Innovation in Biomaterials: From Technological Breakthroughs to Ecosystem Collaboration – Roundtable Session VIII

In the past decade, the medical device track represented by orthopedic repair, interventional devices, and tissue engineering has experienced rapid expansion, driven by the segmentation of clinical needs and the continuous improvement of the regulatory system.Let biomaterials evolve from a behind-the-scenes supporting role to a core variable that determines the direction of innovation.The continuous promotion at the policy level has also created a clear development window for innovation in biomaterials for medical use. Documents such as the "14th Five-Year Plan for the Pharmaceutical Industry" and the "High-Quality Development Action Plan for the Medical Equipment Industry (2023-2025)" all list medical equipment and key foundational materials as key areas of support.

Against this backdrop, the eighth edition of the "China Innovative Medical Assets Living Room" Trading Roundtable, co-hosted by VCBeat and Weijie Medicine, with the theme of "Technological Innovation and Ecological Synergy in Biomedical Materials" as the core topic for in-depth dialogue. Wang Qun, Investment Director of Jin Yu Maowu Capital, joined hands with Yang Xi, Co-founder & CEO of Novaprint Therapeutics, Li Dan, General Manager of Jiangsu Biosurf Biotech, and Sun Yang, Founder & CEO & Chief Technology Officer of Corliber, three industry leaders, to discuss fromFrom Technological Breakthroughs, Ecosystem Synergy to Global LayoutShare practical experience and industry insights from multiple dimensions, offering the industry a value perspective that combines depth with operational feasibility.

While the industry generally focuses on innovations in device forms and extensions of clinical scenarios, the four guests in this discussion coincidentally mentioned one trend:The focus of competition in the medical device industry is shifting from structural innovation and design innovation to fundamental innovation at the material level.Whether it is biodegradable bone repair materials, interventional device coatings, or tissue regeneration scaffolds, the molecular structure, mechanical properties, degradation pathways, interface behaviors, and molding processes of materials are becoming key factors that determine the technical limits of products.

Against this backdrop, the path of material innovation has gradually converged into three main threads:Raw Material Control, Engineering Processes, and Clinical Adaptation.Sun Yang, founder of Corliber, mentioned that if a company only relies on standardized materials available on the market, it will be difficult to achieve true innovative breakthroughs in core technologies. By building its own polylactic acid synthesis system, Corliber has achieved performance controllability from the source. The "Nüwa Stone" artificial bone was designed under this system to address surgical pain points such as being malleable and resistant to dispersion.

In the field of interventional devices, where mass production consistency is extremely critical, the key to innovation lies in the synergy between processes and equipment. By deeply integrating coating materials with automated equipment, Biosurf Biotech has addressed the widespread industry issue of unstable mass production, ensuring consistent material performance during scaled manufacturing. This platform capability also enables its technology to be reused across multiple healthcare scenarios, highlighting the amplifying effect of engineering systems on innovation.

In the field of tissue repair, Yang Xi, CEO of Novaprint Therapeutics, proposed that innovation in regenerative medical materials should be driven by clinical scenarios rather than being confined to laboratory performance. Novaprint Therapeutics utilizes bio-3D printing to precisely design the three-dimensional structure and properties of materials, proactively adapting to the biological laws of human tissue regeneration. The company also collaborates with clinical institutions to establish joint laboratories, creating a mapping system from demand to parameters.R&D is more aligned with real-world usage scenarios。

Material innovation has shifted from single-point technological breakthroughs to a system capability composed of raw materials, processes, and clinical applications.Only when materials can be precisely designed and stably implemented within engineering systems can innovation be applied across multiple fields, forming a sustainable competitive advantage.

Breakthroughs in material innovation can only reach clinical application when embedded in a complete industrial chain collaboration system. The R&D of biomedical materials spans multiple stages, including raw material synthesis, engineering processes, mass production consistency, clinical validation, and registration communication. Any gap in these stages may leave the technology stuck in the laboratory. Therefore,Establish a cross-enterprise, cross-institution collaboration system, which is considered a core prerequisite for driving materials towards instrumentalization and productization.

The core value of collaboration is reflected in the diversified implementation of cooperation models.The guests generally mentioned that material companies and downstream device companies jointly define key parameters. Material companies provide process support or paid technical services, and upstream and downstream companies achieve long-term stable cooperation through supply chain binding, or jointly build verification platforms with medical colleges and hospitals. These mechanisms allow the industry to gradually move from isolated single-point development to an innovation community that co-researches, co-tests, and co-iterates, enabling material technology to be reused across products and migrated across scenarios.

In addition, in the collaborative system, the trust mechanism is the premise of all cooperation.As an upstream enterprise that possesses a large amount of customer product information and even process information, Jiangsu Biosurf Biotech Co.,LTD has established a strict information confidentiality system. It does not disclose customer lists externally and has set up a rigorous internal customer information isolation mechanism to ensure the technical information security of its partners remains controllable. This long-term trust has enabled it to continuously accompany customers in iterating products across multiple directions while accumulating extensive engineering experience.

Different enterprises also have different focuses on the boundaries and openness of collaboration.Corliber supports customers in adjusting material properties according to their needs when supplying polylactic acid raw materials, while keeping the core technology confidential to avoid direct competition. In areas such as medical aesthetics and sports medicine, it advances commercialization through licensing or supply models, allowing companies with channel access or registration capabilities to promote commercialization, enabling itself to focus on material systems and upstream capability development.

Novaprint Therapeutics Suzhou Co., Ltd. also has its own practical logic in collaborative cooperation: on the one hand, it builds joint laboratories with clinical institutions such as Shanghai Ruijin Hospital to support cutting-edge research while obtaining clinical needs; on the other hand, it conducts horizontal cooperation with universities to tackle technical challenges such as material formulation and molding processes, improving innovation efficiency through technology reuse. Yang Xi believes,The innovation chain of biomedical materials is long, and it is difficult for enterprises to implement it alone. It is necessary to打通全链条 through cross-entity collaboration., forming a collaborative ecosystem where "some engage in innovation, some provide services, and some focus on production and manufacturing."

Capital also plays a key role in the construction of the ecosystem. Wang Qun, Investment Director of Jinyu Maowu Capital, pointed out,Capital Pays More Attention to Material Enterprises with "Composite Capabilities", which can simultaneously demonstrate the multi-dimensional advantages of the raw material system, process engineering, mass production verification, and intellectual property accumulation. Through Proof of Concept (POC) investment, resource collaboration, and the implementation of demonstration applications, capital providers can help projects bridge the critical phase from feasibility to usability, accelerating the technology's entry into real-world scenarios.

Overall, the innovation of biomedical materials is moving from self-breakthrough by enterprises to the construction of an ecosystem through cross-entity collaboration.The more raw materials, equipment R&D, supply chain, clinical trials, and capital can form a closed loop, the easier it is for innovation to be validated and scaled., the more stable and continuous growth momentum it can provide for the industry.

In the field of biomaterials for medical applications, innovation is a systematic project that must advance in parallel with the regulatory framework.Building a clear evaluation system has become a key prerequisite for promoting the transition of materials from the laboratory to productization.

Standardization is not a constraint, but rather the "common language" of innovation. Yang Xi believes that standards are the key support for the implementation of innovative technologies, especially for personalized innovative products like 3D printing. A clear evaluation system can reduce the uncertainties in research and development and registration, making innovation more systematic.

General Manager Li Dan of Biosurf mentioned that coating materials are key raw materials for most devices, and their performance largely determines the safety of the device. Without a scientific and unified evaluation system, it is difficult for reviewers and regulators to make reasonable judgments on product safety, which in turn affects the smooth market entry of products. Additionally, with a scientific and unified evaluation standard, it is easier for companies, hospitals, and regulators to maintain a consistent understanding of material performance, facilitating collaboration. It also makes it easier to compare different products within the same framework, allowing the strengths and weaknesses of products to be more apparent, thereby promoting innovation and upgrading of products.

In terms of industry standardization, the practices of Jiangsu Biosurf Biotech Co.,LTD are exemplary. The company has led the development of China's first industry standards for hydrophilic coatings for intravascular interventional devices, as well as related standards for anti-bacterial adhesion coatings and anti-thrombogenic coatings, filling the long-standing gap in unified evaluation methods for medical coating materials. Li Dan stated that these standards are derived from the team's long-term accumulated fundamental theoretical research on material surface interfaces, providing medical device companies with clear guidelines for material selection and regulatory communication pathways, thereby facilitating more efficient clinical entry for innovative products.

In the global market advancement, material enterprises still need to face multiple regulatory systems.Corliber's shared experience in registration in China and the US shows that: the FDA pays more attention to the scientific nature of materials, such as molecular structure, degradation mechanism, and consistency of key performance; while the NMPA, while emphasizing scientificity, places greater importance on the overall safety of the product and its compatibility with indications. To address these differences, the company conducts full-process verification according to internationally recognized high standards, ensuring consistency of its products in multi-country registrations.

Globalization also needs to be adapted to local conditions.Sun Yang, founder of Corliber, mentioned that the company adopts a premium pricing strategy in developed countries to match the local recognition of innovative materials; while in emerging markets such as Southeast Asia, it leverages cost and channel advantages to increase coverage. "Going global is not about avoiding competition, but about verifying the adaptability of products across different systems."

Biomaterials for medical use are entering a new phase where "quality improvement" is replacing "quantity expansion." The growth path that previously relied on rapid imitation and price competition has gradually become ineffective, and the industry is starting to focus on building systemic capabilities.Materials Science, Engineering Platform, Standardized Verification, and Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration, will become the key variable in determining whether enterprises can navigate through the cycle.

Trend 1: The logic of competition shifts from single-point technology to systemic capability.

The root cause of industry involution lies in low entry barriers and the easy replicability of technology. Sun Yang, founder of Corliber, emphasized, "There are no shortcuts to material innovation; it relies on systematic capabilities rather than a single point-like technology." Enterprises that can truly establish themselves in the long term need to build compound barriers covering material systems, synthesis pathways, process engineering, clinical validation, and standardization, driving industry competition to shift from singular technological breakthroughs to an overall contest of foundational technologies and engineering systems.

The key to breaking the involution lies in adopting a long-term orientation to build an original material system and differentiated process routes — Corliber's practice in the medical aesthetics material field serves as evidence. By independently developing a core system to redefine product performance, it has ultimately carved out a unique development path in a highly competitive track.

Trend 2: Value judgment shifts from technical novelty to clinical effectiveness

As mentioned earlier,The ultimate value of material innovation is determined by clinical practice.——Whether it can improve the operational experience during surgery, reduce the risk of complications, and enhance healing outcomes is the core criterion for determining whether a technology can enter the market. As the demands of medical scenarios continue to become more refined, material companies must directly align with real clinical processes, treating operability, stability, and repeatability as design starting points rather than relying on post-hoc remedies.

Yang Xi, Co-founder & CEO of Novaprint Therapeutics, believes that the ultimate value of material innovation must be validated by clinical effectiveness—whether it can address the operational pain points of doctors, reduce the risk of complications for patients, and improve healing outcomes is the core foundation for a product's success.

And Novaprint's practice has always revolved aroundClinical Needs-Driven R&DExpansion: Through bio-3D printing technology, the three-dimensional structure and porosity characteristics of materials are precisely designed to proactively adapt to the biological laws of human tissue regeneration; by co-building laboratories with clinical institutions, a mapping system from needs to parameters is established, directly converting core demands such as operational convenience and regeneration efficiency fed back by doctors into optimization indicators for material formulation and molding processes.

Trend 3: The division of labor model shifts from "large and comprehensive" to specialized collaboration.

"The 'large and comprehensive' model can no longer balance efficiency and quality."Specialized division and collaborative coexistence become inevitable trends.Li Dan, General Manager of Jiangsu Biosurf Biotech Co.,LTD, pointed out that material enterprises and device enterprises need to base their operations on long-term collaboration. Through supply chain coordination, technical alignment, and standard system unification, they can jointly enhance product stability and clinical compatibility. In this division of labor model, material innovation is no longer limited to scientific breakthroughs but runs through the entire closed-loop process of "material definition - process system - standard construction - clinical validation - application implementation." Enterprises form specialized advantages in niche areas through in-depth cultivation, accelerating the scaled transformation of innovative achievements.

In the next three to five years, material technology will play a key role in industrial upgrading. Who can...Material Design, Engineering Systems and Ecological SynergyWhoever can establish a true closed loop between these elements will occupy a core position in the new round of landscape reshaping. From material design to scenario implementation, from engineering systems to collaborative networks, the biomedical materials industry is ushering in a completely new growth window of capability iteration and landscape optimization.