[China Tech] Shanghai Research Team Reports Breakthrough in Understanding Rare Facial Disorder

China Tech is a column dedicated to the innovations reshaping China – and, inevitably, the world. From cutting-edge AI labs and next-gen robotics to homegrown apps that redefine daily life, we explore the breakthroughs that emerge from the country's relentless drive for technological dominance. Some are game-changers, others cautionary tales, but all offer a glimpse into the future as it's being built, at breakneck speed, in China.

A team of medical experts in China has successfully elucidated the mechanism behind a rare facial deformity. It has developed an effective clinical trial and treatment regimen, bringing new hope to patients worldwide and establishing a "China plan" endorsed by the international medical community.

Led by Dr Lin Xiaoxi from Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital, the research team announced a significant breakthrough in understanding facial infiltrating lipomatosis. This rare congenital disorder is characterized by the abnormal proliferation of mature fat cells that deeply infiltrate facial muscles, soft tissues and occasionally bone. The diffuse, non-encapsulated growths do not regress like lipomas.

The condition can lead not only to facial asymmetry but also to impaired functions such as eating, swallowing, seeing, and even breathing, imposing severe physical and psychological burdens on patients.

Lin's team has identified the primary cause of the disease, paving the way for the development of targeted therapies. Furthermore, the team now performs delicate plastic surgery to help patients correct facial deformities and restore normal function. It also spearheaded the establishment of the world's first dedicated case and sample database for this disease, providing critical support for future research.

The team has published their research in the world-leading journal Advanced Science.

Beyond facial deformities, the team has also made substantial progress in treating high-risk vascular malformations. Their focus includes extracranial arteriovenous malformation, a high-flow congenital anomaly where direct artery-to-vein connections bypass capillary beds, leading to tissue disfigurement. Conventional surgical and therapeutic approaches frequently entail significant risks and invasiveness. To address this, the team is leading a clinical trial for a domestically developed targeted drug – the nation's first such targeted therapy research for this condition. The novel drug has shown promising results, with many patients experiencing a reduction of over 50 percent in lesion size after 16 weeks of treatment.

The trial is still taking patients and has raised the age limit to 12-70 years, which gives hope to both younger and older groups of patients.

The team's work has garnered recognition from patients across the globe and the international medical field. Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital annually treats over 36,000 patients with vascular malformations, and 13 international medical guidelines have incorporated the team's research. The hospital has also received many complex patient referrals from medical foundations in the United States and Europe.

If you want to contact Dr Lin's team and go to consult

Dr Lin Xiaoxi's Emai:linxiaoxi@126.com

9am-9:30am each Wednesday, reception desk of plastic surgery department at the 9th floor of outpatient building of Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital at No. 500 Quxi Raod. Lin's assistant can help you to do registration.