BGI localizes gene therapy manufacturing abroad for the first time — in Thailand

华大基因 / BGI Group — one of the world's largest genomics technology operators — in January 2026 successfully localized production of a gene therapy drug outside China for the first time, through its subsidiary Hemogen Therapeutic. The partner was the Cell and Gene Therapy Manufacturing Center at Chulalongkorn University in Thailand, where production of the HGI-001 (Hemo-cel) injection was established.

Why this specific step matters

Localizing production of a complex biotech drug is a far more demanding task than opening a testing lab: it requires transferring manufacturing technology, training local staff, and meeting local regulatory requirements for biologic drug quality. The company calls the successful completion of this process in Thailand the first international validation of its SPARK global deployment model — an approach intended to be replicated in other markets.

Where the company plans to go next

Following the successful Thailand launch, Hemogen Therapeutic is actively extending the SPARK model to other Southeast Asian countries — a region with growing demand for advanced medicine but often limited domestic manufacturing capacity for complex biologics. This is a separate track from BGI's more widely known Huo-Yan lab network, which has expanded to more than 30 countries over recent years and is gradually shifting from acute diagnostics (originally built for infectious-disease testing) toward routine clinical applications — prenatal screening, oncology, and large-scale population genomics research.

What this means for the medtech and biotech market

BGI's Thailand story shows a less visible but strategically important path of Chinese biotech expansion: not exporting a finished product, but transferring manufacturing competencies directly to partners in the target market. For Southeast Asian countries, this means access to advanced therapies without importing a finished drug at a high price; for BGI, it's a growth model that builds long-term partnerships instead of one-off sales.

More on biotech and medtech in Asia is covered in the longevity and biotech program; the company's card is available on the GlobalTechTour site.