Southeast University Completes $22.3M Tech Transfer for Novel CircRNA-Based Ischemic Stroke Therapy

Recently, Southeast University announced the signing of an agreement for the technology transfer of "novel circular RNA therapeutics," injecting cutting-edge scientific achievements into industrial development with a substantial transfer value of RMB 160 million. This marks the beginning of a new chapter in the industrialization of circular RNA-based therapeutic drugs for stroke. This technology transfer is based on the groundbreaking research in the field of circular RNA conducted by Professor Yao Honghong’s team at the Medical School of Southeast University.

Yao Honghong, the team leader, is a Chief Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at Southeast University, as well as the academic leader in pharmacology. She has deeply engaged in the research field of “neuroinflammation–non-coding RNA–neuropsychiatric disorders.” She has been selected for multiple national-level talent programs and serves as Chair of the Neuroimmunology Professional Committee of the Jiangsu Immunological Society, Deputy Secretary-General of the Neuropsychopharmacology Professional Committee of the Chinese Pharmacological Society, Vice President of the Jiangsu Pharmacological Society, and Deputy Director of the Jiangsu Provincial Key Laboratory of Critical Care Medicine.

Yao Honghong’s team has innovatively developed a novel nucleic acid drug that leverages the multi-target synergistic effects of circSCMH1 in combination with a novel targeted delivery vector. This agent features high target specificity, superior safety, and enhanced efficacy, directly addressing the therapeutic challenges of ischemic stroke. This breakthrough not only holds promise for alleviating the scarcity of clinical treatments for ischemic stroke but also overcomes the limitations of traditional single-target drugs. It represents the first nucleic acid therapy designed for multi-target synergistic intervention in ischemic stroke, significantly improving the efficiency of neurological function recovery while reducing disability and mortality rates.

According to the Third National Sample Survey on Causes of Death, cerebrovascular disease has now become the leading cause of death among the Chinese population. Among these conditions, stroke is the single disease entity with the highest disability rate. Ischemic stroke accounts for approximately 78%, hemorrhagic stroke for about 16%, and subarachnoid hemorrhage for roughly 4.5%. In recent years, the epidemiological characteristics of stroke have shown a continuing rise in overall incidence, while mortality rates have stabilized. The burden is higher in rural areas than in urban areas, and there is a trend toward younger age at onset. Consequently, from both economic and policy perspectives, the national government places greater emphasis on the prevention and control of stroke.

Among these, ischemic stroke (IS) refers to the blockage or severe narrowing of cerebral blood vessels caused by disorders of cerebral circulation, leading to reduced cerebral perfusion and subsequent death of brain tissue in the affected vascular territories due to ischemia and hypoxia. According to data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study, there were 4.09 million new cases of ischemic stroke in China in 2021, an incidence rate 1.89 times the global average. In the same year, the prevalent number of ischemic stroke patients in China reached 20.8 million, representing an increase of 6.31 million compared with 2012.

Currently, the primary clinical treatment for ischemic stroke is endovascular interventional therapy, supplemented by thrombolysis, blood pressure control, and anticoagulation. However, due to the strict time window associated with ischemic stroke,In China, fewer than 3% of patients benefit from existing treatments, and the high risk of hemorrhagic transformation leads to persistently high overall mortality and disability rates. It is difficult to fundamentally prevent the occurrence of ischemic stroke, and there are currently no specific pharmacotherapies for intracerebral hemorrhage.Current disease onset is associated with the reversal of anticoagulant and antiplatelet therapies. It remains clinically challenging to determine the precise timing and dosage for reinitiating these medications based on laboratory indicators. These issues represent the current state of stroke treatment and constitute key challenges that future therapeutic strategies must address.

Small nucleic acid drugs have emerged as a forefront area in the research and development of innovative therapeutics for stroke in recent years. These agents offer several advantages, including precise mechanisms of action, high R&D efficiency, durable therapeutic effects, significant potential for personalized medicine, and a favorable safety profile. Professor Yao Honghong has dedicated many years to researching the interplay among neuroinflammation, non-coding RNAs, and neuropsychiatric disorders. Focusing on neuroinflammatory response—a common pathological mechanism underlying nervous system diseases—and addressing critical scientific challenges such as the lack of effective central anti-inflammatory drugs and therapeutic targets, she has concentrated on cutting-edge molecular biology frontiers, including epigenetics and non-coding RNAs, achieving a series of innovative and original accomplishments.

In May 2020, Yao Honghong’s team published an article in *Circulation* titled “Extracellular Vesicle-Mediated Delivery of CircSCMH1 Promotes Functional Recovery in Rodent and Nonhuman Primate Ischemic Stroke Models.” The team identified circSCMH1, a circular RNA that exhibits significant changes during stroke in both humans and mice, and validated in human plasma samples that circSCMH1 levels have the potential for prognostic assessment of ischemic brain injury. By constructing extracellular vesicles (EVs) that target the central nervous system and encapsulate circSCMH1, they found that circSCMH1-EVs significantly ameliorated neurological deficits and promoted motor function recovery in rhesus macaques with stroke. This study reveals a novel mechanism for neurological repair after ischemic brain injury at the level of circular RNAs and provides new insights into research on central nervous system-targeted delivery strategies for circular RNAs.

In January 2023, Yao Honghong’s team published an article in Nature Communications titled “FTO-dependent m6A modification of Plpp3 in circSCMH1-regulated vascular repair and functional recovery following stroke.” The team further reported the latest research progress on circular RNA therapy for ischemic stroke, clarifying the role of the circular RNA circSCMH1 in promoting vascular repair after ischemic stroke and its underlying molecular mechanisms. These findings expand the understanding of the mechanisms by which circSCMH1 promotes brain repair after ischemic stroke from the perspective of vascular repair, providing new insights and targets for the development of novel therapeutics for ischemic stroke.

In March 2025, Yao Honghong’s team published a research paper in Advanced Materials (IF 27.4) titled “Nose-to-Brain Delivery of Circular RNA SCMH1-Loaded Lipid Nanoparticles for Ischemic Stroke Therapy.” The team innovatively developed a novel nucleic acid therapeutic that leverages the multi-target synergistic effects of circSCMH1 combined with a novel targeted delivery vehicle, thereby achieving high targeting specificity, superior safety, and enhanced efficacy to directly address the challenges in ischemic stroke treatment.

This series of achievements not only holds promise for breaking the deadlock of scarce therapeutic drugs for clinical ischemic stroke, but also overcomes the limitations of traditional single-target drugs, bringing patients the first nucleic acid drug for multi-target synergistic intervention in ischemic stroke, significantly improving the efficiency of neurological function recovery and reducing disability and mortality rates.According to Jiangning Trade Union, this research-to-market product based on circular RNA nucleic acid therapy is expected to hit the market in three to five years, benefiting stroke patients.

"In fact, this is not Southeast University's first pharmaceutical and medical technology transfer project valued at over 100 million yuan."

In December 2024, Southeast University, in collaboration with its affiliated Zhongda Hospital, completed the signing of an agreement for the commercialization of “achievements related to a series of rapid nucleic acid detection kits for pathogenic microorganisms.” This transaction involves 13 patents and related proprietary technologies, which are licensed exclusively to an industrial company for implementation, with a total value reaching RMB 117 million.

Over the past five years, Southeast University has achieved a total contract value of RMB 7.687 billion in the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements, including technology development, transfer, consultation, and services. Collaborative commercialization within Jiangsu Province accounted for 65% of the university’s total commercialization value. The university supported Jiangsu-based enterprises in securing 278 provincial major achievement commercialization projects, with approved funding amounting to RMB 2.361 billion, ranking first in the province in terms of collaborative funding. The Ministry of Education also highlighted and commended Southeast University’s efforts in the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements in Issue No. 54 (2024) of the “Ministry of Education Briefing,” outlining nine key experiences from the university’s work in this area:

Data show that in 2022, 1,524 higher education institutions across China, including Southeast University, achieved remarkable results in the commercialization of scientific and technological achievements. Through various channels such as assignment, licensing, equity investment based on valuation, as well as technology development, consulting, and services, these universities signed a total of 282,468 contracts for the transfer of scientific and technological achievements, with a total contract value reaching RMB 117.57 billion, representing a 7.4% increase from the previous year.

Behind the simple phrase “translation of scientific and technological achievements” lies the collective wisdom and hard work of countless university researchers in China over many years. It serves as a key metric for measuring a university’s social contribution and research output, and is a direct source of China’s ability to overcome critical bottlenecks across various fields. As a leading institution in engineering, Southeast University ranks among the top in terms of the monetary value of its translated achievements. This accomplishment reflects the vivid process by which numerous scientific and technological advances move from the laboratory to the market, and from theory to practice, offering a clear demonstration of the continuous enhancement of research and innovation capabilities in Chinese universities.

References:
1. "Current Status, Future Prospects, and Introduction to Relevant Animal Models of Stroke Prevention and Treatment"

2. “Exclusive Interview with Yao Honghong on circRNA: Translation and Prospects of Research Findings on Exosome-Delivered circRNA for Stroke Treatment”

3. “Top 30 Rankings of University Technology Transfer in the Past Five Years: Tsinghua, Zhejiang, and Jiaotong Take the Top Three; Southeast University and Sichuan University Enter the Top Five!”