Freda collaborates with Jiangnan University and Shandong Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences to establish the 'Collaborative Innovation Center for Synthetic Biology and Green Biomanufacturing'

On January 13,2026, Zhang Hongdong, Deputy Party Secretary and Director of Lushang Group, led a delegation to visit and exchange at the Lihu Campus of Wuxi Jiangnan University, and attended the signing and unveiling ceremony of the "Collaborative Innovation Center for Synthetic Biology and Green Biomanufacturing" (hereinafter referred to as the "Collaborative Innovation Center"). Participants included Zhang Daizhou, Assistant General Manager of Lushang Group and Party Secretary of Freda; Zheng Deqiang, Party Committee Member, Deputy General Manager of Freda and Chairman of Focusfreda; Liu Fei, Vice President of Shandong Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Ma Luyu, Assistant President of Jiangnan University; Shi Zhihong, Party Secretary of the School of Life Science and Health Engineering; Sun Jia, Dean of the School; and Li Hui, Vice Dean of the School.

In 2018, Focusfreda under Freda established a collaborative industry-academia-research partnership with Jiangnan University, and in 2020, the two parties jointly founded the "Focusfreda-Jiangnan University Joint R&D Center". The collaboration has yielded a series of landmark achievements with translational value and application prospects in the field of hyaluronic acid biosynthesis and derivative product development. Notably, they successfully constructed high-yield strains for hyaluronic acid and hyaluronidase, significantly enhancing hyaluronic acid production and achieving controllable and efficient production of hyaluronic acid with varying molecular weights. The team has also continuously advanced the research and commercialization of new product series, including enzymatically cleaved low-molecular-weight hyaluronic acid, acetylated hyaluronic acid, soluble hyaluronic acid, and pharmaceutical-grade hyaluronic acid, generating substantial socio-economic benefits.

This collaboration further deepens the existing joint R&D center, with Freda, Jiangnan University, and Shandong Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences (hereinafter referred to as "Shandong Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences") jointly establishing the "Collaborative Innovation Center for Synthetic Biology and Green Biomanufacturing".

The signing ceremony was held at the School of Life Sciences and Health Engineering, Jiangnan University. Ma Luyu extended a warm welcome to Zhang Hongdong and his delegation, introducing the university's distinctive educational features. Shi Zhihong provided an overview of the college's talent cultivation and disciplinary strengths. Liu Fei elaborated on the research directions, technological accumulations, and industrialization achievements of the Provincial Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences. Shi Jinsong systematically reviewed the previous collaborative outcomes between the two parties and outlined the future development priorities of the Collaborative Innovation Center. Sun Jia highly praised the past cooperation and extended warm congratulations on the signing. Zheng Deqiang summarized and projected the collaborative achievements, emphasizing that the tripartite cooperation would effectively integrate resources, deepen industry-academia-research integration, jointly establish the "Collaborative Innovation Center," and usher in a new chapter of high-quality collaboration.

Zhang Dai Zhou highly commended the R&D achievements of the Joint R&D Center over the past five years. She emphasized that Freda, as a key player in the pharmaceutical and health sector of Lushang Group, has consistently adhered to an innovation-driven development strategy, continuously increasing its R&D investment in the biomanufacturing of active pharmaceutical ingredients and their application transformation, thereby accelerating the industrialization and scaling of scientific research outcomes. The Provincial Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences will fully leverage its professional expertise in the modification, functional evaluation, and functional assessment of bio-polysaccharide products. This collaboration will strategically complement the research capabilities of Jiangnan University and Freda's industrial transformation capacity, further enhancing the systematic nature of the partnership and the efficiency of technology transfer.

In his concluding remarks, Zhang Hongdong highly praised the achievements of long-term industry-academia-research collaboration between the two parties, fully affirmed Jiangnan University's research strength and engineering transformation capabilities in fermentation engineering, synthetic biology, and biomanufacturing, and commended "Jiangnan University as one of Freda's best partners." He emphasized that Freda holds a significant position in the pharmaceutical sector of Lushang Group, and Focusfreda, as a subsidiary, has taken the lead in establishing industry-academia-research cooperation with Jiangnan University, achieving solid results and laying a solid foundation for this platform upgrade. Finally, Zhang Hongdong put forward three expectations: first, "to elevate," to implement the "Healthy China" strategy and serve national development from a higher perspective; second, "to strengthen," to deepen the integration of industry and technology and continuously enhance core competitiveness; third, "to excel," to drive platform construction and ecosystem co-building with the collaborative innovation center as the driving force, creating a benchmark cooperation platform. Lastly, he sincerely invited the expert team from Jiangnan University to visit Freda for exchange and guidance, further expanding the depth and breadth of cooperation.

After the meeting, the attending delegates, accompanied by Professor Shi Jinsong's team, visited the pilot-scale platform of the National Engineering Research Center for Grain Fermentation and Food Biomanufacturing and the Systematic Fermentation and Pharmaceutical Engineering Laboratory of Jiangnan University. They engaged in in-depth discussions on topics such as joint research directions, platform operation mechanisms, and pathways for technology transfer.

In the future, Freda will collaborate with Jiangnan University and the Provincial Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences, leveraging the "Collaborative Innovation Center for Synthetic Biology and Green Biomanufacturing" as a platform. The initiative will focus on key technologies in synthetic biology and green biomanufacturing, as well as high-value bioactive raw materials, to deepen industry-academia-research collaboration. This effort aims to accelerate the development of replicable, scalable, and industrializable major achievements, thereby injecting new momentum into the high-quality development of China's biomanufacturing industry.

The event was attended by representatives from Freda, the Provincial Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Focusfreda, as well as the heads of relevant colleges and research platforms at Jiangnan University, along with core team members.