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Our team has officially described a new marine bacterial species, Ruegeria persistens sp. nov. (type strain MC10-B4). Unlike conventional probiotics that require repeated dosing, this strain was selected for its natural ability to persist in a host—remaining detectable for 8 months after a single inoculation and improving heat tolerance. A new species. A new standard for durable aquaculture probiotics. Source: Ruegeria persistens sp. nov., a persistent symbiotic bacterium iso

Most probiotics fail because they do not stay in the host. They work only while you keep dosing—stop applying, and the benefit fades. This is the bottleneck that limits probiotic use across aquaculture, agriculture, and conservation. We call the solution next-generation probiotics: strains selected for durable host association before benefit is tested. Our new preprint shows how it works. We screened over 1,200 marine bacterial isolates and identified a Ruegeria population, M

Our team at CUHK, led by Prof. Luo Haiwei, has identified a marine probiotic that gives corals a real survival advantage in warmer waters. Published in The ISME Journal, the study shows it outperforms closely related bacteria from the same coral colony in standardized heat-stress tests. Why is this strain different? It stays in the host. In a field study, it remained in corals for eight months. Selected using an evolution-guided method that predicts long-term partnership, It

Aquaculture loses an estimated USD 6 billion annually to disease, while antibiotic resistance keeps rising. Farmers need alternatives, but most probiotics require repeated dosing, and once application stops, the benefit fades. Our approach reverses the conventional pipeline. We select first for durable host association using evolutionary genomic signals, then validate post-dosing persistence and production benefit. Why this is a genuinely new technology for aquaculture: Persi

Cefas Science Talks is a seminar series hosted by the UK’s Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas), a world-leading government agency for aquatic science. The series brings together researchers, industry, and policymakers to discuss the latest advances in fisheries, aquaculture, and marine environmental science. It is a key platform for translating science into policy and commercial practice. On May 20, 2026, our Project Director, Prof. Luo, was invi

Prof. Luo, together with our scientist advisor Prof. Russell, visited an abalone farm on Lamma Island and met with farm owner Wendy. Prof. Luo gave a detailed introduction to how probiotics work in aquaculture and their potential applications. From left to right: Prof. Luo, Prof. Russell, and Wendy Photo credit: ZHANG Yuhan Abalone farming faces real challenges: heat sensitivit

We had a great time at Rethink, held at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC). At our booth, we showcased our marine probiotic technology. A major highlight of the event was our Project Director, Prof. Luo, delivering a 7-minute pitch on our marine probiotic. He introduced the problem we’re tackling, the science behind our approach, and how we see marine probiotics contributing to more resilient coral reefs and shellfish production. Prof. Luo delivered a 7-mi

Our evolution-guided framework identifies persistent probiotics and has been recognized as a next-generation strategy for microbiome engineering. Published in Cell Host & Microbe, our approach sets a new benchmark by using evolutionary genomics to identify bacteria naturally primed for long-term host association, rather than relying on standard screening for short-term probiotic effects. The Breakthrough Results: Built to Last: In rigorous field trials, our selected probiotic

A research team led by Prof. LUO Haiwei and Dr. XIANG Nan from the School of Life Sciences at The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) has 𝐝𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 “𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐟𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 𝐛𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚” 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐝𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐚𝐬 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥 𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐬, 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐦 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐢𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐰𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬. While rising ocean temperatures threaten reefs worldwide, nitrate pollut