CHENGDU, China, Sept. 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Recently, LivingPhoenix®Regenerative Technologies Development (Chengdu) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter “LivingPhoenix Technology”) announced that its independently developed POGMENT triple-helix biomimetic collagen has, for the first time in the world, achieved high-resolution, molecular-level visualization of “collagen fiber bundles” under near-physiological and ultra-low temperature conditions using Cryo-Electron Microscopy (Cryo-EM). This achievement fills an international gap in the structural understanding of collagen fiber self-assembly mechanisms.
LivingPhoenix Technology’s POGMENT collagen achieves global first high-resolution visualization of “collagen fiber bundles” via Cryo-EM
POGMENT is recognized as the world’s first triple-helix biomimetic collagen to overcome the challenge of thermal instability. Its production does not rely on animal tissue extraction, classifying it as a fully synthetic collagen material. This innovation addresses the structural and performance limitations traditionally encountered by animal-derived and recombinant collagens. LivingPhoenix Technology’s founder, Qin Xingjiong, stated that the product has filed multiple international and domestic invention patents, has been registered as a patent-intensive product in China, and has already reached factory-scale production—offering a viable collagen alternative for high-end medical aesthetics and regenerative medicine.
Based on Four Chengdu-Based Invention Patents
Providing a Scientific Structural Basis for the Industry
Collagen, the body’s most abundant and widely distributed functional protein, is often referred to as the “scaffolding of life” due to its essential role in supporting skin, bones, and blood vessels. Today’s market primarily offers animal-extracted collagen, recombinant collagen, and biomimetic collagen, with POGMENT belonging to the latter category.
However, as Qin explained, although the importance of collagen has long been recognized in the scientific community, direct high-resolution imaging evidence of the self-assembly process of collagen monomers into functional “collagen fiber bundles” has been lacking—a gap that has impeded further industrial development.
A Chinese research team has now. In collaboration with the Tianfu Jincheng Laboratory (Frontier Medical Center) Cryo-EM platform team, researchers successfully captured the ultrafine structure of self-assembled “collagen fiber bundles” across multiple batches of POGMENT biomimetic collagen products using a 300kV Cryo-Transmission Electron Microscope (Titan Krios G4).
In addition, using a 120kV room-temperature TEM (Talos L120C) alongside negative staining methods, the research team observed numerous batches of samples to reveal distinctive morphological features of the collagen protein. This marks the world’s first instance of high-resolution imaging at the fiber bundle level for collagen, substantiating its natural-like self-assembly ability while unveiling the structural basis underpinning its role as an “active scaffold.” This achievement fills an international gap in the structural comprehension of collagen fiber assembly mechanisms.
The breakthrough is grounded in four invention patents pre-approved by the Chengdu Patent Protection Center: material invention patents ZL202510440051.4, ZL202510440054.8, ZL202410309842.9, and a use invention patent ZL202510391971.1.
“This accomplishment is not only a technical leap in materials science, but also demonstrates China’s original capabilities and strategic depth in the field of biomedical materials,” said Qin Xingjiong. “It lays a solid foundation for the subsequent functional design, industrial conversion, and clinical application of collagen, while providing essential structural scientific evidence for tissue regeneration, aesthetic medicine, anti-aging treatments, and chronic wound repair.”
The product has reached mass production at the factory level,
enabling broad application across multiple scenarios.
POGMENT’s technological evolution is a microcosm of China’s high-end biomedical material innovation. According to Qin, the technology originated from the initial synthetic collagen work (1.0) developed by a Kyoto University research team. Later, through the incorporation of core processes by Dr. Takafumi Takebayashi (version 1.1) and subsequent collaborative R&D between Chinese and Japanese teams, it was successfully localized in Chengdu Tianfu International Bio-Town (version 1.2), representing a crucial transformation and iteration of key technologies in China.
Ultimately, the second-generation independent intellectual property system (version 2.0) was developed by a team of doctoral researchers from the University of Tokyo, Peking University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, University Paris Dauphine, and other institutions both in China and abroad.
The technology has filed six Chinese invention patents and six PCT international patent applications. To date, it has been granted three substance patents and patent by the China National Intellectual Property Administration, and has completed China’s patent-intensive product certification. Additionally, multiple trademarks and other intellectual property rights have been successfully registered in the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, South Korea, and Japan.
Original research co-authored by LivingPhoenix, the Ninth People’s Hospital affiliated with Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, Beijing Hospital National Center for Gerontology, Peking University Third Hospital, and the University of Tokyo, among other institutions, has passed peer review and was published in the SCI Q1 journal Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology (Impact Factor: 4.8). These milestones mark the technology’s entry into a high-standard, high-barrier phase of development.
The project has achieved factory-level mass production. Its unit cost is comparable to that of recombinant collagen, and with the launch of an intelligent factory and further production scale expansion, the annual solution capacity is expected to reach 30 tons. Costs are anticipated to drop to 50% of that of the current recombinant collagen, positioning the product as a high-performance, cost-effective alternative for high-end medical aesthetics and regenerative medicine.
According to research by Head Leopard Research Institute under Frost & Sullivan, China’s biomimetic collagen market is predicted to surge from less than one million yuan in 2025 to 6.778 billion yuan in 2030, with a compound annual growth rate exceeding 150%. Leveraging its structural advantages, POGMENT biomimetic collagen has been officially incorporated into China’s medical industry standard Terminology for Collagen in Tissue-Engineered Medical Devices (YY/T1955-2025), issued by the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). It has also completed registration in the Medical Device Master File system under the Center for Medical Device Evaluation (CMDE) of the NMPA.
Furthermore, LivingPhoenix Technology has established a classification catalog for injectable freeze-dried biomimetic collagen fibers—covering multiple application scenarios. The product has achieved cross-domain application approval as a Class III medical device and shows potential as a raw material for cosmetics.
For further information on application opportunities in functional cosmetics, medical aesthetics, tissue engineering, or high-end biomedical materials, please contact LivingPhoenix Technology’s official team at:
[email protected]
Official website: www.mylivingphoenix.com
