Under the halo of scientists and the embrace of capital trends, recombinant collagen has become the top player in Chinese ingredients in recent years.
This year, recombinant collagen has entered a new stage of development. In addition to the conventional types I and III, “more niche” protein types can now be mass-produced, such as recombinant XVII collagen.
Yesterday (November 22), at the PCT 2023 Personal Care Technology Summit and Exhibition, Shanxi Jinbo Bio-Pharmaceutical Co. Ltd.(Jinbo Bio) officially launched its new product, recombinant XVII humanized collagen (hereinafter referred to as “recombinant XVII collagen”), marking its global debut. It is reported that this ingredient is an original creation in China, belonging to type A humanized collagen, truly 100% human-sourced. It not only has anti-aging and firming effects but also prevents hair loss and promotes hair growth. This new product represents another breakthrough in Jinbo Bio’s 15 years of experience in technological innovation.
100% human-sourced, another milestone for Chinese original ingredients
Recombinant collagen is a relatively young concept.
Before the advent of recombinant collagen, collagen was mainly extracted from animal tissues (cows, pigs) for a long time.
As the most abundant and widely distributed structural and functional protein in mammalian bodies, collagen accounts for 25-30% of the total protein. Currently, 28 types of collagen have been discovered, among which types I and III collagen form the extracellular matrix network structure and are the most important collagen types in the dermal layer, widely used in applications.
However, animal-sourced collagen has been criticized for potential infectious and rejection risks. Consequently, scientists began to obtain recombinant collagen with the same or similar properties as human collagen through methods such as cultivation, fermentation, and expression.
As early as 1980, Dr. Uitto J and others in the United States obtained types I and III procollagen from human skin cell cultures, initiating the study of recombinant humanized collagen. However, at that time, due to low expression levels, the raw material could not overcome production limitations.
Comparatively, China started later in the field of recombinant collagen than the international community. Still, with technological iteration, user demand, and capital support, industrial development has outpaced the international community. In 2022, in this arena, the “China power” erupted.
Among the participants, Jinbo Bio, founded in 2008, is a leading and representative enterprise in the Chinese domestic recombinant collagen industry, achieving a series of breakthroughs. They discovered the special functional region of human type III collagen for the first time, successfully deciphered the atomic structure of the core functional region of human type III collagen, and pioneered the “humanized” design path. They achieved large-scale production of type A recombinant humanized collagen III using synthetic biology manufacturing methods with a three-helix structure.
It is worth mentioning that, thanks to technological breakthroughs, on June 29, 2021, Jinbo Bio injectable “Recombinant Type III Humanized Collagen Freeze-Dried Fiber” was approved for listing by the National Medical Products Administration. This is the first domestically approved recombinant humanized collagen with Class III medical device (injectable) qualification in China. On August 28, 2023, Jinbo Bio’s second product, “Injectable Recombinant Type III Humanized Collagen Solution,” was approved for listing. Thus, Jinbo Bio is the only company with two compliant and injectable recombinant collagen products.
This time, Jinbo Bio’s global debut of the recombinant XVII humanized collagen represents another technological breakthrough.
It is reported that XVII collagen (COL17), also known as BP180, is a trace collagen. The discovery of XVII collagen is related to the study of bullous pemphigoid (BP), a blistering skin disease. Each XVII molecule is a trimer of three 180kDa α1 (XVII) chains, with each chain consisting of 1497 amino acids. Among them, the N-terminal domain in the globular cell contains 456 amino acids; the short transmembrane domain contains 33 amino acids; the extracellular C-terminal domain contains 1008 amino acids; and the extracellular domain consists of 15 collagen subdomains.
At the event, Zhou Dawei, General Manager of Jinbo Biotechnology’s International Raw Materials Department, stated, “The new product, recombinant XVII collagen, was jointly developed by Jinbo Biotechnology and the Chinese Academy of Sciences. It is an original creation in China, belonging to type A humanized collagen, truly 100% human-sourced.”
“At present, most recombinant collagen on the market is a single-chain structure, while Jinbo’s recombinant XVII collagen is truly a recombinant collagen with a three-helix structure. Its amino acid sequence is 100% identical to human XVII collagen, making it the first product in the domestic market of its kind to obtain a patent,” Zhou Dawei further explained.
In addition, Jinbo Bio has also deciphered the atomic structures of two functional regions of human XVII collagen. It is worth noting that, to date, Jinbo Bio is the enterprise that has decoded the atomic structure of human collagen the most.
Leading the Era of Anti-Aging and Hair Growth with Chinese Ingredients
In the Chinese domestic cosmetics market, moisturizing, whitening, and anti-aging are considered the three mainstream categories of effective products. Among them, anti-aging is the most competitive category in the wave of “anti-aging for all.”
Undeniably, in recent years, Chinese domestic beauty brands have developed rapidly. However, the multi-billion-yuan anti-aging market is mainly dominated by international giants such as L’Oréal and Estée Lauder. L’Oréal’s patented anti-aging active ingredient, Pro-Xylane, covers multiple star products across different price ranges under the L’Oréal brand. Estée Lauder, on the other hand, has long utilized Ergothioneine as its flagship ingredient. Its various product lines, including Clinique and Origins, showcase its presence.
However, this situation is expected to change with the rise of a Chinese original ingredient—recombinant Type XVII collagen.
Specifically, Jinbo Bio’s recombinant Type XVII collagen can act on epidermal stem cells, repair basement membranes, and provide anti-aging and reparative effects. It improves skin problems such as wrinkles, weakened barrier function, and dull complexion from the source, achieving multidimensional rejuvenation.
Zhou Dawei, the spokesperson, stated, “To verify the efficacy of our recombinant Type XVII collagen, the company conducted efficacy evaluations in four dimensions: molecular level, cellular level, tissue level (ex-vivo skin), and human clinical trials. This scientifically explains that ‘high addition does not equal high efficacy.'”
For example, the efficacy evaluation data at the tissue level (ex-vivo skin) shows that 7.4 ppm of JINBO’s recombinant Type XVII collagen significantly improves various basement membrane-related indicators (protein level expression) such as Type IV collagen, Type VII collagen, Type XVII collagen, fibronectin, and laminin.
Furthermore, according to the data from human efficacy evaluations, this ingredient exhibits significant efficacy in improving skin elasticity and firmness.
Not limited to anti-aging, it is understood that recombinant Type XVII collagen also has the effects of preventing hair loss, promoting hair growth, and preventing graying.
It is known that the efficacy of XVII collagen in the field of hair loss prevention has already been confirmed by top international academic journals. As early as 2016, the key role of XVII collagen in hair follicle aging was first reported in the journal “Science.” In 2019, the research on XVII collagen’s involvement in regulating epidermal stem cells for skin rejuvenation was published in “Nature” and other journals.
“Recombinant Type XVII collagen can act on hair follicle stem cells and melanocyte stem cells. By regulating the activity of hair follicle stem cells, it can prevent follicular miniaturization and hair loss. Maintaining the homeostasis of melanocyte stem cells can prevent the formation of gray hair,” explained Zhou Dawei.
It is worth mentioning that Jinbo Bio has already obtained three medical device registration certificates for the development of XVII collagen products. In August and November of last year, recombinant Type XVII humanized collagen repair freeze-dried powder and medical recombinant Type XVII humanized collagen dressing were approved. In February of this year, the medical recombinant Type XVII humanized collagen dressing received another registration certificate, representing a new milestone in Jinbo Bio’s research and development of XVII collagen.
Moreover, according to Zhou Dawei, “The follow-up applications for Jinbo Bio’s recombinant Type XVII collagen will include post-cosmetic surgery repair, post-sun repair, as well as the treatment of rosacea and gingival repair, gingival papilla regeneration, and other multiple scenarios.”
Over 15 years of research and development, from “catching up” to “taking the lead”
For a long time, Chinese domestic cosmetics have faced the challenge of being “stifled” by international brands, but surpassing them is not an overnight task. The research and development of Chinese ingredients require overcoming challenges such as large investments, high technical barriers, and long development cycles.
Since its establishment, Jinbo Biotech has been prepared for a long-term battle, taking 15 years from the research and development of recombinant Type XVII collagen to its official launch.
So, what is behind the successful development of Jinbo Biotech’s recombinant Type XVII collagen?
First and foremost, it relies on its strong research and development “backstage.” According to Zhou Dawei, Jinbo Biotech has maintained close cooperation with top domestic institutions such as Fudan University, Sichuan University, and the Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences. It has jointly established the “Fudan-Jinbo Functional Protein Joint Research Center” with Fudan University, creating a unique “step-by-step” industry-academia-research development model.
At the same time, Jinbo Biotech has assembled an expert team specializing in the application development of humanized collagen proteins, forming a robust research and development team. For example, Academician Zhang Xingdong from Sichuan University serves as the director of the Sichuan University-JINBO Functional Protein Joint Research Center, and Academician Jiang Shibbo, the director of the Institute of Pathogenic Microorganisms at Fudan University and a member of the American Academy of Microbiology, serves as the director of the Fudan-Jinbo Functional Protein Joint Research Center. With a strong team of talents, JINBO Biotechnology steadily advances on the path of continuous innovation.
From a financial perspective, Jinbo Biotech’s research and development expenditure rate has remained above 15% from 2019 to 2022, consistently higher than the industry average. The substantial investment in research and development has yielded numerous innovative research achievements for Jinbo Biotech. To date, Jinbo Biotech has completed the basic research layout of 28 types of collagen, accomplished the atomic structure analysis of 8 collagen proteins, and has been verified and included in the international protein structure database.
Through 15 years of research, the Jinbo Biotech team has comprehensively utilized advanced technologies such as synthetic biology and structural biology to discover a highly active functional region from human Type III collagen protein for the first time. The amino acid sequence of this functional region can spontaneously assemble into the unique triple helix structure of collagen protein without the need for auxiliary proteins and cross-linking agents. Crystal structure data shows that the triple helix structure assembled by this functional region exhibits a flexible bending form of 164.88°.
Relying on its unique and mature collagen core functional region screening system, Jinbo Biotech has selected sequences with core functional regions from human Type XVII collagen and, based on its pioneering humanization technology, ultimately obtained recombinant Type XVII humanized collagen protein with a sequence identical to human Type XVII collagen.
During this conference, Jinbo Biotech also showcased the latest research results on the self-assembly of recombinant humanized collagen protein. By utilizing cutting-edge biological imaging techniques, efficient self-assembly and self-crosslinking of recombinant humanized collagen protein without any cross-linking agents were observed, forming slender fibers at the nanometer scale.
“Wrong collagen protein structure not only fails to interact normally with the biomolecules in the human body and participate in tissue repair and regeneration processes but can also cause various tissue disorders,” emphasized Zhou Dawei. “Collagen protein must have the correct amino acid sequence and self-assembly ability to form the correct triple helix structure and exhibit proper functionality.”
In his view, the self-assembly characteristic is an important attribute of collagen protein as a biomaterial. How to use synthetic biology techniques to prepare collagen proteins with triple helix structures has always been the focus and difficulty for the recombinant collagen protein industry to overcome.
As Jinbo Biotech’s founder, Yang Xia, said, “Truly innovative things cannot be bought or exchanged; they can only be achieved step by step on our own.” Rather than being followers, we aim to be leaders. JINBO Biotechnology is striving towards becoming an internationally renowned technological innovation-oriented biotechnology materials enterprise by continuously developing internationally leading products.
