Photo: courtesy of BGI

Shenzhen-based BGI said it takes all aspects of data protection, privacy and ethics extremely seriously, complies with Europe's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other applicable data protection laws and regulations, in response to reports claiming its prenatal gene test under scrutiny for so-called Chinese military links.

"Our company is certified to BS10012, a leading standard for personal information protection issued by the British Standard Institute," BGI told the Global Times in a note on Tuesday.

The response came as Reuters said in a Monday report that Health regulators in five countries are examining a prenatal test, made by BGI, marketed under the brand name NIFTY, that collects the DNA of women and fetuses for research purposes.

Reuters said the regulators' concerns were raised in response to a July Reuters report, which BGI has refuted.

Reuters reported in July that more than a dozen scientific studies - including clinical trials - showed BGI developed and improved the test in collaboration with People's Liberation Army hospitals. BGI uses the pregnant women's genetic data for research into the traits of different populations. The report claims the company also collaborates with the PLA in other areas of research.

Regarding the report, BGI said in a July statement it has never been asked to provide, nor has it provided data from its NIFTY test to Chinese authorities for national security or national defense security purposes.

Contrary to the report by Reuters, DNA data collected from prenatal tests on women outside Chinese mainland are not stored in Chinese mainland gene bank. All NIPT data collected overseas are stored in BGI's laboratory in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region and are destroyed after five years, as stipulated by GDPR, according to the firm.

BGI also said its non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT test) - NIFTY (Non-Invasive Fetal TrisomY) tests have been used around the world to identify genetic conditions during pregnancy. These tests provide doctors with the scientific basis to assist millions of pregnant women, leading to better health outcomes and, in some cases, saving lives.

Global Times