XinLab has undergone an extraordinary fourteen-year journey of growth and development alongside the expansion of BGI Research. Its origins date back to late 2010, when the institute’s growing team led Xin Liu to spearhead a group focused on plant resequencing analysis, marking the inception of XinLab. As such, resequencing analysis—particularly plant resequencing—can be considered the foundation of XinLab’s research activities. From its establishment until 2017, XinLab primarily revolved around the plant team, a focus that persisted until 2019.
Some members of the Plant Genomics Research Team in 2015: (from left) Zhang He, Xie Min, Liu Xin, Fan Guangyi.
During organizational adjustments within the institute, Xin Liu temporarily took on broader responsibilities in scientific research management and participated in disease-related projects. Nonetheless, plant genome research remained the lab’s core direction. In 2017, Xin Liu led the formation of the Qingdao branch, which involved relocating members from the animal and plant research teams in Shenzhen to Qingdao while also recruiting new team members locally to expand the research capacity. This shift in research directions marked a transition toward marine biology genomics, resulting in a series of significant achievements in the field of marine genomics, supported by contributions from colleagues at the Qingdao branch.
Publication of the “Ocean Genomics White Paper” at the Ocean Genomics Session of the International Genomics Conference in Qingdao in 2018.
By the end of 2020, the establishment of the Beijing branch (BGI & CAS Joint Research Center) further broadened XinLab’s research scope. Methodologically, the lab began incorporating single-cell and spatial omics technologies, while its research focus expanded to include disease-related studies alongside plant genomics. Despite its historical evolution, XinLab cannot be equated with any single team or branch within BGI Research. Since 2024, Xin Liu has transitioned to a leadership role in the southern region of the group and is no longer directly overseeing the aforementioned project teams. However, XinLab continues its collaborative research model, working closely with relevant teams to drive innovation and progress.
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