She Zhending: Down to Business in Shenzhen

Dr. She Zhending, founder of Shenzhen Lando Biomaterials Co., Ltd., has developed the first Chinese-made double-layer artificial skin after eight years of tireless work with his team. The company leads the country in technology related to orderly regeneration of dermal tissue, which benefits countless skin disease sufferers.

On August 8, 2017, the company’s artificial skin products were approved by the China Food and Drug Administration, and they are now widely used in clinical medicine.

In 2008, Liu Weiqiang, vice president of the Research Institute of Tsinghua University in Shenzhen, appointed She Zhending director of the institute’s Biomaterials Laboratory.

A native of Hubei Province, She Zhending was admitted to Tsinghua University in 2000, where he majored in materials science and engineering. He was recommended for a doctoral program upon graduation, which he completed in 2009.

After completing a residency at the General Hospital of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, She stayed at the hospital for three years, which enabled him to get acquainted with almost everything related to hospital operations.

Then, he started thinking about launching his own business to develop high-end medical biomaterials to boost Chinese products which lagged behind in the international market.

When the Shenzhen-based Research Institute of Tsinghua University approved his idea, She’s only concern was whether he could launch the project on his own.

“We can help with personnel and labs,” Liu Weiqiang declared. She’s worries melted away. He arrived in Shenzhen, where he teamed up with several schoolmates who also hold Ph.D. degrees and industrial specialists in different fields.

“After graduation, all I could think about was starting a business,” She recalls. “I had no interest in working for a company. I wanted to start my own business, and I wanted to lead the sector of my focus.”

In 2010, She Zhending and his team began to conduct surveys and determine the research projects to which they were about to be committed. “We targeted on two kinds: projects that are unprecedented in China, and those with huge market potential, both of which had to be cutting-edge internationally.”

They soon discovered “artificial dermis.” Also known as artificial skin, it is the material that guides the orderly regeneration and reconstruction of the skin. The raw materials are of animal origin, which are currently extracts from bovine Achilles tendons and pig cartilage.

The concept may seem simple in theory, but involves a wide array of scientific realms including biology, chemistry, macromolecules, materials, immunity, cytology, medicine and statistics to perfectly match tissues between animals and humans.

More importantly, the team had to address difficulties related to immunity and degradation, the rate of which must match the regeneration of dermal tissue, and the study cycles could be very long.

When their first product was sent for clinical trials, She and his team were very nervous. But they were overjoyed by the results, which helped them attract investment of 10 million yuan (US$1.54 million), followed by another 60 million yuan (US$9.27 million) very quickly.

At that time, several other teams in China had already conducted research in this field for more than 10 years, but She’s team quickly overtook them through full use of their outstanding capacity and leveraging various supporting policies from the local government.

Regenerative medicine refers to the promotion of self-repair and regeneration through the principle and methodology of life science, materials science, clinical medicine, computer science, and engineering.

Lando specializes in tissue regeneration. The key to its artificial dermis technology is the induction of orderly dermal regrowth and the inhibition of scarring or contracting through the dermal matrix template.

“The artificial dermis we produce has a three-dimensional porous structure,” notes She. “About a week after transplantation, capillaries in the base and periphery of the recipient bed soon grow into the dermis. After two to three weeks, the stent is fully vascularized and the thin autologous epidermis transplanted, completing the wound closure with minimal invasion at the donor site. Subsequently, the scaffold induces orderly regeneration of the dermis and progressively degrades.”

According to She, the biggest obstacle to recovery from a deep burn is the scar. Scar repair at the joints, armpits and other moving parts of the limbs can effectively improve the patient’s quality of life, and a restored appearance is the only way to fully heal a burn victim.

A handful of countries such as the United States have led the world in artificial dermis technology, which remains quite expensive. The artificial dermis produced by Lando, however, is starting to dominate the market due to its lower price and better clinical results than imported products. Today, the company’s products are used extensively in top-notch hospitals throughout China.

Shenzhen Lando Biomaterials Co., Ltd. is located in the Guangming New District. “We enjoy favorable conditions for business and accommodations with well-equipped facilities, which have saved a lot of commuting and made our employees happy,” says She.

Lando is a very young team with an average age in the early 20s, similar to many startups in Shenzhen.

The city’s policies for industrial incubation and technological talent, as well as its inclusive business environment, have attracted many young and promising entrepreneurs.

“Shenzhen has jumped ahead in preferential policies for high-level entrepreneurs,” says She. “Each step of the venture is supported with multi-layered and comprehensive auxiliary policies. Shenzhen’s entrepreneurial environment is very mature, and many people are eager to start business in the city, where entrepreneurship is the focus.”

“In hindsight, it’s clear that Shenzhen was the right choice,” asserts She. “It was also right to insist on doing what I like.”

This year marks the 10th anniversary of She Zhending’s arrival in Shenzhen, which is now his home. In 2017, as one of the 17 grassroots Party representatives from Shenzhen, he was honored to attend the 12th Party Congress of Guangdong Province and became one of the first provincial Party representatives from the Guangming New District over the past decade since its establishment.