On March 25th, the "Hua Yi Jiao Da" Science Communication Series themed press conference on the quantum dot liquid chip, a technological transformation achievement of the collaboration between Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Oriental Gene, was successfully held at the first-floor circular hall of Tang Zhongying Building on Minhang Campus of Shanghai Jiao Tong University. This event marked a strong partnership aimed at advancing the launch of the quantum dot liquid chip and strategic cooperation.
Attendees included Zhu Xinyuan, member of the Standing Committee of the Party Committee and Vice President of Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Ning Yun, County Governor of Anji; Song Haibo, President of the Medical Inspection Industry Branch of the National Health Industry Enterprise Management Association; Fang Xiaoliang, General Manager of Zhejiang Oriental Gene Biotech Co., Ltd.; Sheng Xinjun, Vice Director of the Institute of Science and Technology Development and Director of the Advanced Industry Technology Research Institute at Shanghai Jiao Tong University; and Sun Lizhen, Secretary of the Party Committee of the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, among others. The press conference was chaired by Cao Jie, Deputy Minister of the Publicity Department of Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Zhu Xinyuan remarked that the research team led by Li Wanwan has been deeply involved in the field of in vitro diagnostics for many years. The quantum dot liquid chip developed has gradually become a "national business card" for China's in vitro diagnostics industry going global. In the future, Shanghai Jiao Tong University will focus on national strategic needs, advance key core technology breakthroughs, establish a new paradigm of deep integration of industry, academia, and research, strengthen the independent cultivation of cutting-edge innovative talents, and make greater contributions to promoting China's scientific research from catching up and keeping pace to leading.
Ning Yun expressed earnest expectations for long-term cooperation with Shanghai Jiao Tong University and highlighted that Anji County has always adhered to the concept of "green mountains and clear waters are mountains of gold and silver." It has embarked on a high-quality path of green development. The successful collaboration with Shanghai Jiao Tong University exemplifies high-quality development. In the future, Anji County will spare no effort in supporting the investment and construction of the joint research and development center, expecting to achieve more fruitful results in future cooperation.
Researcher Li Wanwan from the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Dr. Fang Bingliang from Oriental Gene introduced the research and development technology of the quantum dot liquid chip. Subsequently, representatives from government, academia, and industry unveiled the cooperative achievements.
After eighteen years of persistence, breaking through technical barriers, and forging new paths, quantum dot liquid chip technology has emerged.
People's health is a national strategy of China, and precise diagnosis is key to achieving public health. For precise diagnosis of major diseases such as cancer, autoimmune diseases, and cardiovascular diseases, there is an urgent need for combined detection of various disease-related biomarkers. Liquid biometric chips are a new type of high-throughput, multi-index biometric chip technology, representing the future direction of detection technology, listed in China's "13th Five-Year Plan" for key breakthroughs in in vitro diagnostic technology. Led by Professor Li Wanwan from the School of Materials Science and Engineering and the Zhangjiang Advanced Research Institute at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, in collaboration with Zhejiang Oriental Gene Bioproducts Co., Ltd., Hangzhou Depth Biotechnology Co., Ltd., and Shanghai Manzi Healthy Biotechnology Co., Ltd., they have successfully developed a multi-index in vitro detection system for Quantum Dot Liquid Biomedical Chips. This development has made significant contributions to promoting the widespread application of liquid biometric chip technology in China, further enhancing the level of in vitro diagnostic technology in China, and developing liquid biometric chip technology with independent intellectual property rights in China.
Liquid biometric chips are suitable for both nucleic acid and protein biomarkers, with large detection throughput and high sensitivity. They can simultaneously analyze dozens of target substances in a single tube sample, significantly improving detection efficiency and revolutionizing clinical laboratory testing. The technical core lies in special fluorescent polymer microspheres and corresponding signal analysis. This technology has been monopolized by foreign countries for many years, with high technological barriers and manufacturing difficulties, posing a typical "bottleneck" problem in the field of in vitro diagnostics. In response to China's urgent need for the development of high-quality, multi-index liquid biometric chip detection technology, Professor Li Wanwan's team from the School of Materials Science and Engineering at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, in collaboration with Zhejiang Oriental Gene Bioproducts Co., Ltd., has made breakthroughs in key technological areas with the support of key research and development plans from the Ministry of Science and Technology, the National Natural Science Foundation of China, and the Shanghai Municipal Commission of Science and Technology, among others. Over 18 years, they have achieved a complete chain technological breakthrough from quantum dot fluorescent microspheres and detection analyzers to matching test reagents, successfully creating a quantum dot liquid biometric chip technology platform with completely independent intellectual property rights, breaking international monopolies.
Quantum Dot Liquid Biomedical Chips: New Materials Leading Technological Innovation
Liquid biometric chip technology is a new type of detection technology, with fluorescent encoded microspheres as the "core." Considering the monopoly and blockade of encoded microsphere technology abroad, Professor Li Wanwan's team at Shanghai Jiao Tong University was the first internationally to propose a strategy for preparing quantum dot fluorescent encoded microspheres using membrane emulsification. Quantum dots are star luminescent materials that won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2023, known for their strong optical modulation ability, pure emission color, and high efficiency, significantly enhancing the encoding capability of fluorescent microspheres with over 100 encoding signals. Meanwhile, fluorescent microspheres prepared through membrane emulsification have uniform and controllable particle sizes, and their surfaces can be linked to various biomolecules, laying a solid foundation for high-throughput multi-index detection. After achieving breakthroughs in the preparation of core encoded microspheres, Shanghai Jiao Tong University's team, in conjunction with Zhejiang Oriental Gene, successfully independently developed the world's only fully automatic liquid biometric chip system using single-laser technology.
This system is characterized by its small size, full automation, high throughput, low sample volume requirement, high accuracy, good repeatability, wide linear range, and low cost. At the same time, based on this detection system, a series of protein/nucleic acid multi-index detection reagents have been developed for cancers, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular diseases, infectious diseases, etc. Currently, a series of detection instruments and matching test reagent kits have obtained CE certification from the European Union and 15 medical device registration certificates from the China National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). More series of joint testing reagents are in the process of application or approval, forming the ability to compete with similar high-end technology equipment abroad and promoting comprehensive global promotion, breaking the monopoly of international large companies.
Policy support, university-enterprise linkage, deep integration of industry, academia, research, and application
In recent years, Shanghai Jiao Tong University has actively responded to the government's call, focusing on market-oriented applied research in "integration zones," focusing on technological issues in key industries and emerging industries' upgrade development. The university pays attention to enhancing the ability of basic scientific research and technological innovation, creating an open innovation cooperation model with high-level international cooperation, multidisciplinary intersection, and deep integration of industry, academia, research, and application. It strengthens the deep integration of industry, academia, and research, promotes frontier scientific research in the medium and long term, and tackles "bottleneck" technological basic research, promoting the transformation of scientific and technological achievements to form new productive forces as soon as possible. The research team led by Professor Li Wanwan from Shanghai Jiao Tong University has maintained close scientific research cooperation with Zhejiang Oriental Gene Bioproducts Co., Ltd., establishing the "Oriental Gene - Shanghai Jiao Tong University New Materials and Technology R&D Center for in vitro Diagnostics." Leveraging the National Major Scientific and Technological Infrastructure for Translational Medicine (Shanghai) and the National Key Laboratory of Metal-Based Composite Materials, Shanghai Jiao Tong University is responsible for basic theoretical research and key technological breakthroughs, while Zhejiang Oriental Gene is responsible for product development, production, and industrial promotion. In order to ensure the industrialization of original technologies in universities, a Shanghai Jiading factory covering an area of more than 10,000 square meters has been specially constructed, dedicated to the production of Quantum Dot Liquid Biomedical Chip series products. During the years of research and development, the research team led by Professor Li Wanwan has fully demonstrated Shanghai Jiao Tong University's pioneering spirit of innovation and steadfast scientific research style. They are oriented towards solving practical problems and exploring a model of industry, academia, research, and application based on high-tech, vigorously promoting China's in vitro diagnostics industry's leapfrog development and enhancing independent innovation capabilities.