SHENZHEN, China, April 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- BGI today announced that Tadataka (Tachi) Yamada, M.D., has joined BGI to serve as its Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board (SAB).

Dr. Yamada has extensive experience and insight in medical healthcare. He currently is the Chairman and Co-founder at Outpost Medicine, and a Venture Partner at Frazier Healthcare Partners. During his career, he served as Chief Medical and Scientific Officer and a member of the Board of Directors at Takeda Pharmaceuticals, President of Global Health Program at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Chairman of Research and Development at GlaxoSmithKline and a member of the Board of Directors, past president of American Physician Association, and the physician-in-chief of University of Michigan Medical System.

With increasing numbers of genetic diseases and cancer patients in China, there are strong needs for the precision medicine technologies that are based on clinical information from large cohort and big data built on trans-omics technologies. In the coming years, BGI aims to make sequencing and omics technologies widely available and accessible, working with clinicians and healthcare professionals, applying precision medicine knowledge and solutions to reduce birth defects and provide these patients improved treatments (including early detection, diagnosis, treatment, monitoring and rehab).

BGI will soon launch the International Community of Precision Medicine to accelerate progress and 30 hospitals in China with a total of 50 million annual outpatients have already signed on. As Chairman of SAB, Dr. Yamada will devote efforts to provide professional advice based on his rich experience and insights in the field.

Wang Jian, President of BGI, stated, "BGI has had a strategic plan on precision medicine from the early days and its top priorities are in medical research and application. BGI is actively working with universities, hospitals and local governments to push forward the precision medicine initiative. BGI expects significant achievements with such efforts to better serve patients with medical needs and promote public well-being."

"By working with Dr. Yamada, advanced technology and solutions will be transferred from bench to bedside more efficiently and effectively in the interests of better diagnostics, more accurate therapies, and more precise prevention."

Yiwu He, BGI's Global Head of R&D said, "Tachi is a world class leader in the healthcare community. His vision and wisdom will add huge value to BGI's pursuing healthcare problems with its cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions."

SOURCE BGI