On the day of our interview, Professor Tsui Kwok-Wing Stephen walked from CUHK’s Area 39 to his company at Science Park. The twenty‑minute stroll felt like crossing between two different worlds. “Here, you worry about day‑to‑day operations and keep a close eye on the accounts,” he remarked with a wry smile. “At the university, we pursue truth; here, we pursue profit.”
Now a Professor and Associate Dean (Research) at CUHK’s School of Biomedical Sciences, Professor Tsui has devoted nearly four decades to human genome research. Though he once assumed he would spend his life in the lab, he twice found himself “passively” drawn into the world of innovation and entrepreneurship: first helping a Hong Kong unicorn, and later co‑founding the biotechnology firm BioMed with alumni before the pandemic, specialising in gut microbiota testing and probiotic products. Reflecting on his eight‑year entrepreneurial journey—marked by no shortage of storms—he says that whenever he hears sincere gratitude from patients, it makes everything worthwhile.
Sharp with numbers and earnest in conduct, Stephen often recalls, in interviews, the faces that move him: fellow believers suffering from illness, medical students with autism, student tormented by eczema. In this CUbicZine feature, we explore Professor Stephen Tsui’s own “genome”: half research, half entrepreneurship—yet at the centre of this double helix lies humanity.
A Passion for Genetics: Forged Through SARS and the Microbiome
Graduating with a Bachelor of Science from CUHK in 1985, Stephen was captivated by the order and precision of human genes—an elegance that, for this devout Christian, revealed the wonder of creation. After graduation, to support his family, he became a secondary school teacher. His classroom sometimes resembled a scene from Fight Back to School: chalk and metal objects flying through the air, and he once even endured a punch from a student. Still, recognising that many of his pupils came from troubled families, he made a point of remembering every child’s name, offering care and guidance for them.
Six years later, he returned to CUHK to pursue genetic research. During the 2003 SARS outbreak, he was collaborating with Professor Sung Jao-yiu Joseph’s team on hepatitis B virus research. When the epidemic emerged, he proactively emailed Professor Sung to suggest adapting hepatitis B analysis methods to the new virus. He later worked with Professor Lo Yuk-ming Dennis’s chemical pathology team to decode the viral genome and develop testing protocols—what would become known as real‑time PCR. Before starting, he warned his team candidly: “If we take on this research, I can’t guarantee you won’t die.” Of the 16 team members, 14 stayed. Split into two teams, they worked around the clock. Sixteen days later, they became the second team in the world to decode the SARS genome. Their work enhanced hospital triage processes, enabling more efficient patient prioritisation and significantly reducing the risk of cross‑infection.
After SARS, Stephen expanded his research into microbial genomes, including HIV, tuberculosis, and influenza. As his scientific world broadened, a serendipitous opportunity nudged him into the realm of commercialisation.
First Venture in 2000: Locally Made Teaching Materials That Achieved a Triple Win
To deepen students’ understanding of genetic technology, Professor Tsui and his doctoral students launched workshops at CUHK’s Department of Biochemistry, demonstrating DNA paternity testing to secondary school teachers. They discovered that imported biology teaching kits cost thousands of dollars—far beyond what most schools could afford. So in 2000, through the departmental subsidiary CUGEN, they designed and sourced their own. Priced at just over two hundred dollars, they kept costs below 10% of the market price.
At the time, professors starting companies was rare. His seniors advised him, “Professors should never run businesses. The more successful you get, the more distracted you become—it’s unbecoming of a scholar. Just dabble in it.” Stephen chuckled, saying he might simply have been rebellious; he believed that contributing to society went beyond publishing papers.
At the peak of adoption, nearly 200 secondary schools across Hong Kong used the teaching kits. By 2015, before the company became independent, they had benefited a cumulative 40,000 students. When Stephen later asked in his medical lectures, many students revealed they had used this local teaching material.
Over 15 years, CUGEN generated around HK$2 million in profit, though Stephen calls it a small operation: “CUHK had a fair licensing system back then, so I received royalties for my invention.” What he takes most pride in is that the company reinvested its earnings into the Department of Biochemistry every year. His supervisor later pressed further: “Do you have any other science‑driven business ideas?” That moment taught him lessons that extended far beyond the lab—about cost structures and market strategy.
(Source: Interviewee)
Advisor: Witnessing the Rise of Hong Kong’s Unicorns
In 2007, Stephen accepted an invitation from one of his PhD students to serve as a scientific advisor to Multigene Diagnostics, a biotechnology company later acquired by the genetic testing start‑up Prenetics. He proposed using genetic testing to estimate disease susceptibility—a concept the company adopted and successfully commercialised.
Around 2015, rapid advances in sequencing technology caused costs to drop sharply. Soon after, the pandemic drove an unprecedented surge in testing demand, pushing Hong Kong’s biotechnology ecosystem into a true growth phase. In 2022, Prenetics became the first Hong Kong‑founded unicorn to list in the United States, reaching a valuation of over HK$10 billion. Stephen sees the achievement as deeply meaningful:
“People long assumed that Hong Kong biotech had no future, and that the only path was pharmaceuticals—an industry with extremely high failure rates and massive capital requirements. We proved that diagnostics can offer a very different, highly scalable trajectory.”
(Source: Prenetics)
(Source: Prenetics)
A Turn in the Road: Founding His Own Biotech Company
In 2018, Stephen met CUHK alumni—investment veteran Lo Wah-wai and businessman Vincent Tsang—initially to seek research funding. When discussing gut probiotics, especially potential benefits for eczema patients, they counter‑proposed creating a company together. Fully aware of the time and energy required to build an innovation‑driven venture, Stephen privately planned to decline politely after two weeks.
“I already had more than enough on my plate; starting a tech venture wasn’t something I intended to do.”
But a news report changed his mind: a nursing student at CUHK’s Faculty of Medicine had taken her life after severe eczema struggles.
“I had spent years researching eczema, mostly as a means of publishing academic papers. Yet I knew probiotics held real therapeutic potential. That news devastated me.”
The next day, he phoned to confirm the founding of BioMed, joined by his former student Dr. Steven Loo, Honorary Clinical Assistant Professor at CUHK.
Recent research has revealed that the gut microbiome is a vast biological resource—often described as the body’s “second brain”. The intestine hosts trillions of microorganisms, adjacent to a dense network of blood vessels separated by only a single‑cell layer. When the microbiome becomes imbalanced, pathogenic bacteria can more readily enter circulation and affect distant organs, potentially contributing to conditions such as eczema, obesity, and gastrointestinal disorders.
Stephen’s early idea was straightforward: using targeted probiotics to suppress harmful bacteria and restore gut balance. From translating research findings, to sourcing high‑specification global manufacturers, to assembling a team, BioMed launched its first PGut line of probiotic supplements in 2019. At the time, probiotics were still unfamiliar to many in Hong Kong, with the market largely dominated by imported brands. BioMed pioneered locally driven R&D and marketing, adopting a differentiation strategy—starting with eczema, then expanding into weight management and sleep health. The company moved from direct‑to‑consumer sales to B2B partnerships.
(Source: BioMed)
The COVID‑19 pandemic pushed BioMed to its peak, driven by research showing that probiotics could help modulate immune responses. “In 2021, capital flooded in and our ambitions grew—we poured resources into advertising and rapidly expanded our team,” Stephen recalled. But as the pandemic waned, the momentum collapsed just as quickly, and the company slipped into losses. Standing in the R&D office at Science Park, Stephen sighed, “We were so discouraged we nearly shut everything down and retreated to a small laboratory.”
To survive, they scaled back operations and relied mainly on reputation-based marketing. But what ultimately saved the company was its science. Stephen teaches precision medicine—an emerging field where treatment regimens are tailored to individual biological profiles. One idea sparked another: what if they could begin with gut microbiome testing and design personalised probiotic formulations? After three years of research, the company launched Hong Kong’s first combined “gut microbiome analysis + personalised probiotic pairing” service in 2021, which quickly became its flagship precision‑medicine product. “Thankfully, we never abandoned R&D. Without personalised solutions, BioMed wouldn’t be here today.” The company returned to breakeven last year.
Competition Drives Innovation; Collaboration Enables Breakthroughs
Hong Kong’s probiotics market is intensely competitive. Stephen views this as part of the natural rhythm: “In research and innovation, competition is unavoidable. Collaboration and rivalry constantly shift with market conditions.” Throughout his entrepreneurial path—from early educational science kits to today’s precision probiotic products—local competitors have emerged at every stage. “There’s still enormous room for growth in Hong Kong’s probiotics sector. We should work together to expand the market.” For BioMed to stand out, Stephen believes the key lies in technological barriers. “In tech innovation, you must be a pioneer and continuously develop new technologies. Even if competitors try to copy you, it should take them at least three years.”
Science and Business: Mutual Understanding Built on Principles
BioMed’s R&D team found that effective probiotic products require a minimum dose of roughly 20 billion viable, highly active cells. But upon entering large‑scale production, they observed that manufacturing methods drastically affect bacterial viability, resulting in large cost discrepancies. When attempting to enter an overseas market, one industry veteran bluntly told them they had no chance, noting that local hospitals purchased probiotics for only ten dollars. Stephen responded, visibly frustrated: “Ten dollars won’t even buy you a bottle of Yakult. People must be cautious about what they put into their bodies. Our guiding principles are: never deceive, ensure efficacy, and never compromise patient wellbeing.”
A scientist’s commitment to truth inevitably creates tension with profit-driven commercial partners. Stephen admits he is still learning: “Business is a different world. They’re the ones wrestling in the marketplace. I understand the pressure. But I’ll remind them—there must be a bottom line.” He jokes that professors hold the ultimate leverage: if they were to walk away, the company’s credibility would suffer immediately.
As governments and universities actively promote innovation and technology, Stephen has observed more top-tier academics entering entrepreneurship. He believes this trend is breaking old stereotypes—that only researchers who lack academic success turn to commercialisation. “Innovation is no longer a backdoor; it’s another legitimate path to excellence.” Passionate about scientific discovery, he also hopes young researchers can find more sustainable career pathways to keep their curiosity alive.
Today, Stephen serves as company advisor and board director, devoting half a day each week to business matters while dedicating the rest to the university research he loves. To balance research with entrepreneurship, he believes one must learn to delegate, build strong systems, and genuinely trust one’s team.
After eight years navigating the waves of innovation, Stephen’s motivation has never wavered: “It’s the patients. As a medical school professor who has trained physicians for thirty years, I’ll continue this work for as long as it benefits patients.”
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