On January 10, 2020, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and the State Council held the 2019 National Science and Technology Awards Conference in Beijing. This is the annual gathering of the scientific and technological community, the highest honor in China's science and technology, and the highest commendation from the Party and the people for science and technology workers. The achievement "Key Technological Innovation and Clinical Application Research on Allogeneic Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy for Refractory Lupus Erythematosus," jointly completed by Sun Lingyun and Zhang Huayong of the Department of Rheumatology and Immunology of the Affiliated Drum Tower Hospital of Nanjing University Medical School, Hu Xiang of Shenzhen Beike Biotechnology Co., Ltd., Wang Dandan of Drum Tower Hospital, Liu Muyun of Beike Biotech, and Xu Wenrong of Jiangsu University, was awarded the Second Prize of the National Technological Invention Award.
The team was the first to apply allogeneic MSCs to treat refractory SLE, with significant efficacy, an effective rate of 60%, and no serious adverse events; the 5-year mortality rate dropped from 45% to 16%. Allogeneic MSC therapy has saved the lives of many critically ill patients and opened up new therapeutic avenues for other refractory autoimmune diseases. The team conducted allogeneic MSC therapy research in 523 cases of refractory SLE in total, with the work disseminated to 35 institutions in and outside the province. The team's core technology has obtained 18 authorized invention patents and 151 SCI papers, with a cumulative impact factor of 657 and 4,395 citations, with more than 30 reports at the American College of Rheumatology, the European Bone Marrow Transplant Conference and similar venues, and 13 invited international conference reports in the past five years. The team has held numerous stem cell academic conferences and national-level continuing education courses, with more than 5,000 participants, has trained a large number of domestic and international talents in the stem cell research field, and has elevated China's international influence in stem cell clinical translational research.
In recent years, with the continuous advancement of biomedical technology, cell therapy with stem cell-based regenerative medicine at its core has begun to lead a revolutionary development in future medicine. Against the backdrop of cell therapy emerging as a new global field of medicine, domestic clinical research on cells and stem cells has become a major matter related to the "Healthy China" strategy and the health of the people. Over time, the state has rolled out a series of policies supporting the development of the domestic cell industry, while also placing deeper demands on basic and clinical research and scientific and technological breakthroughs in this field.
"Innovation as the source, driving the future" — among the three major National Science and Technology Awards (the Natural Science Award, the Technological Invention Award, and the Science and Technology Progress Award), the National Technological Invention Award has long been a bellwether for major scientific and technological discoveries and inventions. As the highest honor in China's science and technology community, it represents the highest praise for the efforts of Drum Tower Hospital, Beike Biotech and Jiangsu University in the stem cell field.
Innovation is the inexhaustible driving force of national prosperity. Beike Biotech has always treated innovation as the core and foundation of corporate development, and has insisted on synchronized R&D and standardization to lead the high-quality development of China's cell industry, enhancing China's initiative and voice in the formulation of international cell industry standards. Truly integrating Beike Biotech's corporate destiny with industrial development and national rejuvenation, Beike continues to forge ahead through innovation and to make important contributions to the realization of the grand "Healthy China 2030" strategic blueprint and to improving the health of the people.
Beike Biotech standardization milestones:
In 2016, Beike Biotech took the lead in drafting the Shenzhen local standard "SZDB/Z 188-2016 Specification for the Construction and Management of Cell Preparation Centers";
In 2016, Beike Biotech participated in formulating the "Self-Regulatory Specification for Quality Management of Stem Cell Preparation" and the "Self-Regulatory Specification for Quality Management of Immune Cell Preparation";
In 2017, Beike Biotech took the lead in drafting the Shenzhen local standard "SZDB/Z 266-2017 Specification for the Establishment and Management of Comprehensive Cell Banks";
In 2018, Beike Biotech participated in formulating the group standard "SZTT/SSCT 002-2018 Specification for Human Umbilical Cord-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Preparations for Clinical Research";
In 2018, Beike Biotech issued "Q/BKSW 001—2018 Umbilical Cord-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Scientific Research";
In 2019, Beike Biotech was recognized by the Shenzhen Market Supervision Administration as a "Demonstration Enterprise for Synchronized R&D and Standardization" and a "Standard Innovation Demonstration Base."
