SUSTech Licenses Four Hemostatic Material Patents for RMB 1.5 Million to JiYin Biopharma

Recently, Southern University of Science and Technology issued a public notice proposing to transfer four invention patents, including “PEG Powder with Rapid Cross-linking and Degradation Properties and Its Applications,” via cash transaction, with a total transaction amount of RMB 1.5 million.

All four patents transferred in this transaction are research outcomes of Professor Wu Decheng’s team at Southern University of Science and Technology. Professor Wu is a Chair Professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Southern University of Science and Technology, with a primary focus on the design and synthesis of biocompatible and biodegradable materials, as well as their applications in hemostatic and wound-care medical dressings, high-performance medical consumables, drug delivery carriers, and tissue engineering.

To date, Wu Decheng has established close collaborations with several renowned domestic hospitals, including the Chinese PLA General Hospital, Peking University Third Hospital, and the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-sen University. He has published more than 140 SCI-indexed papers and been granted 34 invention patents in China and abroad.

The other party to the transaction, Jiyin Biomedical Industry Development (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd., is affiliated with the Jiyin Institute for Biomedical Translation. The institute primarily focuses on two major areas: anti-severe infectious diseases and oncology. With a focus on translating scientific achievements into practical applications, it aims to build a biomedical research platform oriented toward application and industrialization, attracting top-tier overseas Chinese scientists to return to China for entrepreneurial ventures.

The four patented achievements involved in the transaction between Jiyin Biotech and Southern University of Science and Technology are all related to absorbable hemostatic materials.

Hemorrhage is one of the most common clinical manifestations following trauma, and uncontrolled bleeding is also a leading cause of death among many injured patients. In surgical procedures involving the cardiovascular system, liver, and orthopedics, extensive hemorrhage and oozing are challenging problems frequently encountered by surgeons; if bleeding worsens, it poses a risk of surgical failure.

Therefore, achieving efficient hemostasis has long been a focal point in the fields of trauma and surgical care, thereby driving the rapid advancement of hemostatic materials.

On one hand, from a market perspective, global sales of absorbable hemostatic materials reached RMB 21.9 billion in 2021. The scale of China’s absorbable hemostatic materials market has followed a similar trend to the global market, but its growth rate has generally been higher than that of the global market. LeadLeo Research Institute predicts that by 2026, the global hemostatic materials market will reach RMB 32 billion, while China’s hemostatic materials market may reach RMB 5.1 billion.

Meanwhile, several competitive enterprises have emerged in China. For instance, in the hemostatic gauze segment, Chinese companies such as Beijing Teksman, Yunnan Dehua Bio, and Jiangsu Novaly have entered the market alongside Johnson & Johnson. In the hemostatic powder segment, Chinese firms represented by Hangzhou Union Medical and Jiangsu Deweilan have also emerged. As for the collagen segment, Trauer Biotech has become a well-known domestic enterprise.

On the other hand, from the perspective of material development, since the advent of traditional gauze in 1960 marked the nascent stage of hemostatic materials, the field has progressed beyond the phase represented by traditional agents such as gauze and entered the era of absorbable biological hemostatic materials. This evolution has further given rise to specialized market segments, including gelatin sponges, hemostatic powders, and fluid gelatin.

Among the four patents proposed for transaction by Southern University of Science and Technology, those related to the preparation methods and applications of hemostatic powder and hemostatic gel are involved.

Hemostatic powders have garnered significant attention due to their ability to manage substantial blood flow and provide complete coverage over wounds. However, the gel-like matrix formed by these powders exhibits low mechanical strength, making it prone to fragmentation under the impact of blood flow at the wound site. Furthermore, as hemostatic powders lack any interactive adhesion with the surrounding tissue, they require additional specialized fixation methods prior to application, which consequently compromises their ease of use.

One of the patents involved in this transaction by Southern Medical University, “Rapidly Cross-linkable and Degradable PEG Powder and Its Applications,” addresses the aforementioned issues by forming a composite hemostatic powder that enhances mechanical strength and interaction with wound tissue.

Specifically, the composite hemostatic powder developed through this patent is composed of a mixture of polyethylene glycol derivatives and commercially available hemostatic powders. Upon contact with blood, the polyethylene glycol derivatives form chemical bonds to create a gel, thereby enhancing the mechanical strength of the hemostatic powder and its interaction with wound tissue.

Furthermore, compared with commercially available hemostatic powders, this composite hemostatic powder offers four major advantages: First, it achieves faster hemostasis by rapidly absorbing blood at the wound site, concentrating coagulation factors and blood cells, and quickly activating endogenous coagulation;

Second, it can interact closely with tissues to form a physical barrier that prevents blood loss without requiring additional methods for fixation;

Third, the degradation time is adjustable, meeting the hemostatic needs of wounds at different anatomical sites and of varying severity. According to the patent specification, the composite hemostatic powder developed under this patent can degrade rapidly in simulated body fluid environments as well as in vivo, with a degradation period ranging from 1 hour to 10 days, preferably 3–7 days.

Fourth, the composite hemostatic powder exhibits good biocompatibility.

It is reported that the composite hemostatic powder produced by this invention has broad application prospects in medical sponges, epidermal hemostatic sealants, and visceral hemostatic sealants.

Meanwhile, in response to the two major shortcomings of the hemostatic powder mentioned earlier, another patent involved in this transaction—“A Controllably Cross-linked and Degradable Synthetic Material and Its Applications”—provides an alternative composite hemostatic system.

Specifically, by screening tens of thousands of molecules derivable from polyoxyethylene-polyoxypropylene block copolymers, polyacrylic acid, and polyethylene glycol derivatives, the patent ultimately identified two synthetic molecules that can form a controllably cross-linkable and degradable synthetic material-based hydrogel.

The reason it is termed a composite hemostatic system is that, in cases of massive hemorrhage, hemostatic powder must first be applied to absorb water, followed by the application of a gel. This approach overcomes the limitations of hemostatic powder, which has insufficient mechanical strength and is easily washed away, as well as the limitation of gels, which have inadequate water absorption capacity during massive bleeding.

Meanwhile, as the gel can isolate the wound from surrounding tissues, it prevents tissue adhesion. Furthermore, its high mechanical strength meets the requirements for compression hemostasis.

Furthermore, the gel is capable of degrading in a simulated body fluid environment, with a degradation period ranging from 1 hour to 1 month. Moreover, similar to the composite hemostatic powder formed by “Rapidly Cross-linking and Degrading PEG Powder and Its Applications,” the degradation time of the composite hemostatic system developed under this patent can also be regulated to meet the hemostatic needs of wounds at different anatomical sites and of varying severities, while also demonstrating good biocompatibility.

As for the “Hemostatic Sponge and Its Preparation Method” involved in this transaction, it addresses issues such as poor expansibility, low compressive strength, complex preparation methods, and limited material choices associated with existing hemostatic sponges. The hemostatic sponge prepared based on this patent features simple raw materials and high biocompatibility. The chitosan contained therein can adsorb red blood cells to trigger endogenous coagulation and rapidly expand upon water absorption, thereby reducing the time required for wound hemostasis. Furthermore, the hemostatic sponge produced by this invention exhibits high mechanical strength, thus meeting the requirements for compression hemostasis.

As hemostatic sponges and powders continue to be optimized and improved, a new trend has emerged in the development of hemostatic materials: a shift toward fluid-based hemostatic agents.

In the market for fluid hemostatic agents, Johnson & Johnson remains the “leader.” As previously reported by VCBeat, Johnson & Johnson’s Surgiflo fluid hemostat can be injected via minimally invasive catheters, facilitating coverage of bleeding wound surfaces. In cases of minor bleeding, the product can provide a degree of physical barrier or sealing at the bleeding site and is biodegradable and absorbable, thereby earning a certain level of clinical recognition. Additional reports indicate that annual sales of Johnson & Johnson’s fluid gelatin products have exceeded RMB 100 million.

Meanwhile, a cohort of Chinese companies is also striving to keep pace, intensifying their efforts in the market for fluid-type hemostatic materials. For instance, Huanuo Biotech previously announced interim clinical trial data for its independently developed absorbable hemostatic gel. This product is not only fully absorbable and degradable in vivo but also demonstrates superior hemostatic efficacy compared to Johnson & Johnson’s fluid hemostatic products. Clinical trial data revealed that the average hemostasis times for Huanuo Biotech’s product in gynecological, orthopedic, and general surgical procedures were 42.5 seconds, 30.5 seconds, and 33.2 seconds, respectively, all of which were shorter than those achieved with Johnson & Johnson’s product.

In 2023, Born Real secured the first Class III registration certificate for a domestically produced “absorbable hemostatic fluid gelatin,” breaking the nine-year monopoly held by imported brands in the fluid gelatin hemostasis market. Specifically, the product’s mechanism of action is based on the body’s natural coagulation cascade. Its fluid form enables rapid distribution around bleeding sites, ensuring thorough contact with irregular wound surfaces. This overcomes the application limitations of solid hemostatic materials such as gauze, sponges, and powders, allowing for effective hemostasis in deep wounds, narrow spaces, and tiny cavities where solid materials are difficult to apply.

From hemostatic sponges to hemostatic powders, and further to fluid-based hemostatic products, Chinese enterprises have made frequent appearances in the high-end hemostatic materials market. Each product that secures regulatory approval and enters the market serves as an encouragement to the industry. This is a cause for celebration.

However, we must also take note of a prevailing phenomenon: most domestic enterprises currently exhibit significant deficiencies in both technological depth and product breadth. In the current landscape of intense market competition, technology remains the “key to success.”