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Editorial
. 2025 Oct 2;4(5):e70083.
doi: 10.1002/imt2.70083. eCollection 2025 Oct.

Shaping the future of probiotics, live biotherapeutic products, and fecal microbiota transplantation: 30 scientific recommendations from the CHINAGUT Conference

Weihong Wang  1 , Nan Bu  2 , Hailong Cao  3 , Ning Chen  4 , Wei Chen  5 , Lei Cheng  6 , Bota Cui  1 , Lei Dai  7 , Huiying Gao  8 , Meng Guo  9 , Xingxiang He  10 , Jia Hu  11 , Changtao Jiang  12 , Xianzhi Jiang  13 , Jingnan Li  14 , Ping Li  15 , Wei Li  16 , Weiwei Liao  17 , Hongwei Liu  18 , Jingmei Liu  19 , Ling Liu  20 , Shuangjiang Liu  18 , Xingyin Liu  21 , Muhan Lv  22 , Yonghui Ma  23 , Chaoxin Man  24 , Zheshun Pi  1 , Qian Ren  25 , Lixuan Sang  26 , Zhihong Sun  27 , Huayi Suo  28 , Yan Tan  29 , Wanyin Tao  30 , Guangqiang Wang  31 , Jun Wang  32 , Liangjing Wang  33 , Xin Wang  34 , Xin Wang  35 , Ye Wang  36 , Kaichun Wu  37 , Rina Wu  38 , Zhen Wu  39 , Xiang Xiao  40 , Bin Xiang  41 , Song Yang  42 , Huaxi Yi  43 , Honho Yu  44 , Jun Yu  45 , Yue Zeng  46 , Huihong Zhai  47 , Qixiao Zhai  5 , Chenhong Zhang  48 , Guohua Zhang  49 , Jiachao Zhang  50 , Wenyi Zhang  51 , Fangqing Zhao  52 , Liang Zhao  53 , Hongwei Zhou  54 , Li Zhu  55 , Canhui Lan  34   56 , Heping Zhang  51 , Shu Zhu  9 , Faming Zhang  1
Affiliations
Editorial

Shaping the future of probiotics, live biotherapeutic products, and fecal microbiota transplantation: 30 scientific recommendations from the CHINAGUT Conference

Weihong Wang et al. Imeta. .

Abstract

The 2025 CHINAGUT Conference has assembled a panel of 63 experts (30 scientists, 26 physicians, and 7 corporate R&D personnel) collaborated in three groups to present 30 scientific recommendations to advance probiotics, live biotherapeutic products, and fecal microbiota transplantation, addressing key issues on standardization, translation, supervision, regulation, and regulatory harmonization. These interdisciplinary guidelines aim to synthesize cutting-edge knowledge and practical needs to transform microbiota-based treatments from applications into precision-driven medical solutions, and serve as reference by scientific researchers, medical educators, pharmaceutical enterprises, clinicians, food and drug administrations, policymakers, and patients.

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Conflict of interest statement

Canhui Lan is the founder and a shareholder of Beijing R‐Institute Co. Ltd., and receives a salary from the company. The company is dedicated to knowledge services in the life sciences and healthcare field, developing and operating the R‐base platform and its related products, and is an early funder of the journal iMeta. Canhui Lan also serves as one of the Executive Editors‐in‐Chief for iMeta, with responsibilities in operations and promotion. Additionally, he serves as a paid scientific consultant for several companies in the life sciences and healthcare industry. Xin Wang is the editor‐in‐chief of Beijing R‐Institute Co. Ltd., and receives a salary from the company. The company is dedicated to knowledge services in the life sciences and healthcare field, developing and operating the R‐base platform and its related products. Wanyin Tao is CTO and cofounder of Ibiome Inc. Faming Zhang conceived the concept of GenFMTer and transendoscopic enteral tubing and the devices (FMT Medical) related to them. Shuangjiang Liu is the Editor‐in‐Chief of iMeta, Jun Yu is the Advisory Board member of iMeta, Changtao Jiang and Jun Wang are the Associate Editors of iMeta, Heping Zhang and Fangqing Zhao are the Editorial Board members of iMeta. To minimize bias, they were excluded from all editorial decision‐making related to the acceptance of this article for publication. The other authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
Overview of 30 scientific recommendations on microbiota‐based treatments from the 2025 CHINAGUT Conference. In light of current research progress in microbiota‐based treatments, the core expert panel from the fields of probiotics, live biotherapeutic products, and fecal microbiota transplantation at the 2025 CHINAGUT Conference jointly formulated 30 scientific recommendations, primarily focused on five core parts. RCT, randomized controlled trial.
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Framework for probiotic science and industry development. This figure depicts a comprehensive framework for advancing probiotic science and industry, centered on probiotics, with six interconnected domains: Evidence Validation (high‐quality randomized controlled trials, transparent reporting, health claim validation – Rec 4); Strain Identification & Safety (Whole‐genome sequencing‐based identification, safety assessments, regulatory compliance – Rec 1, 3, 8); Formulation Optimization (evidence‐based combinations, dose–response studies, strain ratios – Rec 2, 5); Quality control (viability testing, Good Manufacturing Practices, stability studies – Rec 6); Labeling & Marketing (clear labeling, ethical marketing, consumer trust – Rec 7); and Innovation & Education (industry‐academia collaboration, science‐based education – Rec 9, 10).
FIGURE 3
FIGURE 3
Framework for the live biotherapeutic products industry development. This figure depicts a comprehensive framework for the live biotherapeutic products industry, consisted of five parts: Research insights & tools (Rec 1–4), Manufacturing challenges (Rec 5), Regulatory pathways (Rec 6), Cross‐sector collaboration (Rec 7), Sustainable commercialization (Rec 8–10). AI, artificial intelligence; CMC, Chemistry, Manufacturing, and Controls; ML, machine learning.
FIGURE 4
FIGURE 4
Framework for translational and sustainable development of fecal microbiota transplantation. The expert panel proposes 10 scientific recommendations for the translational and sustainable development of fecal microbiota transplantation based on four aspects: Regulation (a national regulatory framework, nonprofit medical service models, high‐quality public fecal microbiota banks – Rec 1, 4, 9), Clinical practice (evidence‐based application, full‐process standardization, robust long‐term follow‐up systems – Rec 2, 3, 5), Research (public and private investment, multi‐stakeholder collaboration, stringent ethical principles – Rec 6, 7, 8) and Education (incorporation into general medical education, responsible science popularization – Rec 10).
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