Dr. Xueping Chen successfully transferred “Transgenic medaka fish technology” into commercial products

Vitargent’s first-in-the-world transgenic medaka and zebrafish fish embryo toxicity (FET) test technologies have the capacity to screen over 1,000 toxicants at one time. “Transgenic medaka fish” can be used for product safety testing of raw materials and end products of daily consumer goods (including food, medicines, plastic products, cosmetic and skin care products), as well as monitoring water quality. Transgenic medaka bioassay (estrogen equivalent testing) is Vitargent’s exclusive technology, which sees fish embryos become fluorescent in the presence of estrogens, and the intensity of the fluorescence can quantify the toxicants. The entire test only requires 24 hours.

Another biological toxicology testing technology which makes use of zebrafish embryos to detect overall toxicity, identify toxicity target organ, and reveal the toxicology mechanism of a product, can be applied in various fields including food and beverage, pharmaceuticals, cosmetics and sewage monitoring. Zebrafish models can mimic human metabolic activities, resulting in the embryos developing defects in the presence of toxicants within 48 hours, making it possible to predict a product’s toxicity in fish and its potential effects on human beings.

Vitargent’s test service covers industries including food, beverages, cosmetics and water.

Dr. Chen (left) is very grateful to her PhD supervisor, Prof. Cheng (right) for her guidance and support.

Although the business has matured and its test service covers industries including food, beverages, cosmetics and water, Dr. Chen confessed that not everything was easy. “We spent 8 years studying the testing method of daily products and established a set of principles and guidelines.” She continued, “Health products use animal testing, but consumer products do not. We do biological testing to fill the gap in the market to provide biological data for consumer products.” Dr. Chen admitted that she encountered many challenges in running the business and involved herself in varying fields of knowledge. These qualities of a businessperson are all from the training of SKLMP.

Dr. Chen graduated from Xiamen University with an Mphil in Zoology in 2005. She went to CityU to pursue a PhD in Environmental and Toxicology, where she officially began her academic research career at AoE-MERIT, the predecessor of SKLMP. “I was particularly impressed by the strong academic atmosphere of SKLMP. Professors are willing to share their expertise and students are closely connected. We are like a family, and we have a lot of interaction.” She also praised the International Conference on Marine Pollution and Ecotoxicology (ICMPE) organized by SKLMP, where students have the opportunity to discuss and work with world-renowned professors, so as to establish their global mindset and research skills.

Dr. Chen added that the expertise she learnt from SKLMP ten years ago is useful even today. “I always treasure my opportunities and training including the research I did in Japan, participating in international academic conferences and exhibitions, and writing academic papers and patents. I acquired a diverse skillset which broadened my vision.”

Woman Scientist turned Entrepreneur. She said frankly, “It may be difficult, but every problem has a solution. I am grateful for the support from SKLMP along the way. I wish the Laboratory further success and will continue to cultivate more outstanding young scientists.”

Dr. Chen was impressed by the close connection between professors and students

Vitargent has won Grand Prix at the 43rd Geneva International Exhibition of Inventions in 2015.