPING GENETICS INDUSTRY Many highly innovative companies are opening up in Shenzhen. The China National Genebank will open this year with millions of genetic samples taken from humans, animals, plants and micro-organisms. The ambitions of iCarbonX are truly colossal. Besides collecting genome sequencing data for a million people, the company also plans to collect a wide variety of related information (e.g. from biosensors monitoring glucose levels, protein and metabolite levels, brain imaging, from smart toilets monitoring urine and faeces in real time) and using artificial intelligence (AI) the company plans to integrate the information with genetic data and ultimately to provide personalized medical care that is tailored to a person's genetic profile and current physiological state. iCarbonX raised $100 million from the parent company of WeChat which will be used as a genetic data collection platform. A company named Cloud Health feeds genetic data from tumour samples to other companies, that then determine the best chemotherapy regime to fight cancer. All these recent developments clearly show that innovation in China's rising genetics industry is truly impressive. http://www.nature.com/news/china-s-bid-to-be-a-dna-superpower-1.20121

SIX YEARS AGO BECAME LEADER IN DNA SEQUENCING Six years ago China became the world leader in DNA sequencing through the efforts of one company named BGI, based in Shenzen near Hong Kong. By purchasing only 128 of the fastest DNA sequencing machines in the world, China acquired more than half the worlds DNA sequencing capacity. The company recruited the best bioinformatics talent available and collaborated with leading researchers worldwide and published a wide variety of genome sequences, both human and animal. To show how ambitious it was, the company vowed to sequence the genomes of "one million people, one million plants and animals and one million microbial ecosystems." When sequencing the one million human genomes, Chinese researchers at BGI plan to investigate many challenging problems in medical research including metabolic diseases, breast cancer, stomach cancer as well as look at genetic differences of sub- populations in China. Precision drugs and molecular-diagnosis products are also on the to-do list. Overall, the Chinese government has taken a more proactive stance in genome sequencing investments than other countries. RISE OF RIVAL DNA SEQUENCING COMPANIES

Genome sequencing (DNA sequencing) is the technology used to derive the genome of living things and is the one of the fastest changing fields of scientific research on the planet. Chinese companies are increasingly at the forefront of this research. China is estimated to currently possess 20 to 30% of total global DNA sequencing capacity. Worldwide, DNA sequencing capacity is rising fast and in China it is rising faster than anywhere else. PRECISION-MEDICINE INITIATIVE The Chinese government has launched a 15-year multibillion-dollar precision - medicine initiative, similar to initiatives in the US and EU. The idea behind precision-medicine is to choose the best medical treatment for a disease based on a person's personal genome and physiology. The aim is to integrate genomics into healthcare, using genomics to determine personal disease risk, optimal therapies and to better understand the role of lifestyle factors such as diet.

A genome is the complete set of genes in living things.

Precision medicine (PM) seeks to select therapies for the treatment of diseases based on each person's personal genome (see here )

Precision personalised medicine is the next on the list.

[Paraphrase & summary of "China’s bid to be a DNA superpower" in the science journal Nature here ]

Over last six years China has developed a capacity to capture & analyze genetic data for new personalized medical treatment.

Click "play" to listen to China: DNA superpower and "Download" to keep this file for educational purpose.

Vocabulary:

advance (noun): progress or an instance of progress in science, technology, human knowledge etc - การพัฒนา, การก้าวหน้า

aim : purpose; goal - เป้าหมาย จุดมุ่งหมาย

ambition : the desire or determination to be successful, rich, powerful, etc; something that you want to do or achieve very much - ความทะเยอทะยาน, ความปรารถนาอันแรงกล้า

ambitious : determined to be successful, rich, powerful, etc - ทะเยอทะยาน

artificial intelligence : an area of study concerned with making computers copy intelligent human behaviour - ปัญญาประดิษฐ์

at the forefront of : in the first or leading position of ... -

available : that you can get, use, find or buy - มีอยู่, หาได้

based : where the main work of an organisation, business, etc. is done or controlled - ซึ่งเป็นศูนย์กลาง

based on (verb): information or facts used to make a story, calculation, judgement or decision - ตั้งอยู่บน,ยึดเป็นหลัก

cancer : a serious disease in which growths of cells, also called cancers, form in the body and kill normal body cells. The disease often causes death - มะเร็ง

capacity : the amount of something that can be produced or done - ความสามารถในการ (ระบาย, ผลิต etc.)

challenge : something that needs a lot of skill, energy, and determination to deal with or achieve - สิ่งที่ท้าทาย, การท้าทาย

clinic : a place where a person goes to receive medical treatment -

collaborate : to work together with someone else - ร่วมมือ

colossal : extremely large - มหึมา, ใหญ่โต

conquer : to deal with or successfully fight against a problem or an unreasonable fear - เอาชนะด้วยอำนาจทางใจ

currently : at this time; now - ในปัจจุบัน

derive : to come or develop from something - กลายมาจาก (ทางภาษาศาสตร์), ได้มาจาก, กำเนิดจาก

determine : to decide what will be done or happen - กำหนด

development : a new event or stage that is likely to affect what happens in a continuing situation - ความคืบหน้า

diagnosis : the act of discovering or identifying the exact cause of an illness or a problem - การวินิจฉัยโรค

diet : the food and drink usually taken by a person or group - อาหาร, สิ่งที่กินได้

dominance : control - การมีอำนาจเหนือ, การครอบคลุม, การควบคุม

dominate : to be in control - มีอำนาจเหนือ ครอบคลุม ควบคุม

emerge : to appear - ปรากฏออกมา

estimated : thought to be a particular amount, size, etc. based on a guess or the best information available - ประมาณการ

factor : a fact or situation which influences the result of something - ปัจจัย

faeces : solid waste from your body - อุจจาระ

field (noun): an area of specialized knowledge that people work, study, teach and do research in - สาขา, วงการ, แวดวง

gene (noun): a unit inside a cell which controls a particular quality in a living thing that has been passed on from its parents - ยีน

genetic (adj): connected with genes (= the units in the cells of a living thing that control its physical characteristics) or genetics (= the study of genes ) - เกี่ยวกับพันธศาสตร์,ยีน

genome (noun): the total amount of genetic or DNA information in the chromosomes of a living thing - กลุ่มยีนในเซลล์ของสิ่งมีชีวิต, จีโนม

global : throughout the world - ทั่วโลก

guts (noun): the organs in and around the stomach - ไส้ใน, เครื่องใน

ideal : the best possible - ดีที่สุด

initiative : a new action or movement, often intended to solve a problem - ความคิดริเริ่ม

innovation : the introduction of new things, ideas or ways of doing something; a new idea, way of doing something, etc. that has been introduced or discovered - นวัตกรรม, การคิดขึ้นใหม่, สิ่งที่นำเข้ามาใหม่

integrate : to combine things of different types in one effective system - รวมเข้าด้วยกัน

investigate : to try to find out the facts about something in order to learn the truth about it - ตรวจสอบหาความจริง

investment (noun): the act of investing money in something - การลงทุน

launch : starting something - การเริ่มต้น

leading (adjective): among the first and most important in a group - ชั้นหนึ่ง, ชั้นแนวหน้า, ชั้นนำ

lifestyle : the type of life that you have, for example the type of job or house you have or the type of activity you like doing - วิถีทางการดำเนินชีวิต, ลีลาชีวิต, รูปแบบการดำเนินชีวิต

living things : animals or plants; things that live, that have life - สิ่งมีชีวิต

microbial : involving microorganisms (organisms too small to see with the eye) - เกี่ยวกับจุลินทรีย์

optimal : the best -

outdated : old and no longer suitable or useful - ล้าสมัย, ที่พ้นสมัย

paraphrase : to express what somebody has said or written using different words, especially in order to make it easier to understand - การถอดความ, การแปลความ

personal : your own; not belonging to or connected with anyone else - เป็นส่วนตัว

personalise (verb): make something special for one person - ทำให้เป็นส่วนตัว, ทำให้เป็นลักษณะส่วนบุคคล, ทำให้ของบุคคล

population : a particular group of people or animals living in a particular area - กลุ่มที่อาศัยอยู่ในที่เดียวกัน

possess : to have or own something - ครอบครอง, ถือครอง

precision : the quality of being very accurate and exact - ความแม่นยำ

proactive : taking action and making changes before they need to be made, rather than waiting for problems to be developed - อย่างมั่นใจ. ซึ่งเข้าควบคุมสถานการณ์,

profile : a description of somebody/something that gives useful information - ประวัติโดยย่อ

real time : actual time; dealing with information as soon as it is received - ตามเวลาจริง

recruit : to get someone to work in a company or join an organisation - จ้างงาน

reportedly : as reported (often used for showing that you are not certain that something you are reporting is true) - ตามที่รายงาน

research : a careful study of a subject, especially in order to discover new facts or information about it - การวิจัย

researchers (noun): people who carry out a careful study of a subject, especially in order to discover new facts or information about it - นักวิจัย

rival : a person, group, team or business that competes with another - คู่ต่อสู้, คู่ปรับ, คู่แข่ง

role : the position or purpose that someone or something has in a situation, organisation, society or relationship - บทบาท

sequence : a set of related things that happen or are arranged in a particular order - การเรียงลำดับ

stance : your attitude, views or opinion about an issue - ความเห็น , จุดยืน

state : condition - สภาพ

sub- : a smaller part of a bigger thing or group -

summary (noun): a short statement that gives only the main points of something, not the details - ใจความสรุป, ใจความสำคัญ, สาระสำคัญ

tailor : to make something especially for a particular purpose - ที่ทำขึ้นเฉพาะ

talent : a person with a natural ability to do something well - ผู้ที่มีความสามารถพิเศษ

target : something you want to achieve; a particular number or amount that you want to achieve - เป้าหมาย

therapy : a treatment which helps someone feel better, grow stronger, etc., especially after an illness - การบำบัดโรค

threshold : the level or point at which you start to experience something, or at which something starts to happen - จุดเริ่มของประสบการณ์หรือเหตุการณ์ใหม่ๆ

to-do list : a list of things of things to do -

total : including everything; being the amount or number after everyone or everything is counted or added together - ทั้งหมด

treatment : the process of providing medical care - การรักษา

urine : liquid waste passed from your body - น้ำปัสสาวะ

variety (noun): many different types of things or people - ความหลากหลาย

vow : to make a formal and serious promise to do something or to promise what you say is true - สาบาน, ปฏิญาณ

worldwide : throughout the world - ทั่วโลก