The federal government has given national security clearance to the controversial purchase of an American DNA sequencing company by a Chinese firm.
The federal government has given national security clearance to the controversial purchase of an American DNA sequencing company by a Chinese firm.
The Chinese firm, BGI-Shenzhen, said in a statement this weekend that its acquisition of Complete Genomics, based in Mountain View, Calif., had been cleared by the federal Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which reviews the national security implications of foreign takeovers of American companies. The deal still requires antitrust clearance by the Federal Trade Commission.
Some scientists, politicians and industry executives had said the takeover represented a threat to American competitiveness in DNA sequencing, a technology that is becoming crucial for the development of drugs, diagnostics and improved crops.
View the original article here: U.S. Clears DNA Firm’s Acquisition by Chinese