Scientist turned Founder: Dr Jerry Zhou on Building Amazing Gut
When research meets real-world need, innovation comes alive.
For Dr Jerry Zhou, Senior Lecturer and Clinical Fellow at Western Sydney University’s School of Medicine, years of working with patients revealed an overlooked truth — effective gut-health treatment shouldn’t stop at the clinic door.
That realisation became the spark behind Amazing Gut, a medical-technology startup reimagining how we approach gastrointestinal care.
From Research to Real-World Impact
Jerry’s entrepreneurial journey began not with a business plan, but with a question: “If we can’t get them to the treatment, why can’t we bring the treatment to them?”
While treating patients with gut-related issues, Jerry noticed the therapy process was time-intensive and difficult to maintain.
“Most physiotherapy is very labour-intensive — they need to come in every week, and the whole course of treatment is about eight weeks”
The challenge inspired him to reimagine how therapy could happen. “Essentially, it’s rewiring that connection between the anorectal muscles and the brain,” Jerry said. “It’s a little bit like going to the gym and exercising a muscle — but while you’re exercising, you can actually see which muscles are being activated.”
How Amazing Gut Was Born
The result of that idea became Ins & Outs, a home biofeedback device that helps users train their gut–brain connection with real-time guidance.
“It’s essentially a little probe that they can take home and insert. It’s got sensors on it and it links to a mobile app. The app acts as their trainer — it tells them what exercises they should do, what the targets are, and they try to make those targets.”
Behind the scenes, the data is automatically shared with a clinician for monitoring. “It’s like your own personal trainer from home,” he said. The technology’s goal is simple yet transformative: empower people to take control of their health without sacrificing clinical oversight.
Building with Collaboration
Like many researchers-turned-founders, Jerry quickly discovered that identifying a problem is just the first step — solving it requires a team.
“The concept and the design were made in Western Sydney,” he explained, “We worked with engineers and researchers; Professor Bahman Javadi from Computing Science and Professor Paul Breen, to develop the software and hardware.”
To turn prototypes into products, Amazing Gut partnered with external design firms. The cross-disciplinary collaboration exemplifies the spirit of innovation at WSU: bridging clinicians, engineers, and entrepreneurs to create impact.
Navigating the Maze of Entrepreneurship
Transitioning from researcher to entrepreneur brought steep learning curves
“As a researcher, you can become very specialised… but as an entrepreneur, you need to know a little bit of everything and you need to learn quick”
He recalled diving into new worlds: “I had to pick up patent law, learn about finances, balance sheets, packaging — even what type of cardboard to use. Some decisions, if you make the wrong ones, can cost you a lot — time, money, or resources.”
His metaphor captures it best: “It’s like trying to navigate a maze in the dark… but with mentors, it becomes just navigating a maze — the maze is still there.”
Support from WSU Launch Pad and programs like Cicada Innovations’ MDCDP helped him find his footing. “Creating a business is a team sport,” Jerry reminded listeners. “You can’t do it by yourself.”
Looking Ahead — The Future of Gut Health
Today, Jerry and his team continue to push boundaries in gastrointestinal innovation.
“We have a lot of different research — some involve faecal transplants, encapsulated probiotics and prebiotics, and different medical devices to treat bloating and abdominal pain”
With every new project, the mission remains the same: take discoveries from the lab, validate them in clinical trials, and bring them to the people who need them most. “Once you open the floodgates and say, ‘Here’s this nice pathway,’ there’s a lot of research that we’ve done over the last ten years,” Jerry said.
A Message for Aspiring Innovators
When asked what advice he’d give to researchers looking to commercialise their work, Jerry didn’t hesitate:
Talk to the end user, be honest with yourself and their opinion. Make sure what you’re creating is something they actually want
And finally, never underestimate the power of mentorship. “No matter how smart you are in your area, to commercialise successfully, you need help… it’s a team sport.”
Stay in touch with Amazing Gut!
Follow them on Linkedin @Amazing Gut or visit www.amazinggut.today