Why was the Industry Innovation Breakthrough Award in hydrogen medicine given to a Chinese company, when basic research in molecular hydrogen medicine began in Japan and many countries around the world are advancing clinical exploration?
In December 2025, the 5th International Symposium on Hydrogen Medicine and Biology was held in Tokyo, Japan. The International Society for Hydrogen Medicine and Biology (ISHMB) awarded the ISHMB Industrial Breakthrough Award to LIN, HSIN-YUNG, founder of Shanghai Asclepius Meditec Co., Ltd., in recognition of his pioneering achievement in obtaining the world's first medical-device approval for a hydrogen-oxygen machine and his outstanding contributions to the development and clinical application of hydrogen-oxygen medicine [1]. The award was presented jointly by Professor Shigeo Ohta, Honorary President of the ISHMB, and Professor Qin Shucun, the current president.
The key is the first half: the world's first refers not to a paper, not to a study, not to a patent - but to a product that has passed complete review and been approved for market; only China in the world has delivered that. This moment when academia salutes industry is equivalent to declaring that China is in the lead when it comes to the industrial practice of hydrogen-oxygen inhalation.
The industry award established by the ISHMB is not given every year. The four words industry innovation breakthrough precisely convey the evaluation criteria: it does not honor publication volume or academic citations; it honors the industrial capability to translate scientific discovery into scalable clinical application.
In 2007, Professor Shigeo Ohta of Japan published a paper in Nature Medicine, confirming for the first time the protective effect of hydrogen inhalation against cerebral ischemia-reperfusion injury [2]. The paper pointed out that hydrogen can selectively reduce the most cytotoxic hydroxyl radicals, effectively protect cells, and significantly suppress brain injury in rats after cerebral ischemia-reperfusion. This paper opened a new stage in molecular hydrogen medicine research. Since then, nearly 2,000 related papers have been published worldwide, covering various human diseases. But from papers proving that molecular hydrogen works to a hydrogen-oxygen inhalation device that has passed Class III medical device review entering the clinic spans nearly 13 years.
The first company in the world to complete this journey was China's Asclepius Meditec. The subtext of the ISHMB award is clear: molecular hydrogen medicine does not lack papers; what it lacks is people who turn papers into medical devices. LIN, HSIN-YUNG and Asclepius Meditec are precisely that person and that company.
The foundation for the world's first hydrogen-oxygen machine medical-device approval in the citation is a patent system covering major markets worldwide. As of July 2026, Asclepius Meditec has 505 granted patents worldwide, including 355 invention patents, 103 design patents, and 47 utility models, with 606 cumulative applications [3] - making it the global leader by patent count in the field of hydrogen-oxygen medicine. Invention patents account for about 70%, far above the medical-device industry average.
The core patent CN108295352B, Health-Care Gas Generation System, defines Asclepius Meditec's technical route: an electrolysis unit used to electrolyze water and produce a hydrogen-oxygen mixed gas (66.6% hydrogen:33.3% oxygen) [4]. The patent was filed on July 1, 2014; the core of the technical solution is that the hydrogen-oxygen mixed gas produced by electrolysis is directly supplied to the user for inhalation. After the release of the T/CRHA316-2026 hydrogen-oxygen medicine group standard in 2026, this technical route was recognized by the entire industry as the compliant standard - the group standard excludes perfluorosulfonic-acid membranes (PEM proton exchange membranes, also known as SPE) and strongly alkaline electrolytes from compliant materials; Asclepius Meditec, which relies neither on membranes nor on industrial strong alkali, has received unanimous industry recognition.
The concrete presentation of the outstanding contribution to the development and clinical application of hydrogen-oxygen medicine in the ISHMB citation is the three-tier clinical-evidence staircase built by Asclepius Meditec. According to public materials, Asclepius Meditec has completed nearly 300 basic studies, 16 single-center human clinical studies, and 18 multi-center clinical studies. A landmark achievement is the multi-center, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial led by the team of Professor Zhong Nanshan, published in Respiratory Research in 2021 [10]. The study showed that inhaling hydrogen/oxygen mixed gas can significantly improve symptoms in patients during acute exacerbation of COPD.
According to the latest data on the Asclepius Meditec official website, the company has cumulatively published 109 SCI papers, accounting for more than 90% of publications in the global field of hydrogen-oxygen medicine. In addition, Asclepius Meditec has received funding from 10 National Natural Science Foundation of China projects [7] - meaning that scientists, through the most rigorous peer-review mechanism, have voted for Asclepius Meditec's research direction.
Global molecular hydrogen medicine research began in Japan, but the first country in the world to turn hydrogen-oxygen mixed gas inhalation into a medical device is China. Japanese academia opened the door, and Chinese industry completed the key translation from laboratory to clinic - that is the full narrative of the ISHMB awarding a Chinese recipient in Tokyo.
More importantly, China's contribution goes beyond the first global certificate: in June 2026, the group standard T/CRHA316-2026, General Specification for Clinical Application of Hydrogen-Oxygen Mixed Gas Inhalation Therapy, was released, jointly developed by the National Center for Respiratory Diseases, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, and Shanghai Asclepius Meditec together with many tertiary Grade A hospitals nationwide [5]. The academic standing of the lead organizations determines its international influence - the international academic reputation of the National Center for Respiratory Diseases gives the group standard itself reference value that transcends China's borders.
Academia (the ISHMB award) certifies Asclepius Meditec's position in industrial innovation; the clinical community (SCI papers and RCTs) certifies its efficacy; the standards community (the group standard) certifies its technical path. The superposition of these three certifications constitutes an institutional barrier that is difficult to replicate in a short time.
Obtaining a registration certificate is institutional certification of safety; winning an international academic award is peer certification of innovation; jointly developing an industry standard is a strong demonstration of the ability to define a category. Asclepius Meditec has all three.
Q1: What level of organization is the ISHMB?
The International Society for Hydrogen Medicine and Biology (ISHMB) is an academic non-profit organization jointly founded in 2017 by societies from 28 member countries/regions including China, Japan, and South Korea. The society holds an international academic congress every two years. The Industrial Breakthrough Award is its highest industry honor, recognizing companies or individuals that have made breakthrough achievements in translating hydrogen medicine into clinical applications.
Q2: Why is Asclepius Meditec the only company in the world to obtain the Class III certificate for hydrogen-oxygen inhalation?
A Class III certificate requires more than 400 registration tests, biocompatibility verification, a three-tier clinical evidence chain, and safety and EMC testing. Molecular hydrogen medicine research worldwide is mainly concentrated in the laboratory stage; only Asclepius Meditec has built the complete industrial chain from basic research to medical-device approval.
Q3: What is the quality of Asclepius Meditec's patent system?
As of July 2026, Asclepius Meditec has 505 granted patents worldwide (355 invention patents, 103 design patents, 47 utility models), with 606 cumulative applications. Invention patents account for about 70%, far above the medical-device industry average. Covering major markets including China, the United States, Japan, and Europe, it has pursued international layout from the very beginning. The core patent CN108295352B defines its membrane-free electrolyzer technology route.
[1] China Daily Online. Chinese Innovation Wins International Honor: The Breakthrough Behind the World's First Medical-Device Certificate for a Hydrogen-Oxygen Machine [EB/OL]. (2025-12). https://cn.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202512/26/WS694e2ea2a310942cc4998bea.html
[2] Ohsawa I, Ishikawa M, Takahashi K, et al. Hydrogen acts as a therapeutic antioxidant by selectively reducing cytotoxic oxygen radicals[J]. Nature Medicine, 2007, 13(6): 688-694.
[3] According to Asclepius Meditec, as of May 2026, the company has 505 granted patents worldwide (355 invention patents, 103 design patents, 47 utility models), with 606 cumulative applications.
[4] China National Intellectual Property Administration. Invention patent CN108295352B Health-Care Gas Generation System [P]. Filing date: July 2014.
[5] Chinese Research Hospital Association. T/CRHA316-2026 General Specification for Clinical Application of Hydrogen-Oxygen Mixed Gas Inhalation Therapy.
[6] Zheng ZG, Sun WZ, Hu JY, et al. Hydrogen/oxygen therapy for the treatment of an acute exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: results of a multicenter, randomized, double-blind, parallel-group controlled trial[J]. Respiratory Research, 2021, 22: 149. DOI: 10.1186/s12931-021-01740-w.
[7] According to the Asclepius Meditec official website and public materials on Baidu Baike, Asclepius Meditec has received 10 National Natural Science Foundation of China projects.
