MGI Tech and NCSTAR Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Explore Bringing Multi-Omics Infrastructure under DCSP framework to Queensland's Spatial Biology Research

BRISBANE, Australia, Aug. 4, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- MGI Australia, the local Australia and New Zealand team of MGI Tech Co., Ltd. (MGI), has entered a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with QIMR Berghofer's National Centre for Spatial Tissue and AI Research (NCSTAR).

Coordinated through NCSTAR, this memorandum of understanding (MOU) forms part of MGI's global DCSP Lab Initiative. It aims to provide Queensland's wider research community with accelerated access to leading-edge spatial and multi-omics technologies and fast-track translation of spatial biology into disease understanding and clinical insight.

Accelerating Access to MGI's DCSP Multi-Omics Framework

NCSTAR and its collaborating Queensland research groups will be able to trial and access MGI's DCSP multi-omics framework at the MGI Australia and New Zealand Customer Experience Centre (MGI ANZ CEC) on campus, accelerating its uptake in Queensland research and translational clinical application.

Key technologies within the framework at MGI ANZ CEC include:

• DNBSEQ™ sequencing (DNA genomics) — Industry-leading low amplification error rate and high accuracy, providing a reliable genomic foundation for identifying immune-relevant variants.
• Elab C-series single-cell platform (Cell Omics) — Droplet-based partitioning with a novel multi-bead combinatorial barcoding chemistry, delivering low duplicate rates and high cell/gene capture in a familiar, easy-to-use workflow. Supports 3' and 5' sn/scRNA (with human and mouse TCR/BCR profiling) and snATAC-seq.
• Stereo-seq (STOmics) — Large field-of-view, nanoscale-resolution spatial transcriptomics with unbiased whole-transcriptome capture. Works on fresh-frozen or FFPE samples with no pre-designed panel required, and its random-probe capture method captures both coding and non-coding RNA from any organism, including microbes.
• VisiOmics multiplex immunofluorescence platform (Proteomics) — Automated microfluidic iterative staining and imaging, expanding from standard high-plex imaging to 100+ protein marker analysis plus simultaneous RNA-FISH/protein co-detection on a single tissue section, using off-the-shelf, unconjugated primary antibodies for fast, flexible panel design.

Local Validation and Local Expertise

Because MGI Australia already operates the MGI ANZ CEC at QIMR Berghofer as a tenant of the Institute, new technologies can be evaluated and trialled against local sample types, workflows and research needs. This gives NCSTAR and its collaborating Queensland research groups early data and pilot results to validate a technology, providing an important foundation for future project design and implementation.

The MOU also includes technical training and knowledge exchange between NCSTAR and MGI's local team, deepening NCSTAR researchers' expertise in spatial omics data generation and analysis. NCSTAR intends to share that expertise with the broader Queensland research community through its existing collaborations and networks, and the partnership creates a pipeline for joint projects, publications and grant applications.

Quotes

Director of QIMR Berghofer's NCSTAR Associate Professor Quan Nguyen said, "Having MGI's technology and technical team on our own campus means we don't have to wait to find out whether a new spatial platform works for our samples and our research questions — we can test it and refine it here, and bring it into our studies with confidence. Together with NCSTAR's strengths in spatial tissue analysis, imaging, bioinformatics and AI-enabled research, this MOU helps establish what we believe is one of the world's most comprehensive spatial multi-omics technology capabilities in one building. Because we work closely with research groups across Queensland, that benefit doesn't stop at our own campus."

"Since establishing our presence at QIMR Berghofer in 2016, our focus has been on empowering the local research ecosystem rather than simply showcasing hardware," said Dr. Bicheng Yang, Director of MGI Australia and New Zealand. "Working with NCSTAR lets us put that infrastructure directly to work for one of the world's leading spatial tissue and AI research programs, and support the validation work that helps new technology move from the lab bench into everyday research that generates real clinical insight."

FAQs

1. What is MGI's DCSP Lab Initiative?

Launched in 2023 as the DCS Lab Initiative (named after DNA, Cell, Spatial omics), it is MGI's first global ecosystem empowerment program. It was strategically upgraded to DCSP Lab Initiative in 2026 to incorporate full-stack proteomics integrations.

2. How many DSC labs has MGI supported so far?

As of Dec 31, 2025, MGI has supported the establishment of more than 49 DCS labs worldwide, empowering scientists to push the boundaries of life science.

3. What historical relationship underpins this partnership?

This MOU extends a relationship between MGI, BGI Group and QIMR Berghofer that spans almost a decade. BGI Group first established a presence at QIMR Berghofer in 2016, and MGI has operated its Australia and New Zealand CEC on campus since 2021, giving NCSTAR a genomics and multi-omics technology partner already embedded in its research precinct.

About NCSTAR and QIMR Berghofer

The National Centre for Spatial Tissue and AI Research (NCSTAR) brings together researchers in academia, medicine and industry with the goal of discovering novel drug targets and improving clinical decision-making through spatially defined tissue biomarkers, combining spatial technologies — transcriptomics, proteomics and metabolomics — with machine learning analytics. NCSTAR is based at QIMR Berghofer, an independent, world-leading translational research institute in Brisbane, Australia, with 80 years of collaboration with external research and industry partners.

About MGI Australia

MGI Australia is the local Australia and New Zealand team of MGI Tech Co., Ltd. (MGI), a global bio-technology company committed to building core tools and technologies that drive innovation in life sciences. Founded in 2016 and listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange (SHA: 688114) in 2022, MGI develops high-throughput sequencing systems (including the DNBSEQ platform), laboratory automation and multi-omics solutions spanning single-cell, spatial and proteomic technologies such as Stereo-seq. MGI Australia has operated the MGI Australia and New Zealand Customer Experience Centre at QIMR Berghofer in Brisbane since 2021, supporting researchers and applied laboratories across Australia and New Zealand.

Learn more at global-mgitech.com.