With the global cost of dementia care projected to exceed US$2.8 trillion by 2030, a multidisciplinary research team led by Professor Wu Chia-lin at Chang Gung University has successfully commercialized an innovative "Probiotic Efficacy Screening Platform" leveraging Drosophila melanogaster (fruit flies) as a bridge model to target the gut-brain axis for cognitive health.

• The Scientific Breakthrough: Traditional murine (mouse) models suffer from prolonged breeding cycles and high operational costs, limiting high-throughput workflows. Drosophila shares approximately 60% of functional genetic homology with humans and 70% of human disease-related genes, alongside highly analogous gastrointestinal structures and gut-brain communication axes.
• Three-Tier Advanced Tech Module:
1. Behavioral Quantifiable Index: Utilizes olfactory associative learning coupled with mild electrical conditioning to evaluate and output a precise Performance Index (PI) of memory retention pre- and post-probiotic administration.
2. Fluorescent Transgenic Tracking: Implements RFP/GFP markers to map out the exact colonization and survivability profile of the live biotherapeutic products (LBPs) across distinct gut segments.
3. In Vivo Live Calcium Imaging (GCaMP): Captures real-time neuronal signaling within the mushroom bodies of live fruit fly brains, visually and molecularly mapping out the enhancement of the "memory trace."
• Commercialization and IP Monetization: Evaluating 15 lactic acid bacteria strains, the platform identified a powerful synergistic combination: L. acidophilus (GMNL-185) and L. rhamnosus (GMNL-680). Mechanistic data revealed that this combination upregulates cerebral lactate dehydrogenase, enhancing acetylcholine neurotransmission. In collaboration with GenMont Biotech Incorporation (景岳生技), the platform's findings were published in the top-tier journal Gut Microbes. Invention patents have already been granted across Taiwan, the US, and Italy, successfully spinning off the commercialized consumer product "Zen-Hao-Ji" (增好記) probiotic powder. The team plans to offer this integration as a tech-service platform to accelerate commercial pipelines globally.

Resource:《新創動態》以果蠅為橋梁，精準篩選改善記憶的益生菌　腸腦軸研究平台開啟神經保健新頁