[Lieyun Network (WeChat ID:ilieyun
(Hainan) May 1st report (by Lin Meiyu)
Susheng Biotech recently announced the completion of its angel financing round, raising tens of millions of RMB. The investor was Hainan Giant Toucan Enterprise Development Center (Limited Partnership), a fund under the control of the actual controller of a listed company in the Yangtze River Delta region, which has previously invested in star biomedical projects such as WuXi AppTec.Investors are optimistic about the project team, its technology, and the development opportunities presented by the Hainan Free Trade Port.
Susheng Biotech stated that the funds from this round of financing will be used to support the company’s continuous R&D innovation and product registration for implantable medical devices in the field of sports medicine; meanwhile, it will continue to improve its mesenchymal stem cell (MSC), induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC), and gene editing technology systems, conducting research in the areas of musculoskeletal injuries and diseases, as well as hereditary blood disorders.
In December 2019, Hainan Susheng Biotech Co., Ltd. returned from Switzerland and settled in the Haikou National High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, focusing on anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and repair in the fields of orthopedics and sports medicine. Its products include implantable devices such as titanium alloy locking screws, next-generation bioabsorbable interference screws, tendon-bone connectors, next-generation button plates, and artificial ligaments.
The company’s developed “New-Generation Bone-Tendon-Bone Connection Technique” employs a combined fixation method using a tendon-bone connector and a looped titanium plate to secure the ligament. This approach replaces traditional single fixation with dual fixation, thereby enhancing the stability of therapeutic outcomes. Additionally, it offers simpler operation, reduced trauma, more robust tendon-bone integration, and a lower rate of surgical failure.
The founding team is anchored by overseas returnees from Europe and PhD holders from Tsinghua University and Peking University, with 50% of members holding master’s degrees or higher. Dr. Zeng Sheng, the CEO, spent nearly a decade studying and launching ventures in Switzerland, where he studied under Professor Hengartner, President of the University of Zurich, and Nobel Laureate Professor Horvitz. Zhang Junyao, the Chief Financial Officer, holds dual doctorates in Business Administration from the University of Lille and SKEMA Business School in France; prior to joining Susheng Biotech, he served as a senior executive for many years at a U.S.-listed company in South China. Feng Meimei, who holds a Master’s degree in Medicine, serves as the Chief Medical Officer and brings extensive experience in clinical trial management from leading domestic pharmaceutical companies.
(Pictured: Dr. Zeng Sheng, CEO)
Currently, orthopedic joint instruments are classified as high-end, high-value medical devices with significant technical barriers. In China, mainstream hospitals primarily rely on imported implantable devices, supplemented by domestically produced ones. Foreign companies hold over 60% of the market share in joint products, while ligament products are almost entirely dominated by imported devices.In addition to limitations in R&D capabilities, market awareness, the domestic medical device registration and review mechanism, and the clinical validation cycle are all major obstacles to the development of domestic enterprises.
In this regard, Susheng Biotech partnered with the Swiss Innovation Center to conduct clinical trials at the Orthopedic Sports Medicine Hospital affiliated with the University of Zurich. By leveraging overseas clinical trial results and post-market case tracking data, the company significantly shortened the domestic clinical trial timeline in China, potentially even bypassing domestic clinical trials altogether, thereby establishing a time-based barrier that secures its leading position in regulatory registration and development.
Since April last year, Susheng Biotech has rapidly established laboratories for biomechanics and cell engineering, along with GMP-compliant production facilities. Currently, a fully operational production line has been set up within a several-hundred-square-meter Grade B cleanroom, capable of supporting the entire production process—including precision injection molding and packaging—under stringent clean conditions.
Over the course of nearly a year, the company rapidly completed the R&D upgrades and trial production of multiple medical device products, initiating their registration processes. Significant progress was made in the development of cell-free cartilage repair devices. Meanwhile, the company completed the full acquisition of the Swiss medical device firm Sysorb GmbH, laying the groundwork for establishing an EU MDR-compliant system and expanding into the European Union and other global markets that recognize the MDR. As a manufacturer of Class III implantable medical devices, Susheng Biotech has also vigorously established a comprehensive quality management system, striving to achieve TÜV ISO 13485 certification to high standards.
Susheng Biotech remains committed to prioritizing R&D focused on the dual restoration of motor function and anatomical structure, with tissue engineering as its key R&D direction. Zeng Sheng stated to Lieyunwang that the company’s development of biological therapies represents the future direction in the field of sports medicine. As China gradually relaxes registration policies for stem cell drugs, this area has become the company’s “nuclear weapon” for surpassing competitors, as well as the core driver enabling it to break free from the constraints of “centralized procurement of medical devices” and achieve leapfrog development through innovation.
Next, Susheng Biotech will focus on two key R&D directions: the development of advanced medical devices (cell-free systems) and biological therapies (including cell-based therapies) for injuries and diseases of the musculoskeletal system.
In terms of medical devices, we are developing implantable devices for knee meniscus, hip joint, shoulder joint, ankle joint, and finger joints, including knee ligament implants. Beyond ligament repair, we are gradually expanding into product segments such as cartilage and soft tissue repair, as well as trauma repair. Our biological therapies are based on tissue engineering and stem cell technologies, utilizing mesenchymal stem cell injections, in combination with absorbable scaffold materials and cells derived from stem cell differentiation, to generate target tissues or organs for the treatment of musculoskeletal injuries and diseases.
Currently, after extensive accumulation in the research and development of stem cell biotherapies, Susheng Biotech has established a comprehensive framework, possessing relatively mature technologies and multiple core patents. The company has achieved breakthrough progress in addressing the global challenge of ex vivo expansion of hematopoietic stem cells. Furthermore, it has established the technological foundation and quality management system for mesenchymal stem cell therapy in knee osteoarthritis, as well as a human induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC) reprogramming technology platform and a CRISPR-based precision gene editing technology platform.
Zeng Sheng told Lieyunwang: In the future, Susheng Biotech will leverage its technological reserves and development advantages in the field of stem cells to explore the independent development of a business unit focused on treating thalassemia based on induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) and gene editing technologies.
Adhering to technological innovation and developing core biotechnology, Susheng Biotech will adopt a "small steps, fast running" strategy as the fundamental approach for business development and financing. The company plans to introduce the next round of financing in the third quarter of 2021, which will be used for continuous research, brand building, and market promotion of certified medical devices.
Project: Bone-Tendon-Bone Junction Method for Joint Ligament Repair
Company: Susheng Biotech