The cGP Lab Ltd.

The cGP Lab Ltd. is a New Zealand life-sciences company based in Auckland that develops and sells dietary supplements under the cGPMAX® brand. The business is built around a molecule called cGP (cyclic glycine-proline), a sub-molecule of the hormone IGF-1 (Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1) that was discovered and characterised through research led by neuroscientist Dr Jian Guan. The company positions its products as science-backed support for healthy ageing, describing cGPMAX® as working "quietly alongside your own biology" to assist the body's natural systems of repair and resilience. The cGPMAX® range is marketed around four benefit pillars: brain clarity and focus, heart and vascular health, sustained energy, and natural resilience. Flagship products include cGPMAX® Pure, a single-active-ingredient capsule delivering a pure dose of natural cGP, and cGPMAX® Brain Health, a clean-label formula combining cGP-Pro® from New Zealand blackcurrants with Bacopa monnieri. The brand emphasises that its products are made in New Zealand, independently tested, and grounded in 30 years of research, and it sells primarily through its own e-commerce site with subscription options and free shipping over a stated order threshold. The scientific story behind the brand centres on Dr Jian Guan, who is presented as Chief Science Officer. After training as a paediatrician in China and completing a PhD in Paediatrics at the University of Auckland in 1996 under Sir Peter Gluckman, she spent three decades at the University of Auckland studying IGF-1 and its sub-molecules GPE and cGP. Her work on GPE's neuroprotective effects contributed to the formation of NeuronZ, described as the first university-based pharmaceutical company in New Zealand (now Neuren Pharmaceuticals). The cGPMAX® range is presented as the commercial culmination of that research programme. The company operates in the fast-growing functional supplement and healthy-ageing category, competing on scientific provenance, New Zealand manufacturing and a direct-to-consumer model rather than mass retail. Its public-facing identity is closely tied to its founder-scientist narrative and to the cGPMAX® trademark, with the corporate entity The cGP Lab Ltd. serving as the operating company behind the brand.

The cGP Lab Ltd. is a New Zealand company based in Auckland whose commercial identity is inseparable from the research career of neuroscientist Dr Jian Guan. According to the company's own account, Dr Guan began her career as a paediatrician after completing a Bachelor of Medicine in China in 1982. She moved to New Zealand in the early 1990s to begin research training under Sir Peter Gluckman, completing a PhD in Paediatrics at the University of Auckland in 1996. She then spent roughly 30 years at the University of Auckland in various roles and departments, making several world-first discoveries and becoming a leading figure in her field. Her research focused on IGF-1 (Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1), a life-essential hormone involved in brain function, circulation and cellular repair. Working on IGF-1, she discovered a sub-molecule called GPE (Glycine-Proline-Glutamate) and found that GPE had neuroprotective benefits that aided recovery from stroke, offering a potentially more viable therapeutic alternative than IGF-1 itself as a hormone. This discovery was described as a significant scientific breakthrough and contributed to the formation of NeuronZ, presented as the first university-based pharmaceutical company in New Zealand and now known as Neuren Pharmaceuticals. Further work identified cGP (cyclic glycine-proline), another sub-molecule of IGF-1, as the active compound around which the company's supplement range would eventually be built. The company states that cGP works throughout the body to support blood vessel health, stimulate blood flow and circulation, maintain normal blood pressure, and promote mental clarity. Its marketing frames declining IGF-1 activity from the 40s and 50s onward as a natural biological change that cGP supplementation is intended to address by keeping IGF-1 bioavailable and active. The commercial vehicle for this science is The cGP Lab Ltd., which sells products under the cGPMAX® trademark through the website cgpmax.com. The cGPMAX® range is presented as the culmination of 30 years of dedicated scientific study, with Dr Guan serving as Chief Science Officer. Products are manufactured in New Zealand, independently tested, and sold primarily via direct-to-consumer e-commerce with subscription incentives. The brand's public narrative combines a founder-scientist origin story, a New Zealand provenance claim, and a healthy-ageing positioning aimed at consumers who want to maintain cognitive and physical performance as they age.

• 1996

  Dr Jian Guan completes a PhD in Paediatrics at the University of Auckland under Sir Peter Gluckman.

• 1982

  Dr Jian Guan completes a Bachelor of Medicine in China and begins her career as a paediatrician.

• Dr Guan discovers GPE, a sub-molecule of IGF-1, and its neuroprotective benefits; the work contributes to the formation of NeuronZ, described as New Zealand's first university-based pharmaceutical company (now Neuren Pharmaceuticals).

• cGP (cyclic glycine-proline) is identified as a key sub-molecule of IGF-1 underpinning the later supplement range.

• The cGP Lab Ltd. commercialises the research as the cGPMAX® range, sold via cgpmax.com with Dr Guan as Chief Science Officer.

Science-backed, New Zealand-made natural supplements for healthy ageing, brain clarity, circulation and resilience, sold direct-to-consumer.

• cGPMAX® Pure

  A single-active-ingredient supplement delivering a pure dose of natural cGP, designed for flexibility in any wellness routine; positioned to support blood vessel health, circulation, normal blood pressure and cognitive clarity.

• cGPMAX® Brain Health

  A clean-label brain supplement featuring cGP-Pro® from New Zealand blackcurrants and Bacopa monnieri; each capsule contains a cGP-Pro® blend (blackcurrant fruit powder and hydrolysed collagen standardised to 40mcg cGP) plus 300mg Bacopa monnieri extract.

1. 1cGPMAX® Brain Health - Vascular Supplements For Circulationcgpmax.com
2. 2Dr Jian Guan | Chief Science Officer & Pioneer of cGP Research | The cGP Labcgpmax.com
3. 3Best Supplements For Brain Health NZ - cGPMAX®cgpmax.com
4. 4cGPMAX® Brain Health – Natural cGP Supplement | Made in NZcgpmax.com
5. 5The cGP Lab Ltd. (New Zealand) - Wikidatawikidata.org