On June 5, 2025, the China National Intellectual Property Administration (CNIPA) announced the winners of the 25th China Patent Award. The invention patent “Truncated L1 Protein of Human Papillomavirus Type 16” (Patent No. ZL 200810093816.8), jointly held by Xiamen Innovax Biotech Co., Ltd. and Xiamen University, was honored with the China Patent Gold Award. The inventors of this Gold Award-winning patent are Gu Ying, Li Shaowei, Wei Minxi, Xian Yangling, Luo Wenxin, and Xia Ningshao.

This marks the second time the two parties have received the highest honor in China's intellectual property field, following their 2012 Gold Award for the “Monoclonal Antibody against Hepatitis E Virus and Use Thereof” patent. It is also the only Gold Award-winning project from Fujian Province in this year's selection.

The patented technology provides methods for the expression and purification of truncated HPV16 L1 proteins, as well as the preparation of HPV16 L1 protein virus-like particles (VLPs). By utilizing high-density fermentation of E.coli in production facilities, high-yield target proteins can be obtained. The entire process, from protein expression to VLP production, is easily scalable and verifiable, compliant with GMP production standards, and applicable to VLP preparation for at least nine HPV types.

Leveraging this patented technology, Innovax has successfully developed China's first domestically produced Recombinant Human Papillomavirus Bivalent (Types 16, 18) Vaccine (Escherichia coli) — Cecolin^® (approved for market on December 30, 2019), and the first domestically produced Recombinant Human Pavillomavirus 9 Valent (Types 6, 11, 16, 18, 31, 33, 45, 52, 58) Vaccine (Escherichia coli) — Cecolin^®9 (approved for market on May 27, 2025).

Cecolin^® is now accessible in over 360 cities across China, with 99% coverage and  30,000+ vaccination sites. Domestically, it has been integrated into HPV vaccination programs in 15 provinces. Globally, Cecolin^® earned WHO Pre-qualification (WHO-PQ) in 2021, has been approved for market entry in 21 countries, including Thailand, Morocco, and Indonesia. Notably, it has been adopted into national immunization programs in 8 countries, reinforcing its safety, efficacy, and accessibility worldwide.. The launch of Cecolin^®9 marks China's emergence as the second country worldwide with independent high-valency HPV vaccine supply capabilities. In addition to the marketed bivalent and nonavalent vaccines, this patented technology is also being applied to the development of higher-valency HPV vaccines.

This award-winning patent has broken through the long-standing technological and market monopolies held by global vaccine leaders. Compared to VLP production using eukaryotic expression systems, it demonstrates advantages with simplified processes, cost-effective production, higher yields, and scalability. As a core patent in Innovax's HPV vaccine patent portfolio, it demonstrates broad applicability to the expression and assembly of L1 proteins from different HPV types and their mutants. It has also been granted patents in 10 countries and regions, including the United States and Europe.

The patent has previously won the 2023 Xiamen Patent Award Grand Prize and the 2024 Fujian Provincial Patent Award Grand Prize. Receiving the China Patent Gold Award for the second time not only affirms the significant contribution of the patentees and inventors to innovation-driven socioeconomic development, but also highlights Innovax's solid foundation in high-quality intellectual property creation.