Touyun Biotech and Shenzhen University sign a strategic cooperation agreement for the transformation of scientific and technological achievements
Touyun Biotech and Shenzhen University Sign Strategic Cooperation Agreement on Technology Transfer
- Co-establish "Shenzhen University - Touyun Biotech Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Joint Research Institute" to Pioneer Industrialization of Chlamyglutide Project
- Pioneering a New Path for Green Synthetic Biomanufacturing
April 16, Touyun Biotech Group Co., Ltd. ("Touyun Biotech", together with its subsidiaries collectively referred to as the "Group"; Stock Code: $TOUYUN BIOTECH(1332.HK)), a company focused on China's healthy food industry, is pleased to announce that the Group and Shenzhen University officially signed the "Strategic Cooperation Agreement on Technology Transfer" on April 15, 2026. The two parties will jointly establish the "Shenzhen University - Touyun Biotech Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Joint Research Institute", focusing on applied research and technology transfer in the field of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii synthetic biology. This marks a key milestone for the Group as it expands from its foundation in healthy food ingredient production into the fields of biopharmaceuticals and synthetic biology.
Shenzhen University is a comprehensive university established in 1983. Since forming a Chlamydomonas reinhardtii synthetic biology research group in 1999, it has published over 400 related research papers, ranking first in China. It successfully constructed the country's first medicinal single-cell eukaryotic microalgae engineered strain library. It has also successfully developed more than ten patented achievements based on the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii model platform, including "An engineered Chlamydomonas reinhardtii strain stably expressing human GLP-1RA, its construction method and application (CN2025115510147), referred to as the 'Chlamyglutide' project". Touyun Biotech is the world's only technology company capable of large-scale fermentation production of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Its factory in Changzhi, Shanxi, with an annual production capacity of 4,000 tons of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii powder, is already operational. The two parties have agreed to form a long-term strategic partnership, with Touyun Biotech serving as the technology transfer base for Shenzhen University's Chlamydomonas reinhardtii R&D achievements, jointly building a world-class Chlamydomonas reinhardtii synthetic biology tool platform and biomanufacturing platform.
According to the agreement, the first batch of technology transfer projects to be launched is Shenzhen University's patented achievement—Chlamyglutide. The project aims to utilize genetically engineered Chlamydomonas reinhardtii strains to stably express human GLP-1 receptor agonists, thereby developing a novel GLP-1 product using Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a production platform. Under the cooperation framework, Shenzhen University will be responsible for providing core technical support and professional personnel training, while Touyun Biotech will undertake the entire industrialization process, including pilot-scale verification, large-scale production, product registration, and market promotion. The two parties will also sign separate agreements regarding specific intellectual property arrangements to ensure the fair distribution and effective protection of the cooperation outcomes.
This strategic cooperation deeply integrates Shenzhen University's top-tier research capabilities in Chlamydomonas reinhardtii synthetic biology with Touyun Biotech's globally leading industrial capabilities in large-scale fermentation production of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. It forms a complete innovation chain from basic research and engineered strain construction to pilot-scale amplification, large-scale production, and market promotion, achieving efficient technology transfer from the laboratory to industrialization.
As an internationally recognized green model organism, Chlamydomonas reinhardtii possesses unique advantages such as fast growth rate, simple cultivation conditions, capability for photoautotrophic and heterotrophic fermentation, and has obtained "Generally Recognized as Safe" (GRAS) certification from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and approval as a novel food ingredient from China's National Health Commission. Using Chlamydomonas reinhardtii as a recombinant protein expression platform, compared to traditional expression systems like E. coli, yeast, or mammalian cells, demonstrates significant differentiated competitive advantages in production cost, safety, and sustainability. If the project progresses successfully, it is expected to open up a new, lower-cost, greener, and more sustainable technological path for the production of Chlamyglutide, and provide an innovative platform for the future development of oral biologics.
Mr. Wang Liang, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of Touyun Biotech, stated: "The signing of this strategic cooperation agreement represents a major strategic move for the Group in the field of synthetic biology. Relying on the platform of the 'Shenzhen University - Touyun Biotech Chlamydomonas reinhardtii Joint Research Institute', the Group will continue to advance the application development of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii in high-value-added fields such as biopharmaceuticals and functional health products. The Group will fully leverage its unique global advantages in large-scale fermentation production of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii, combined with Shenzhen University's profound academic expertise in synthetic biology, to accelerate the industrialization process of projects like Chlamyglutide, striving for early product commercialization. At the same time, the Group will also use this cooperation as an opportunity to continuously explore the application potential of the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii platform in the production of more high-value bioactive molecules, opening up broader growth space for Touyun Biotech and creating long-term value for shareholders."
About Touyun Biotech Group Co., Ltd.
Touyun Biotech Group Co., Ltd. (Stock Code: $TOUYUN BIOTECH(1332.HK)) is primarily engaged in the Chlamydomonas reinhardtii product business, and the design, R&D, production, and sales of packaging products. With over thirty years of experience in the traditional packaging business, the Group has offices and manufacturing workshops in Hong Kong and various locations in Guangdong. It currently provides professional packaging design and manufacturing services to numerous world-renowned brands, maintaining a long-term and stable customer base. Since 2020, the Group has diversified its business scope to include Chlamydomonas reinhardtii and microalgae products. In cooperation with the People's Government of Lucheng District, Changzhi City, Shanxi Province, it is building the world's first Chlamydomonas reinhardtii factory to commence industrial-scale production.
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