OnAugust8,2017,thecompany’sartificialskinproductswereapprovedbytheChinaFoodandDrugAdministration,andtheyarenowwidelyusedinclinicalmedicine.
In2008,LiuWeiqiang,vicepresidentoftheResearchInstituteofTsinghuaUniversityinShenzhen,appointedSheZhendingdirectoroftheinstitute’sBiomaterialsLaboratory.
AnativeofHubeiProvince,SheZhendingwasadmittedtoTsinghuaUniversityin2000,wherehemajoredinmaterialsscienceandengineering.Hewasrecommendedforadoctoralprogramupongraduation,whichhecompletedin2009.
AftercompletingaresidencyattheGeneralHospitaloftheChinesePeople’sLiberationArmy,Shestayedatthehospitalforthreeyears,whichenabledhimtogetacquaintedwithalmosteverythingrelatedtohospitaloperations.
Then,hestartedthinkingaboutlaunchinghisownbusinesstodevelophigh-endmedicalbiomaterialstoboostChineseproductswhichlaggedbehindintheinternationalmarket.
WhentheShenzhen-basedResearchInstituteofTsinghuaUniversityapprovedhisidea,She’sonlyconcernwaswhetherhecouldlaunchtheprojectonhisown.
“Wecanhelpwithpersonnelandlabs,”LiuWeiqiangdeclared.She’sworriesmeltedaway.HearrivedinShenzhen,whereheteamedupwithseveralschoolmateswhoalsoholdPh.D.degreesandindustrialspecialistsindifferentfields.
“Aftergraduation,allIcouldthinkaboutwasstartingabusiness,”Sherecalls.“Ihadnointerestinworkingforacompany.Iwantedtostartmyownbusiness,andIwantedtoleadthesectorofmyfocus.”
In2010,SheZhendingandhisteambegantoconductsurveysanddeterminetheresearchprojectstowhichtheywereabouttobecommitted.“Wetargetedontwokinds:projectsthatareunprecedentedinChina,andthosewithhugemarketpotential,bothofwhichhadtobecutting-edgeinternationally.”
Theysoondiscovered“artificialdermis.”Alsoknownasartificialskin,itisthematerialthatguidestheorderlyregenerationandreconstructionoftheskin.Therawmaterialsareofanimalorigin,whicharecurrentlyextractsfrombovineAchillestendonsandpigcartilage.
Theconceptmayseemsimpleintheory,butinvolvesawidearrayofscientificrealmsincludingbiology,chemistry,macromolecules,materials,immunity,cytology,medicineandstatisticstoperfectlymatchtissuesbetweenanimalsandhumans.
Moreimportantly,theteamhadtoaddressdifficultiesrelatedtoimmunityanddegradation,therateofwhichmustmatchtheregenerationofdermaltissue,andthestudycyclescouldbeverylong.
Whentheirfirstproductwassentforclinicaltrials,Sheandhisteamwereverynervous.Buttheywereoverjoyedbytheresults,whichhelpedthemattractinvestmentof10millionyuan(US$1.54million),followedbyanother60millionyuan(US$9.27million)veryquickly.
Atthattime,severalotherteamsinChinahadalreadyconductedresearchinthisfieldformorethan10years,butShe’steamquicklyovertookthemthroughfulluseoftheiroutstandingcapacityandleveragingvarioussupportingpoliciesfromthelocalgovernment.
Regenerativemedicinereferstothepromotionofself-repairandregenerationthroughtheprincipleandmethodologyoflifescience,materialsscience,clinicalmedicine,computerscience,andengineering.
Landospecializesintissueregeneration.Thekeytoitsartificialdermistechnologyistheinductionoforderlydermalregrowthandtheinhibitionofscarringorcontractingthroughthedermalmatrixtemplate.
“Theartificialdermisweproducehasathree-dimensionalporousstructure,”notesShe.“Aboutaweekaftertransplantation,capillariesinthebaseandperipheryoftherecipientbedsoongrowintothedermis.Aftertwotothreeweeks,thestentisfullyvascularizedandthethinautologousepidermistransplanted,completingthewoundclosurewithminimalinvasionatthedonorsite.Subsequently,thescaffoldinducesorderlyregenerationofthedermisandprogressivelydegrades.”
AccordingtoShe,thebiggestobstacletorecoveryfromadeepburnisthescar.Scarrepairatthejoints,armpitsandothermovingpartsofthelimbscaneffectivelyimprovethepatient’squalityoflife,andarestoredappearanceistheonlywaytofullyhealaburnvictim.
AhandfulofcountriessuchastheUnitedStateshaveledtheworldinartificialdermistechnology,whichremainsquiteexpensive.TheartificialdermisproducedbyLando,however,isstartingtodominatethemarketduetoitslowerpriceandbetterclinicalresultsthanimportedproducts.Today,thecompany’sproductsareusedextensivelyintopnotchhospitalsthroughoutChina.
ShenzhenLandoBiomaterialsCo.,Ltd.islocatedintheGuangmingNewDistrict.“Weenjoyfavorableconditionsforbusinessandaccommodationswithwell-equippedfacilities,whichhavesavedalotofcommutingandmadeouremployeeshappy,”saysShe.
Landoisaveryyoungteamwithanaverageageintheearly20s,similartomanystartupsinShenzhen.
Thecity’spoliciesforindustrialincubationandtechnologicaltalent,aswellasitsinclusivebusinessenvironment,haveattractedmanyyoungandpromisingentrepreneurs.
“Shenzhenhasjumpedaheadinpreferentialpoliciesforhigh-levelentrepreneurs,”saysShe.“Eachstepoftheventureissupportedwithmulti-layeredandcomprehensiveauxiliarypolicies.Shenzhen’sentrepreneurialenvironmentisverymature,andmanypeopleareeagertostartbusinessinthecity,whereentrepreneurshipisthefocus.”
“Inhindsight,it’sclearthatShenzhenwastherightchoice,”assertsShe.“ItwasalsorighttoinsistondoingwhatIlike.”
Thisyearmarksthe10thanniversaryofSheZhending’sarrivalinShenzhen,whichisnowhishome.In2017,asoneofthe17grassrootsPartyrepresentativesfromShenzhen,hewashonoredtoattendthe12thPartyCongressofGuangdongProvinceandbecameoneofthefirstprovincialPartyrepresentativesfromtheGuangmingNewDistrictoverthepastdecadesinceitsestablishment.SheZhending(middle)andhiscolleagues.Landoisaveryyoungteamwithanaverageagethatisbarelyover20,atrendseeninmanystartupcompaniesinShenzhen.byChenJian