Respecting Intellectual Property in Ceramide Testing to Advance Cardiovascular Health

Dear cardiovascular experts and industry colleagues:

Finnish company Zora Biosciences Oy (hereinafter referred to as “Zora”) and Shenzhen Institute of Life and Health Medicine Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Pinsheng Medical”) jointly issued this initiative today,This initiative aims to enhance awareness of intellectual property protection for the application of ceramides in the field of cardiovascular diseases within the industry, while promoting fair competition and mutually beneficial cooperation, thereby enabling this innovative technology to better serve the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases in China.

For over a decade, Zora has been dedicated to the research, development, and translational application of ceramides in the field of cardiovascular disease. The company maintains long-term, close collaborations with internationally renowned medical and research institutions, including the Finnish Cardiovascular Center, the European Society of Cardiology, and the Mayo Clinic in the United States. A series of its research findings have been published in authoritative journals such as the *European Heart Journal* and *Circulation*, garnering widespread recognition and high citation rates within the industry.Zora holds a series of global patents for the application of ceramides in cardiovascular disease detection, including Patent No. ZL201580031908.1, and has built a global database of nearly 100,000 individuals alongside iteratively refined algorithms, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of this detection technology.In the United States, this technology has been licensed for commercial use to renowned medical institutions such as the Mayo Clinic and third-party testing giant Quest Diagnostics, and has been integrated into the U.S. commercial insurance system. In Finland, Europe, the test has been included in the national reimbursement list, and numerous private and public hospitals have already implemented it.

As a domestic innovator in clinical mass spectrometry technology, Pinsheng Medical has focused on the precision diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases since its establishment. As early as 2016, it collaborated with institutions such as Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University in Shanghai to conduct multi-center cohort studies based on Chinese population data, investigating ceramides as indicators of cardiovascular disease risk. In China, West China Hospital of Sichuan University and Fuwai Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences have also successively conducted cohort studies on ceramides, confirming their utility for the Chinese population.As Zora’s exclusive partner in Greater China, Pinsheng Medical has obtained commercialization rights to Zora’s related patents and data, and is committed to applying ceramide testing technology to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of cardiovascular diseases in China, providing patients with more solutions.

We have noted that some Chinese companies have used Zora’s patented technologies and published data on ceramides in the cardiovascular field for commercial purposes without authorization,This has infringed upon Zora's patent rights and undermined the healthy development of the entire industry; furthermore, these commercial applications lack support from databases and algorithms, failing to provide authentic and accurate results, and are therefore incapable of guiding the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.To this end, we hereby solemnly declare:

We call on all enterprises to respect intellectual property rights and refrain from the unauthorized use of Zora’s data and patented technologies; we encourage businesses and research institutions within the industry to collaborate with Zora and Shenzhen Institute of Life and Health Medicine Co., Ltd. to jointly promote the development and application of ceramide detection technologies; we will take necessary measures to protect our intellectual property rights and reserve the right to pursue legal liability against any infringing activities.

We believe that by respecting and protecting intellectual property rights, adhering to laws and regulations, and acknowledging the hard work and pioneering research achievements of scientists, we can foster cooperation and exchange within the industry, build a benign ecosystem for win-win development, and jointly contribute to the diagnosis and treatment of clinical mass spectrometry and cardiovascular diseases. As stated in the March 2023 cover story of Science magazine on ceramides and Zora Biosciences, “Lipids called ceramides may be better predictors of cardiovascular problems than cholesterol. Doctors and pharma are waking up to their potential”—indicating that ceramides may be superior to cholesterol in predicting cardiovascular diseases, a finding worthy of attention from experts and the industry. We look forward to collaborating with all dedicated experts and colleagues to create a brighter future for the health industry.

If you are interested in collaboration or have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the following channels:

Contact: 4001816200 Email: Derek.Qin@qlife-lab.com

Zora Biosciences Oy Shenzhen Institute of Life and Health Medicine Co., Ltd.

September 11, 2024