2026-04-30

The National University of Kaohsiung (NUK) officially signed a technology transfer agreement on April 30 with Virbac, the world’s sixth-largest animal health company. The agreement centers on the ASK-K1 cell line, developed by Professor Wen Chiu-Ming and his research team from NUK’s Department of Life Sciences. The partnership marks a significant milestone in transforming academic research into industrial applications and expanding NUK’s biotechnology innovations into the global animal health market.

NUK and Virbac have collaborated since 2018, building a seven-year partnership that has already produced six industry-academia collaboration outcomes. The completion of this technology transfer represents another major step in deepening both organizations’ research capabilities and application networks in animal biotechnology.

Kuo Chin-Fu, Director of NUK’s Industry-Academia Collaboration and Incubation Center, stated that long-term collaboration with international companies helps enhance the practical value of academic research while ensuring that innovation remains closely aligned with industry needs. He emphasized that this agreement represents not only the commercialization of a single research achievement but also NUK’s broader commitment to advancing industry collaboration and international partnerships.

The core technology involved in this transfer, the ASK-K1 cell line, is the result of Professor Wen’s long-term research in animal cell culture and fish disease studies. The technology enables highly efficient production of cold-water fish viruses and offers significant potential for aquatic animal vaccine development and disease prevention.

Jules Minke noted that the long-term partnership between both institutions has built strong mutual trust. He praised NUK’s research capabilities in animal biotechnology and described the university as highly competitive on the international stage.

He added that Virbac plans to continue advancing the commercial application of this technology while further expanding research collaboration with NUK to support the future development of animal vaccines.

This partnership demonstrates how university research can move beyond laboratories to generate global impact in biotechnology, animal health, and sustainable aquaculture innovation.

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