Overview
BiOilRo is to upgrade low-value carbon sources in waste oil into a value-added product, ginsenoside Ro, a rare and bioactive component of ginseng, using engineered microorganisms. We employ Saccharomyces cerevisiae as the chassis to synthesize ginsenoside Ro from glycerol and fatty acids, the degradation products of lipids. Heterologous plant genes responsible for ginsenoside Ro synthesis will be introduced into the chassis enabling the expression of enzymes required for its production.
Unmet Needs & First Potential Customers
Problem Statement
Ginsenoside Ro, as one of the primary active components in ginseng, possesses significant pharmacological and clinical applications. However, when extracted and purified naturally from ginseng, its content is extremely low—less than 0.4%—making it difficult to meet the current growing market demand[1].
Furthermore, the traditional methods for separating and purifying this compound involve complex processes. Factors such as its high scarcity, difficulty in acquisition, and challenges in synthesis significantly raise barriers to extraction, resulting in a relatively high extraction cost per kilogram.
The use of organic solvents readily generates hazardous waste, posing environmental risks and failing to meet sustainable, eco-friendly standards. Furthermore, from a temporal perspective, ginseng requires an extended growth cycle of at least five to six years, with specific demands on climate, environment, soil quality, and slope conditions.
For medicinal plants like ginseng, allelochemicals are released into the environment through volatilization, leaching by rain and mist, root exudation, and residue decomposition. This allelopathic self-toxicity causes crop rotation obstacles, severely impairing plant growth [2].
It is evident that achieving mass production of rare ginsenosides has become a global technological challenge, and more environmentally friendly and efficient methods for obtaining ginsenoside Ro are urgently needed.
On the other hand, as the saying goes, "The world looks to China for ginseng, and China looks to Jilin for ginseng.” Jilin Province, with its unique geographical environment and climatic conditions, has become China's primary ginseng production area. Jilin ginseng accounts for 60% of China's total output and 40% of the world's total production[3].
Promoting the high-quality development of the Changbai Mountain ginseng industry not only accelerates Jilin's economic and social progress and safeguards the physical and mental well-being of the Chinese people, but also serves as a crucial practical pathway toward building a global health community from a worldwide perspective[4].
Stakeholder Matrix
For the BiOilRo, stakeholder matrix analysis is of paramount importance. We have visualized each stakeholder's level of interest in our team and the potential impact they may exert.
The horizontal axis (X-axis) represents the level of interest each stakeholder has in our team's project, while the vertical axis (Y-axis) represents the degree of influence each stakeholder holds. Through this four-quadrant matrix, we can clearly and intuitively determine the critical importance of different stakeholders and identify which ones will become our key partners.
The JLU-NBBMS team itself, as a member of the stakeholder network, is the primary initiator and executor of the project, possessing both significant influence and high interest in it.
Enterprises, as our clients, will focus on our products and technologies, proposing requirements to drive project progress;
As a student team, government and academic researchers exhibit relatively lower direct interest in our project itself. However, when we seek learning exchanges or assistance from them, they can provide direct, candid, and high-quality solutions and support;
Amid the current synthetic biology boom, ordinary consumers have grown more aware of the distinction between ginsenoside monomers and medicinal ginseng plants. However, their influence remains relatively weaker compared to enterprises.
Farmers constitute the most vulnerable group. Their cultivated ginseng no longer commands as high a value, and they lack sufficient interest or influence to significantly impact our project.
Value Proposition Canvas
The Value Proposition Canvas is a tool for understanding customers' true needs and designing corresponding solutions. By identifying consumer pain points and requirements, the canvas guides the development of solutions addressing these specific issues.
First Potential Customers
In 2022, the total output value of
Jilin Province's ginseng industry
exceeded RMB 64 billion (approximately
Comparison of Existing Solutions
Ginsenosides have traditionally been obtained by harvesting Panax plants and extracting with organic solvents. However, field cultivation is slow and yields are low. Modern extraction efforts use techniques like ultrasound, pulsed-electric fields or ionic-liquid solvents to improve yield and selectivity[7]. Such methods can increase efficiency, but still rely on bulky plant biomass and use expensive or potentially toxic solvents.
In principle, ginsenosides might be obtained by chemical synthesis. Common strategies include acid or heat hydrolysis of major ginsenosides to remove sugar moieties, yielding rare ginsenosides like Rg3 or compound K. Catalysis with metal salts has also been used[8]. Such methods can generate bioactive minor ginsenosides without plants.
Microbial fermentation has emerged as a promising third approach. Microbial biosynthesis is receiving intense interest due to advances in metabolic engineering. The strategy is to express the plant ginsenoside pathway in a fast-growing host, supplying the triterpene backbone and the specific plant P450s and UDP-glycosyltransferases (UGTs) needed to make each ginsenoside.
For our solution, a glycerol/fatty acid-fed S. cerevisiae platform for ginsenoside Ro combines the controllability and scalability of microbial fermentation with renewable inputs. It avoids the "extended growth cycles and intensive land use” of fields, offering "reduced production cycles, cost-effective substrates, [and] scalable and controllable fermentation processes”[9]. By focusing flux into one oleanane-type ginsenoside, it achieves high purity and yield on demand.
| Method | Technical Approach | Advantages | Disadvantages | Pharmaceutical Application Perspective | Production Perspective |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Natural Extraction | Extraction from ginseng roots, flowers, stems, and leaves using organic solvents, ultrasound, ionic liquids, or other auxiliary technologies | Mature process; can obtain multiple natural ginsenosides in one go; high purity after separation | Long cultivation cycle (6–7 years); low content (2–3% total ginsenosides in dry roots); significant batch-to-batch variation; heavy environmental burden from solvents | Can obtain all types of natural ginsenosides, aligning with traditional medicinal use; batch inconsistency affects efficacy reliability | High costs for land, labor, and solvents; extremely low yield, not suitable for large-scale production |
| Chemical Synthesis/Semi-Synthesis | Conversion of high-content ginsenosides (e.g., Rb1→Rg3) using acid/heat/catalysts, or complex chemical synthesis | Rapid production of rare ginsenosides; ability to synthesize derivatives not found in nature | Full synthesis is too complex and impractical; semi-synthesis relies on plant precursors; many by-products, high purification costs; significant environmental impact | High-purity target compounds achievable, but strict control of stereochemistry required; drug consistency depends on purification level | High process costs, low efficiency, difficult to scale, lacks sustainability |
| Biosynthesis | Engineered microbial expression of MVA pathway + P450 + UGTs; also includes plant cell culture | Avoids cultivation; short production cycle; high structural consistency; strong controllability; environmentally friendly | Requires extensive metabolic engineering; challenges with enzyme expression and activity; some yields remain low | Stable product structure, high batch consistency, meets pharmaceutical standards | Significantly lower costs than natural extraction, suitable for industrialization, but requires further optimization |
| Brewer's Yeast Synthesis of Ro | Engineered S. cerevisiae using glycerol/fatty acids as carbon sources, targeting MVA pathway, optimizing UGTs and sugar donors | Utilizes cheap by-products; can produce single Ro compound with high purity and consistency; environmentally friendly; easily scalable | Long pathway, complex engineering; Ro yield needs further improvement | Provides stable, high-purity Ro, avoiding fluctuations from plant sources | Uses waste as carbon source, low cost, green and sustainable, suitable for large-scale fermentation industrialization |
PESTEL Analysis
We conducted a PESTEL analysis to explore factors that could impact the success of our project from political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal perspectives.
SOM, SAM, TAM
Jilin (SOM): As mentioned above, in 2022, the total output value of Jilin Province's ginseng industry exceeded RMB 64 billion (approximately USD 8.77 billion) [5]. Based on the market value of deep processing within Jilin's ginseng industry, assuming that 30% of this value represents added value from deep processing, the deep processing market size is estimated at approximately RMB 19.2 billion (approximately USD 2.63 billion). Assuming an initial target market share of 1-5%, the SOM size would range between RMB 192 million and RMB 960 million. To establish a realistic target, this report sets the SOM at 8% of Jilin Province's deep processing market size, equivalent to USD 207 million.
China (SAM): China is the world's largest producer and consumer of ginseng, boasting unparalleled market depth. By 2030, the Chinese ginseng market is projected to reach $6.3 billion[10]. Based on geographic segmentation across China, Asia-Pacific (excluding China), North America, Europe, and other regions, the SAM segment is calculated to be approximately $1.291 billion.
Global (TAM): The global ginseng industry value chain is projected to reach $9.88 billion by 2025[11]. Assuming that 30% of this market share can be replaced or upgraded by high-value, high-purity functional ingredients, a conservative estimate suggests that the Total Addressable Market (TAM) for high-purity ginsenoside ingredients will be approximately $2.58 billion by 2025.
Solution Proposed
MVP (Minimum Viable Product)
The following picture showcases a mockup of our MVP (Minimum Viable Product), i.e., our technical approach of the project.
We engineered a Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain capable of efficiently utilizing glycerol and fatty acids to de novo synthesize ginsenoside Ro. To optimize the biosynthetic pathway, we adopted a four-pronged strategy:
(1) Direct the key enzymes of the MVA pathway to the peroxisome, allowing acetyl-CoA derived from fatty acids to diffuse into the cytoplasm;
(2) Using glycerol and fatty acids as dual carbon sources, while introducing a series of enzymes into yeast to convert MVA into the crucial precursor OA of ginsenoside Ro;
(3) Constructing a multi-step glycosylation module, in which UDP-glycosyltransferases catalyze the sequential addition of glucose groups to OA to form Ro;
(4) Overexpressing key enzymes in the UDPG biosynthesis pathway to enhance glycosylation capacity from glycerol-derived sources and ultimately boost overall yield.
Our engineered yeast transforms low-value carbon inputs into high-value ginsenoside Ro, embodying a pathway that is more sustainable, more efficient, and more cost-effective — achieving both environmental and economic benefits.
This solution is the only one on the market or under development that produces ginsenosides from waste oil, utilizing patented technology licensed under number: 202511393590.3 However, given its nature as a technology—or rather, a solution for large-scale production of ginsenoside Ro—our team may encounter challenges in commercializing the product.
Therefore, beyond technology transfer and patent licensing, BiOilRo is committed to the large-scale provision of ginsenoside Ro to better meet market demands—whether for local provincial/municipal applications, domestic use, or global deployment.
Based on industry benchmarks for microbial fermentation, under conditions of large-scale production, a target cost of goods sold (COGS) ranging from $1,000 to $3,000 per kilogram constitutes a reasonable preliminary assumption, forming the product's price floor.
| Product Grade | Volume Range | Unit Price (USD/kg) |
|---|---|---|
| Cosmetic Grade (Purity ≥ 95%) | 1-10 kg | $15,000 |
| 11-50 kg | $12,500 | |
| 51+ kg | $10,000 | |
| Health Supplement Grade (Purity ≥ 98%) | 1-10 kg | $20,000 |
| 11-50 kg | $18,000 | |
| 51+ kg | $16,000 |
To meet the needs of different market segments, we plan to adopt a tiered pricing model.
BiOilRo will also leverage its natural product synthetic biology technology platform to collaborate with leading enterprises in developing downstream products.
Furthermore, BiOilRo has adopted a service-oriented manufacturing approach, extending its value chain by transitioning from traditional product sales to offering "products + services”. This strategy enhances total factor productivity, product value-added, and market share. Building upon our foundation of supplying ginsenoside Ro monomers, we have launched a "one-stop service” centered on customer convenience, encompassing purchasing, supply chain logistics, and after-sales support. We also offer value-added services, including customization for specific packaging specifications and transportation requirements, to meet diverse user needs.
Development Plans
SWOT Analysis
Conducting a SWOT analysis is crucial for identifying a project's strengths and limitations. By examining four key areas—strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats—it helps us pinpoint our areas of expertise and identify aspects requiring improvement. It also enables us to anticipate potential challenges and prepare to swiftly find alternative solutions.
Competitors
We also conducted a competitor analysis, categorizing them into three types: direct competitors, indirect competitors, and future competitors.
Direct competitors refer to enterprises that produce and operate products or services of the same category and variety, compete with our company for the same target market, and form a direct competitive relationship with our enterprise. The following enterprises are all leading producers of ginsenosides in China.
GsynBioT (Shanghai) Co., Ltd: The natural products biomanufacturing demonstration line jointly developed with the Shanghai Chemical Industry Park has been largely completed, marking the nation's first such facility to commence formal production.
Bontac Bio-Engineering (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd.: China's first enterprise to achieve mass production of ginsenosides Rh2/Rg3 through enzymatic synthesis.
XI'AN Giant Biogene Technology Co., Ltd.: China's first company to achieve mass production at the hundred-kilogram scale for all five high-purity rare ginsenosides (Rk3, Rh4, Rk1, Rg5, and CK).
Indirect competitors refer to companies in the same industry with differing foundational conditions, or those producing substitutes. Though their products differ, they satisfy similar consumer needs and vie for user resources through differentiated offerings. The following companies are leaders in the biosynthetic field but do not directly produce ginsenoside monomers, thus constituting indirect competition for us.
Asymchem Labs.: Focusing on biopharmaceutical R&D, we cover multiple business areas including chemical small molecules, TIDES, biologics, formulations, technology licensing, and synthetic biology. With outstanding achievements in synthetic biology, we provide services to global pharmaceutical companies.
Yili Chuanning Biotechnology Co. Ltd.: One of the largest suppliers of antibiotic intermediates in China and globally, the company leverages dual-engine innovation in "biological fermentation” and "synthetic biology”. Through technological advancement, economies of scale, eco-friendly practices, and a diversified product portfolio, it has carved out a unique position in pharmaceutical manufacturing.
Future competitors refer to potential real competitors that may emerge in the future, encompassing both direct and indirect rivals. We are likely to face competition from emerging players in the field of ginsenoside synthesis, driven by growing environmental sustainability awareness and increasing public acceptance of biosynthesis. These future competitors may introduce innovative technologies and possess market monopolization capabilities, intensifying the competitive landscape. To maintain our competitive edge, our project must continuously innovate, prioritize cost efficiency, and emphasize the unique advantages of our ginsenoside Ro production process.
Business Model Canvas
The business model is crucial because it defines the context for creating, delivering, and capturing value, guiding operations and strategy to ensure sustainable profitability and growth. For BiOilRo, it has consistently served as a vital tool for building and implementing our entrepreneurial endeavors.
Beachhead Strategy
Beachhead strategy is a leveraged approach to market capture. Simply put, it involves selecting the most promising market segment as the initial launch location for a product. Subsequently, building on the product's success in that market, it is rolled out sequentially to other segments.
Following the aforementioned analysis of markets and users, we identified that our solution requirements vary across different markets and user segments. Therefore, our next step focuses on the initial market entry, prioritizing the deployment of our solution in Jilin Province—the heartland of Chinese ginseng cultivation. Once the solution undergoes testing, validation, receives strong endorsement feedback, and is further optimized, we plan to expand our product offerings and service support throughout Northeast China and the entire Chinese market, ultimately extending to broader global collaborations.
Exit Strategy
An exit strategy refers to the approach of withdrawing industries or enterprises with limited or no growth potential from the market, and also encompasses the strategic planning by investors to exit early-stage investment projects to realize anticipated profits.
Developing an exit strategy is crucial as it provides a clear roadmap for how a company or its stakeholders will ultimately transfer ownership or realize the value of their investment. For BiOilRo, while we have assessed the competitive landscape with existing and future enterprises, it is precisely this analysis that highlights the significant challenges—and potential impracticality—of establishing a large-scale ginsenoside production facility in our country at this time.
On the other hand, this strategy includes securing necessary patents to protect its innovative technology and exploring opportunities for strategic partnerships or acquisitions. Should scaling or market expansion prove challenging, we would consider merging with or being acquired by a large biotechnology company possessing the expertise and resources to further develop and commercialize the product. This approach not only facilitates broader market penetration but also ensures BiOilRo's innovation continues to thrive. The second option involves licensing the patents to facilitate technology transfer, granting usage rights to third parties. We are currently applying for invention patents, and once approved, this option becomes the preferred choice. It allows us to focus on research rather than mass production, significantly shortening development timelines while limiting scope to laboratory-scale development.
Milestone
Risk Analysis
The phases outlined in the Gantt chart are ideal, but delays may occur due to inherent failure risks—a common occurrence in startup development. In the diagram below, we outline all key activities where risks exist to identify potential hazards in technical, market, and regulatory domains. This covers risks associated with different business stages and solutions to minimize or eliminate them.
| Phase | Risk Description | Mitigation |
|---|---|---|
| Access funding | No access to grants | Participate in more networking events, present our product to potential sponsors, and seek out international grants and funding. |
| Market Entry | Unable to enter the market | Horizontal Merger |
| Production | Insufficient production for demand | Increase scale of production |
| Sales & Distribution | Low Demand & Marketing does not reach desired audience | Improve marketing strategies and access international markets |
| Market Competition | Fierce market | Do the publicity and improve the quality of products |
| R&D | Slow R&D or low efficiency | Engage more specialists and researchers for suggestions on optimizing the efficiency |
Intellectual Property
Protecting our proprietary technological methods is crucial for ensuring market exclusivity and maintaining our competitive edge. Intellectual property rights—the ownership of intellectual creations resulting from human intellectual labor—form the foundation for safeguarding our original works. They provide legal rights to prevent unauthorized use, reproduction, or commercial exploitation by others.
1. Patents and Trade Secrets
Given the novelty of our approach, applying for a technical invention patent is a top priority. Our team's intellectual property protection strategy focuses on securing proprietary rights for the innovative technologies employed by BiOilRo. We have initiated the patent application process and are awaiting approval (as indicated below ). By restricting access to this sensitive information and implementing appropriate legal safeguards, we can prevent competitors from replicating our processes. This strategic implementation will grant us exclusive rights for product marketing and commercialization.
2. Trademarks and Copyrights
Our team combines education with entertainment by creating original ginseng-themed murder mystery games and a series of ginseng-inspired IP emoticons to expand our market influence and educational philosophy. As original intellectual creations within the realms of literature, art, and science that can be expressed in tangible forms, the scripted murder mystery game design and emoji series exhibit aesthetic cartoon imagery and artistic effects through their lines, contours, expressions, overall imagery, and plot design. These elements sufficiently demonstrate the authors' originality, qualifying them as works of art protected under copyright law.
Skills, Capabilities & Stakeholders
Team Introdcution
The JLU-NBBMS team comprises 30 members from diverse disciplines including medicine, business management, computer science, and philosophy. We focus on the research and development of rare ginsenoside Ro, optimization of its synthesis processes, market transformation, and social responsibility. Our specialized medical expertise enables deep understanding of ginsenoside Ro's pharmacological effects and clinical value, allowing us to identify core market needs. Business management members have developed a viable business model, playing a central role in market strategy and industrial collaboration. Additionally, professional programming skills and philosophical knowledge enhance our R&D and market forecasting efficiency, ensuring the project aligns with bioethics, industrial compliance, and sustainable development principles. This also helps the team maintain rationality and long-term vision in strategic decision-making. However, we acknowledge certain limitations in our team composition, such as existing members serving as generalists in legal regulations and artistic design. Overall, our multidisciplinary team spans scientific research, process optimization, commercial planning, and social responsibility. This collaborative approach, combined with our shared passion for ginsenoside industrialization, enables us to address challenges across scientific, market, and societal dimensions, propelling ginsenoside Ro from the laboratory to industrialization.
Stakeholders
1.Farmers
The main product produced by our technology is Ginsenoside Ro, a major component of ginseng. For the farmers, our production has subtly competed with their farming activities. Therefore, understanding their thoughts is of great significance for the socialization and industrialization of our project.
GINSENG FARMER – Mingyang Li& Baiyu Liu, Baicheng City
Our field interviews in Baicheng show that price swings, long cycles, and replanting limits are the core pains. Anchoring on a complement-not-replace strategy, we connect traditional cultivation with synthetic-biology production via floor-price procurement, eco-restoration partnerships, and light-asset farmer services—building a steadier and more sustainable value chain.
GINSENG FARMER—Jilin Kuai Da Ginseng Trading Market
To gain a deeper understanding of the real ecosystem of the ginseng industry's end market, we visited Jilin Kuaida Ginseng Trading Market, a key distribution hub in Northeast China. The research revealed that the industry is rapidly transitioning toward standardization and modernization, while the market shows a clear parallel development of traditional raw ginseng and modern deep-processed products. These frontline insights provide critical market validation and directional guidance for the project's commercialization path.
2.Academic researchers
Academic researchers can conduct a feasibility assessment of our project - BiOilRo - from the perspectives of the environment, health and sustainable development, and provide us with effective and reasonable suggestions.
ACADEMIC RESEARCHER – Prof. Renjun Gao, Enzyme Engineering (JLU)
Guided by Prof. Gao, we refocused on a minimum viable pathway that demonstrates near-term value: keep the endogenous front end, target the OA → Ro conversion, avoid high-risk rewiring, and replace mutagenesis with an efficient screen-then-validate funnel (database + docking/MD ± AI). This strategy compresses timeline risk, concentrates spend where returns are clearest, and sets up a credible path from prototype to scalable production.
ACADEMIC RESEARCHER – Prof. Wanying Li, Ginseng Breeding (JLAU)
Anchored on S. cerevisiae with glycerol + fatty-acid feedstocks, we pursue a complement-not-replace model: native upstream routing, a tight focus on OA → Ro, enzyme screening via DB+docking/MD (±AI), and UDPG strengthening. Upstream risk is reduced via contracted sourcing + HPLC/marker QC at JLAU demo bases, while farmer partnerships retain field value. This builds a steady, traceable supply of Ro actives and a credible path from prototype to scalable production.
ACADEMIC RESEARCHER – Prof. Xinmin Zhang, Pharmaceutical Sciences (JLU)
Guided by Prof. Zhang, we locked a dual-carbon, S. cerevisiae Ro strategy that is both execution-ready and marketable: concatenation-based plasmids with diversified selection/Ori, glycerol + FA feed with peroxisome-routed MVA, and a TLC→HPLC verification funnel. This compresses iteration time, lowers reagent and rebuild costs, strengthens our sustainability narrative, and de-risks milestones on the path from prototype to scalable Ro production.
ACADEMIC RESEARCHER – Prof. Fang Wang, Basic Medical Sciences (JLU)
Guided by Dean Wang, we reframed our market story to prove Ro’s edge, ground it in natural-abundance realities, and justify enzyme choice, while aligning HP to a single, global-ready narrative. This shifts our page from claim-heavy to evidence-led, improves stakeholder trust, and links lab design to the broader industry-upgrade arc in high-value ginsenosides.
ACADEMIC RESEARCHER – Prof. Cong Lü, Environmental Engineering (JLU)
Guided by Prof. Lü, we adopted a measurement-first, pretreatment-then-bio strategy: characterize waste oil, match unit ops to oil type, govern microbial communities in pretreatment, and reserve bifunctional materials for feed cleanup. This reduces feedstock variability, avoids costly misfits, strengthens our waste-to-value narrative, and delivers clearer milestones on the path to scalable Ro production in S. cerevisiae (glycerol + fatty acids).
ACADEMIC RESEARCHER – Prof. Quanshun Li, Enzyme Engineering (JLU)
Guided by Prof. Li, we adopted a measure-first bottleneck strategy—flux/isotope mapping and enzyme-kinetics quantification—before pathway edits. We avoid risky hydrolase KOs until ex-vivo specificity is proven and use ODE+MCA only to steer priorities. This lowers rework and safety risk, improves milestone clarity, and strengthens our waste-oil → Ro value narrative on the path to scalable production in S. cerevisiae (glycerol + fatty acids).
ACADEMIC RESEARCHER – Prof. Zuoming Zhang, Bioengineering (JLU)
Prof. Zhang’s guidance sharpens our execution and market story: position glycerol/FA as cleaned by-products, add a front-end purification step, pair precursor boosting with ERG7 flux-blocking, and adopt an evidence-first diagnostic funnel with export-on-production for safety. Together, these moves cut rebuild loops, clarify milestones, and strengthen our waste-to-value Ro narrative on the path to scalable production in S. cerevisiae.
ACADEMIC RESEARCHER – Prof. Dhan Kalvakolanu (External Advisor)
With Prof. Kalvakolanu’s guidance, we reframed our story around environmental cleanliness → Ro biosynthesis → economic impact, standardized scientific communication for global audiences, and preserved a crisp what/how/why Entrepreneurship spine. The result is an evidence-led, internationally legible narrative that connects wet/dry lab rigor, stakeholder-specific HP, and a scalable Education ladder—strengthening partner trust and market readiness.
3.Enterprise
Our biosynthesis project has numerous well - established predecessors. In addition to biosynthesis companies themselves, there are also many related industries. Conducting in - depth research on the industrial chain will facilitate our more accurate assessment of the value of technologies and products.
ENTERPRISE—Jilin Yatai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
This research on industrialization pioneer Yatai Pharmaceutical revealed that the core challenge for bringing rare ginsenosides from the laboratory to the market lies in bridging innovative technologies. Its successful model demonstrates that process scalability, cost structure, and regulatory strategy are critical determinants of technology commercialization. Based on these insights, this project prioritizes techno-economic analysis (TEA) and intellectual property planning, systematically designs diversified application scenarios, and strengthens its industrial translation pathway. This exchange provides a crucial industrial perspective and feasibility validation for entrepreneurial practice in synthetic biology.
ENTERPRISE—Jilin Ji'an Yisheng Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.
To precisely align with industry needs, we visited Jilin Ji’an Yisheng Pharmaceutical, a leading enterprise in the full ginseng industry chain. The interview highlighted the core industry pain points: high downstream purification costs for rare high-purity ginsenosides (such as Ro) and the instability of traditional raw material supply. The company emphasized that the optimal positioning for synthetic biology technology is as a complement to the traditional industry, with a focus on high-value niche markets such as cosmetics and premium health products. This exchange provided a crucial industry perspective, bridging the project from technical feasibility to commercial viability.
4.Government
The successful implementation of synthetic biology projects is closely tied to the specific policies of a region, especially for the rapidly developing "microbial factories." Therefore, direct communication with the government can facilitate a more accurate assessment of the feasibility of project implementation.
GOVERNMENT—Dialogue with the Ginseng Task Force, Jilin Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs
The meeting highlighted the government’s core strategy for promoting high-quality industry development: building a full-chain trust system through the “one ginseng, one code” traceability platform. The government maintains a pragmatic and open attitude toward emerging technologies such as biosynthesis and pointed us to a key insight: the success of a project depends not only on technological innovation but also on its ability to actively integrate with and strengthen the government-established “trust infrastructure” thereby achieving sustainable competitiveness within the industry ecosystem.
5.Consumers
Ultimately, whether it pertains to products or technologies, in the entrepreneurial process, achieving value conversion is inseparable from consumers themselves. Engaging in communication with consumers and conducting project exploration from the first - person perspective can better identify problems and the highlights that consumers care about.
CONSUMERS — Northeast Asia Expo
We conducted targeted interviews at the ginseng exhibition area of the Northeast Asia Expo in Changchun. The research revealed that a university-led R&D background is the core asset in building consumer trust, while safety and empirical efficacy data are the key determinants of acceptance. Based on these insights, we immediately adjusted our strategy: At the R&D level, we are strengthening comparative experiments on purity and efficacy to generate authoritative data; At the communication level, we are planning campus open-day events to convert academic credibility into public trust.
CONSUMERS—Street Interview on Xinmin Street, Changchun
We conducted a random street interview on Xinmin Street in Changchun, targeting consumers of various age groups to understand their real perceptions of “biologically synthesized ginsenoside Ro products,” particularly regarding safety, pricing, and acceptance. This survey served as an initial market perception test, providing foundational insights for future commercialization strategy and science communication.
Thank-you Note
A heartfelt thank you from the JLU-NBBMS Team
We extend our deepest and most sincere gratitude to every individual and organization who has supported our project, BiOilRo. This ambitious journey to transform industrial waste into a source of healing would not have been possible without your invaluable contributions, unwavering belief, and expert guidance.
From the very beginning, you shared our vision: a future where the challenges of pollution and the unsustainable harvesting of precious natural resources could be met with a single, elegant solution. Your faith in our mission to create a sustainable and efficient biosynthetic pathway for ginsenoside Ro has been a constant source of inspiration and motivation for our entire team.
Whether you provided crucial financial support, offered profound scientific insights that guided our experiments, or connected us with vital resources and collaborators, your role has been integral to our success. The partnerships we have forged are the cornerstones of this project, enabling us to turn a bold idea into a tangible reality and proving that environmental responsibility and cutting-edge biotechnology can go hand in hand.
The path forward is filled with exciting new milestones, and we are thrilled to continue this journey alongside you. Together, we are not just developing a novel production method; we are pioneering a new paradigm for a circular economy and writing a new chapter for green manufacturing.
Thank you for being such an essential and cherished part of the BiOilRo story.
With our warmest regards,
The JLU-NBBMS
Team
Entrepreneurship in Action
Transforming innovative ideas into successful businesses requires not only creativity and hard work, but also broader recognition and validation within the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
(1)The 2nd Northeast China iGEMer Exchange Conference
(2)The 3rd iGEM Greater Bay Area Industry-Academia-Research Forum
(3)CCiC-Synbiopunk 2025
(4)Shanghai Exchange Meeting: iGEM Innovation and Industrialization
Commercial Documents
The advancement and success of any project hinges on a solid foundation. To support the implementation of this objective, we have developed a key guiding document outlining the strategic framework for BiOilRo's business development and market positioning.
Long-Term Impacts
Direct and Indirect Impact
In terms of direct impact, our project transforms industrial waste oil into ginsenoside Ro, providing a sustainable treatment pathway for waste oil and reducing soil and water pollution. This aligns strongly with SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), which aims to eliminate waste and pollution at the source. Simultaneously, it overcomes the vulnerabilities of traditional agriculture, promotes the development of resilient infrastructure and sustainable industrialization, directly contributing to SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure).
Indirectly, BiOilRo catalyzes broader, long-term societal benefits by advancing public health and sustainable technologies. This improves global health outcomes, contributing to SDG 3 (Good Health and Well-being) while strongly supporting SDG 13 (Climate Action).
Why Entrepreneurship?
Entrepreneurship is the essential catalyst that transforms a scientific breakthrough into a real-world solution. For our BiOilRo project, it provides the pathway to move from an engineered yeast in the lab to a powerful force for global change. Our entrepreneurial approach is driven by a core mission: to turn waste into treasure and protect our planet. We are committed to converting an environmental liability—waste oil—into a high-value asset for human health, creating a tangible, impactful application that addresses pressing market and environmental needs.
Our entrepreneurial journey pushes us beyond the laboratory, encouraging us to think like business leaders, market analysts, and environmental stewards. It has been an invaluable experience in understanding industrial demands and building a compelling case for our technology. Crucially, entrepreneurship provides the platform to promote our vision, raising awareness and driving the adoption of a truly sustainable alternative. This process has allowed us to connect with partners who share our mission, helping us forge a strategy to scale our solution from a lab bench to an industrial process.
In summary, for BiOilRo, entrepreneurship is the core engine driving our project's purpose. It is the commitment to ensuring our scientific work culminates in a sustainable enterprise that revolutionizes the production of rare medicinal compounds. It is the driving force that will allow us to promote this mission globally, turning waste into wellness and demonstrating a new paradigm for a circular economy with profound, positive impact.
References
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[2] Shi, M. X., Liu, Y., Guan, H. L., Wang, H. J., & Xu, W. M. (2023). Allelopathic autotoxicity and mitigation measures in medicinal plants. Chinese Journal of Modern Pharmacy, 25(9), 2013-2019.
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