Wei Aiying: A scientist tackling industry challenges through innovation

Inside the research center of Ningxia Eppen Biotech Co. Ltd., Wei Aiying has spent the past 16 years working among fermenters and laboratory data, pursuing breakthroughs in microbial fermentation technology.

Over the years, Wei has received multiple honors, including the Science and Technology Progress Award from the China National Light Industry Council and three second prizes for scientific and technological progress in the Ningxia Hui autonomous region. Yet what defines her most is not the awards, but her persistence in tackling some of the industry’s toughest technical challenges.

Wei Aiying works in a laboratory conducting experiments.

Breaking through production bottlenecks

One of the biggest challenges Wei faced came from bacteriophage contamination — a problem capable of disrupting microbial fermentation and causing major production losses.

To overcome it, she led her team in applying advanced ARTP mutagenesis and high-throughput screening technologies, testing and modifying tens of thousands of microbial strains.

The process involved countless rounds of failure, analysis and redesign.

After repeated experimentation, the team successfully developed a phage-resistant threonine-producing strain, removing a major obstacle in production.

The breakthrough reduced annual production costs by more than two million yuan ($294,400). The project later won a Ningxia science and technology progress award and was successfully industrialized, generating cumulative profits exceeding 100 million yuan over three years.

Wei Aiying works in a laboratory conducting experiments.

Responding to an international patent dispute

In 2015, the company faced a major international patent lawsuit involving lysine production strains — a dispute that threatened its position in the global market.

If the company’s core strains were found to infringe existing patents, it risked losing technological and commercial competitiveness.

Wei and her team were tasked with developing an entirely new lysine-producing strain while avoiding all existing patent barriers. Starting from scratch, they eventually succeeded in constructing a high-performance engineered strain with fully independent intellectual property rights. Key technical indicators reached internationally advanced standards.

The achievement not only helped the company retain its market position but also enabled its products to enter the European market.

The team later filed 13 invention patents related to the project, including two international patents, strengthening the company’s technological independence and industrial security.

Quiet dedication behind the laboratory doors

Over the years, Wei has participated in five national-level research projects under the National High Technology Research and Development Program of China (“863 Program”), contributing to independent strain development for products including threonine, tryptophan and glutamic acid.

She has applied for more than 100 patents in total.

Several core production strains optimized under her leadership have been used continuously in large-scale industrial production for three consecutive years, saving the company an average of more than 78 million yuan annually.

Wei Aiying works in a laboratory conducting experiments.

For younger researchers, her advice is rooted in her own experience:

“Stay committed to your ideals and remain grounded. Research requires patience under pressure. Use innovation to solve problems and stay true to your original aspiration.”

For Wei, those words reflect more than a personal philosophy. They capture the spirit that has guided her from the laboratory bench to the forefront of industrial innovation — a journey shaped by persistence, responsibility and craftsmanship.