Beike is a bio-technology company that was founded with capital from Beijing University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and Shenzhen City Hall. It is also supported with funds from the China State National Fund. The research and clinical work comes as a collaboration of Beijing University, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, No. 3 Army Medical University, Zhongshan Medical University, Guiyang Medical College and Zhengzhou University. Throughout all collaborating laboratories, Beike has over 60 Ph.D. researchers focusing on stem cell research. The company was formed in January of 2005 after the collaborating scientists felt comfortable enough with their years of research and clinical experience to begin treating patients with stem cells on a commercial scale.
The management, researchers and doctors have been focused on stem cell and other biomedical research since 1999. They have been treating patients with stem cell injections since 2001. As of October 15th, 2007, Beike had treated over 2,000 patients with stem cell injections for diseases like Ataxia, Autism, ALS, Brain Trauma, Cerebral Infarction, Cerebral Hemorrhage, Cerebral Palsy, Guillain-Barre, Encephalatropy, and Spinal Cord Injury. Beike currently supplies stem cells for treatment at eleven hospitals in China and one in Thailand. They treat foreign patients at Nanshan hospital in Shenzhen and 463 Hospital in Shenyang. The stem cells are delivered through IV, injections into the spinal cord fluid and surgical injections in some cases of spinal cord injury. Except for the surgical injections of the stem cells, the treatments are done as outpatient procedures.
Beike’s main research labs are located in Shenyang, Shenzhen, Zhengzhou and Hainan with support from scientists from all of the collaborative universities. Beike partners with the blood banks in each city that their labs reside in to certify their stem cells are pure and disease free. Beike employs a double check system which consists of their quality control technicians checking a second time for infectious diseases before beginning the cultivation process. In Shenzhen, their lab is at the Shenzhen Hi-tech Industrial Zone which is one of the five large industrial zones with key focus from the Chinese central Government. With the support of the Shenzhen City Hall and the Shen Zhen Hi-tech industrial zone, Beike has been able to develop extremely rapidly. Beike is one of the leading expert groups in China for separating purifying, nurturing, and multiplying adult and most importantly – cord blood stem cells. Beike has been able to grow human organ cells as well which will pave the way for future cures.
Beike’s greatest strength and what differentiates it from other research initiatives is that Beike specializes in clinical applications. There are a lot of patients in countries around the world who could have a better quality of life and even extend their lives with the technology available but don’t have the chance because of politics, religion and bureaucracy. Beike’s goal is to help those people. Beike takes the most advanced biotechnological research in the world, specifically stem cell therapy, and applies it clinically at a rapid pace.
“Tomorrow’s Treatments, Today”
Key Personnel:
Dr. Xiang Hu
Dr. Xiang Hu, Ph.D; Director of Shenzhen R&D Center of Stemcell Engineering and Technology, Director of Beike Stemcell Research Institute of China Medical City, Diresctor of Shenzhen Beike Cell Engineering Research Institute.
Dr. Xiang Hu received his Ph.D from the Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics at Gothenburg University in Sweden in 1998. After spending several years in Sweden he moved to Canada to do his post-doctoral research in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of British Columbia.
In 2001, he moved back to China, where the continuous breakthoughs in the stem cell research field inspired him to support some stem cell research institutions in China. Since then, he has continued to focus his passion and energy towards the progress of stem cell research.
In June 2005, Dr. Xiang Hu founded Shenzhen Beike Cell Engineering Research Institute, the primary vision of which is to act as a platform for the advanced research of Stem Cell Technology.
In 2008, Dr. Xiang Hu was listed in the National Annual “Thousand-Person Program” by the Organization Department of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee for his outstanding achievements in the field of stem cell research.
