On March 27, 2025, the implementation plan forum for the National Key R&D Program project "Creation and Application of Animal Models for the Association Between Gut Microbiota and Various Major Diseases" was successfully held at Capital Medical University (CMU) in Beijing. CMU serves as the lead institution for this project, which falls under the special program "Basic Research Conditions and the Development of Major Scientific Instruments and Equipment."

The forum brought together members of the project expert committee, including Researcher He Zhengming (National Institutes for Food and Drug Control, project tracking expert), Researcher Xia Changyou (Harbin Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, project tracking expert), Professor Wei Lai (Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University), Professor Cai Weibin (Sun Yat-sen University), and Professor Fu Xiaolong (Beijing Institute of Technology). Ms. Wang Qiuju, Director of the Finance Office at CMU, participated as a financial expert to provide guidance. Professor Zhang Chen, project leader and Vice President of CMU, together with leaders of the five project subtopics and core research members—over 30 participants in total—attended the meeting.

The forum opened with remarks from Professor Zhang Chen, who expressed gratitude to the China 21st Century Agenda Management Center (the project’s professional management agency), the supervising government departments, partner institutions, and the expert committee for their strong support. He emphasized that CMU would fulfill its responsibilities as the project’s lead institution, provide full logistical and administrative support, and ensure effective coordination across all research teams. He affirmed that, with the guidance of the Agenda Management Center, supervising authorities, and the expert committee, the project’s research tasks would be completed with high quality and on schedule.

Following this, Researcher He Zhengming, head of the expert committee, chaired the session presenting the overall implementation plan and subsequent expert consultation. Professor Zhang Chen delivered a comprehensive report outlining the project’s background and significance, research objectives and methodologies, task allocation, key milestones and timelines, management structure, and expected outcomes. Leaders of the five subprojects then presented their detailed implementation plans:

• Subproject 1: Professor Zhang Chen (Capital Medical University)

• Subproject 2: Professor Xu Guoheng (Peking University)

• Subproject 3: Professor Wang Lie (Zhejiang University)

• Subproject 4: Professor Liu Xicheng (Capital Medical University)

• Subproject 5: Researcher Liu Tingting (Southeast University)

The expert committee conducted a careful review of the overall and subproject implementation plans, raised targeted questions, and offered constructive suggestions regarding project coordination, milestone management, technical pathways, evaluation metrics, refinement of core technologies, and budgetary planning. After thorough discussion, the committee unanimously approved the implementation plans. Director Wang Qiuju also provided detailed guidance on financial management requirements for the project’s execution.

The National Key R&D Program project has a three-year duration and comprises five subprojects. Led by CMU, the consortium includes Peking University, Zhejiang University, Southeast University, the Institute of Biophysics (CAS), the Institute of Laboratory Animal Sciences (CAMS), Beijing Huafukang Biotechnology Co., Ltd., and Beijing Lingfu Biotechnology Co., Ltd. Together, these institutions aim to establish a robust industry–academia–research collaborative platform.

The project will focus on exploring the relationship between the gut microbiota and multiple major diseases. Specifically, it aims to:

• Construct phenotypically stable germ-free and gnotobiotic animal models using multiple approaches.

• Investigate multi-target regulatory mechanisms of gut microbiota on neural, metabolic, immune, and tumor functions.

• Develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic technologies.

• Establish a gut microbiota–disease animal model database to promote data sharing.

• Provide key scientific insights to support the development of innovative therapeutic strategies for major diseases.

This kick-off marks an important step in advancing China’s capabilities in gut microbiota research, animal model creation, and translational applications in disease prevention and treatment.