Seeing a big opportunity in China for bird-flu masks and skin care products, Japanese biotech startup Maz World has opened a research and development center in Hong Kong.

Maz World, which has developed a breakthrough technology that uses ostrich eggs to create large amounts of antibodies far more efficiently than possible with conventional methods, is the first Japanese biotech company to set up a base in the Hong Kong Science Park, which is home to about 80 companies in the industry.

The company will work with Osaka startup Zeal Cosmetics at the new lab and will handle the entire work process, from developing products to selling them in the Chinese and Hong Kong markets. It will also collaborate with researchers from the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

The initial products will include masks that block out the bird-flu virus, of which there are frequent outbreaks in southern China, and skin care goods tailored to local consumers.

Maz World's partner, Zeal Cosmetics, develops and manufactures cosmetics and health care products containing antibodies produced using the technology.