Hainan University–WONDERLAB Tropical Probiotics Joint Research Center Officially Unveiled

On March 18, the unveiling ceremony for the “Hainan University–WONDERLAB Tropical Probiotics Joint Research Center” (the “Tropical Probiotics Research Center”) was held in Haikou, with representatives of both parties in attendance. Hainan University, which is advancing the frontiers of scientific and technological innovation, and WONDERLAB, a leading probiotic company in China, both expressed confidence in building a tropical probiotics research center for the future through this collaboration.

The Tropical Probiotics Research Center will be based in Hainan and make full use of the region’s comparative advantages described as “three degrees and one color.” It will conduct in-depth research and commercialization preparation for the globally leading tropical probiotic GOLDGUT-HNU082, accelerate academic research and industrialization in tropical microecology, and build an integrated talent-development system linking industry, academia, research and application. The center aims to become a benchmark for the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements through university–enterprise collaboration and to jointly advance the global development of Chinese probiotics.

Figure 1 — Unveiling ceremony of the Hainan University–WONDERLAB Tropical Probiotics Joint Research Center

Focusing on Chinese-Developed, Globally Leading Tropical Probiotics: Industrialization Begins

The Hainan University research team collaborating with WONDERLAB is led by Zhang Jiachao, Dean of the School of Food Science and Engineering at Hainan University. The team was among the first in China to conduct dedicated research on the development and utilization of tropical probiotic resources and has successfully established China’s largest tropical lactic-acid-bacteria strain resource bank. Supported by the research teams of both parties, the Tropical Probiotics Research Center currently has more than 50 members and will continue to conduct in-depth research in the field of tropical probiotics.

Both parties remain confident in the Tropical Probiotics Research Center’s future development in biotechnology. Chen Haiming, Deputy Director of the Institute of Science and Technology Development at Hainan University, said: “The collaboration between Hainan University and WONDERLAB is an innovation that combines academic theory with industrial capabilities in depth.” Wang Juanshu, Vice President of WONDERLAB, added: “We will further integrate our respective strengths and resources, beginning with the globally leading tropical probiotic GOLDGUT-HNU082. We will conduct systematic research into the mechanisms of action, functional validation and product development of Chinese-developed strains, and develop more probiotic products suited to the gut-health needs of Chinese consumers.”

Figure 2 — Professor Chen Haiming, Deputy Director of the Institute of Science and Technology Development at Hainan University, delivers the opening address

At the event, Zhang Jiachao also introduced the Tropical Probiotics Research Center’s research progress. The parties have begun joint development of the globally leading tropical probiotic GOLDGUT-HNU082 and established a clear timeline for its commercialization. When introducing this tropical probiotic, Zhang said that the strain’s isolation region has distinctive tropical geographical advantages and that, compared with strains isolated from cold and temperate regions, it has better tolerance and fermentation performance. The jointly developed flagship strain GOLDGUT-HNU082 has demonstrated favorable effects in regulating the four intestinal barriers—the biological, chemical, mechanical and immune barriers. Postbiotics made by fermenting cactus-fruit juice and starfruit juice with this strain were experimentally shown to have some effect in improving hyperuricemia and lipid-metabolism disorders, respectively.

Figure 3 — Dean Zhang Jiachao delivers a thematic presentation

Cross-Regional Industry–Academia–Research Collaboration: WONDERLAB Builds a Benchmark for Commercializing Biotech Achievements

As a leading biotech innovation company in China’s probiotic industry, WONDERLAB has consistently placed evidence-based research at the core of its work. Its collaboration with Hainan University is another important step in its efforts to work with leading Chinese research institutions. During the event, Silu Zhang, Chief Product R&D Officer of WONDERLAB, gave a systematic introduction to the company’s R&D system. She noted that the company has established a complete R&D system covering strain screening, multimodal in-vitro and in-vivo research, population-level clinical efficacy validation and industrial development, and has led multiple clinical studies focused on the gut characteristics of Chinese populations.

Figure 4 — Silu Zhang, Chief Product R&D Officer of WONDERLAB

Discussing the outlook for the collaboration, WONDERLAB said that, as a biotech innovation company, it has successfully advanced the commercialization of multiple technologies through its “science-based and evidence-based” R&D system. In particular, the WONDERLAB R&D team has developed the GOLDGUT® Proprietary Strain Series, which is protected by independent intellectual property rights, and successfully applied it to its flagship SHAPE100™ Probiotics and Yichangtong™ Probiotics products. The products ranked among the top sellers across multiple platforms soon after launch, demonstrating the substantial market potential of probiotic industrialization in China.

Looking ahead, the Tropical Probiotics Research Center will build on Hainan’s “three degrees and one color” comparative advantages. Its innovation and R&D will focus on big-data multi-omics analysis of gut microbes and the precise identification of functional genes. By combining these efforts with artificial intelligence, the center will build a multimodal strain-function evaluation system, efficiently and precisely explore tropical probiotic resources, and provide high-quality germplasm resources for probiotic product development.

The Tropical Probiotics Research Center will also draw on frontier technologies in microecology to advance the R&D of tropical probiotics, postbiotic preparations and high-value applications of tropical fruits and vegetables. It will accelerate the conversion of research from strain screening into market products, energize the broader health industry, support high-quality socioeconomic development and contribute to the development of probiotic-related industries.

As Chen Haiming said, the Hainan University–WONDERLAB Tropical Probiotics Joint Research Center is expected to become an important hub for commercializing scientific and technological achievements, continuously advancing the development and utilization of tropical microbial resources. At the same time, the Tropical Probiotics Research Center will leverage the policy advantages of the Hainan Free Trade Port to build an integrated industry–academia–research loop extending from “tropical microbial resource development” to “global health-product innovation,” helping drive high-quality development and international expansion in China’s probiotic industry and the broader biotechnology sector.