Bonetec Biotech: Pioneering Bone-Growth-Guided Invisible Orthodontics Revolution

As the premier benchmark competition in the Asia-Pacific region dedicated to digital dental innovation,The First Digital Dentistry Innovation ChallengeBringing together cutting-edge innovative forces from the industry. Under the guidance of the Rizhao Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China and the Rizhao Municipal People’s Government, and with meticulous planning by the Administrative Committee of Rizhao High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, the competition has invited authoritative experts—including academicians of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, leading universities, top-tier Grade A tertiary hospitals, and prominent investment institutions—to form a professional judging panel, garnering widespread attention from all sectors of the industry.

After rigorous screening and strict evaluation, 26 high-potential, innovative projects have emerged as finalists. These selected projects not only highlight the vitality and promising prospects of the digital dentistry industry but also represent the cutting-edge innovation strategies within China’s digital dentistry sector. In the coming days, we will sequentially showcase these outstanding entrepreneurial ventures and innovative teams, helping you stay attuned to the pulse of industry innovation.

Text | Haodeya

Current Issue: Born Biologics

*The following content is excerpted from project pitch materials

In the blue ocean of technological innovation in oral healthcare, Xi’an Born Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Born Biotech”) stands out with its unique"Bone Development-Guided 3D-Printed Clear Aligner" StrategyPioneering a Path of Differentiated Development. Professor Wang Yan’en, the company’s founder and one of Stanford University’s top 2% scientists globally, has seamlessly integrated theories of intelligent manufacturing with biomanufacturing technologies, laying a solid academic foundation for the company. Dr. Zhang Chi, the General Manager, has dedicated ten years to the field of bio-additive manufacturing, leading his team to establish a comprehensive system for technological innovation.

According to available data, Born Biotech has filed more than 50 patent applications (with 35 granted) and registered 12 software copyrights. Since 2017, the company has taken the lead in undertaking 13 national- and provincial/ministerial-level key R&D programs, of which 12 projects have been completed and accepted on schedule, resulting in a core technology portfolio with independent intellectual property rights. Furthermore, the company has obtained five medical device product registration certificates issued by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA), as well as ISO 9000 and ISO 13485 quality management system certifications. The technological level of its projects has been appraised by the Scientific and Technological Achievement Evaluation Committee as reaching an internationally advanced level.

Born Bio believes that,Despite the commercialization of clear aligner technology, technical bottlenecks persist in this complex, multidisciplinary system, particularly in predicting soft tissue movement, defining safe boundaries for tooth displacement, and addressing the deformation and adaptability of biomaterials.To this end, the company has built a comprehensive “innovation matrix.” By leveraging its proprietary additive manufacturing technology for porous biological scaffolds, it achieves precise control over material porosity structure, effectively enhancing nerve and vascular ingrowth and creating an ideal environment for bone tissue regeneration. Subsequently, the team ingeniously applied thermal effect theories from the aerospace sector to the development of clear aligners, achieving a breakthrough in differential thickness control across different regions within a single aligner, thereby opening new avenues for precise mechanical expression.

According to the data, the company has developed an intelligent orthodontic system based on six major biological features: dental arch curve characteristics, gingival contour features, gingival papilla morphology, Curve of Spee characteristics, biomechanical properties, and jaw development potential. By leveraging an optimal feature point extraction algorithm derived from assessments of bone development capacity, this system effectively customizes the best treatment plan for each patient.

Notably, Born Bio’s intelligent orthodontic system has achieved several key breakthroughs. First, by integrating big data cloud computing technology with an artificial intelligence knowledge system, it has realized an intelligent upgrade in the tooth arrangement design process, enabling general dentists to produce high-quality tooth arrangement designs. Second, its AI-based bone density analysis function can formulate optimal treatment steps based on individual patient characteristics, effectively preventing alveolar bone fenestration. Third, it has groundbreaking achieved collaborative operation capabilities between mobile and PC platforms, becoming the first system in the industry to support real-time tooth arrangement analysis and interaction. Furthermore, the system has developed a specialized smile aesthetics assessment module tailored to the facial features of East Asian populations, providing patients with a more comprehensive evaluation of treatment outcomes.

Furthermore, in terms of production system construction, Born Biotech possesses a 1,500-square-meter modern GMP-compliant production workshop. Through a dedicated investment of RMB 16 million, the company has equipped three digital dental product production lines and one specialized orthopedic product production line, establishing a large-scale production capacity of 20,000 implantable devices per year. By leveraging its automated production technology, Born Biotech has achieved an 80% reduction in production cycle time and a 50% increase in raw material utilization efficiency.

In terms of market layout, Born Biotech has implemented a "dual-core radiating" development framework, establishing a collaborative system with strategic anchors in Xi’an for R&D and operations and in Zhejiang for intelligent manufacturing. Leveraging the research aggregation advantages of the Xi’an Research Center and the scaled manufacturing capabilities of the Zhejiang Production Center, the company plans to use its latest round of financing to build a new base in Rizhao, thereby further expanding into the East and North China markets.

At the critical juncture where biomanufacturing converges with intelligent manufacturing, Born Biotech is carving out a unique development path in the arena of orthodontic medical technology innovation, leveraging its profound technical expertise, comprehensive product portfolio, and clear market strategy.

As the dental industry races to optimize production speed and costs, we may need to ask a more profound question: At the intersection of intelligent manufacturing and the irreversible growth of biological organisms, is medical technology prepared to develop “time-dimension” solutions for each unique life system? This may not only be the ultimate challenge for clear aligner orthodontics but also a technological-philosophical inquiry that must be confronted in the era of regenerative medicine.