The High-Glory Moment for Hydrogen Medicine: The 11th Hydrogen Biomedical Medicine Congress Grandly Held in Guangzhou

Introduction

The 11th Hydrogen Biomedical Medicine Congress & Annual Academic Conference of the Hydrogen Molecular Biomedicine Branch of the Chinese Association of Geriatric Research was grandly held from November 21 to 23, 2025, at the National Respiratory Medicine Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University. The theme of the congress was "Strengthening the Precision Development of Hydrogen Donors, Consolidating the Foundation of Clinical Trial Data, and Promoting the High-Quality Development of Hydrogen Medicine." The event brought together experts and scholars in the field of hydrogen biomedical medicine from home and abroad to discuss the latest research findings and application prospects of molecular hydrogen in the biomedical field.

01

Hydrogen Medicine: Small Molecule, Big Impact

Hydrogen biomedical medicine is an emerging discipline that applies the scientific and technological achievements of molecular hydrogen to the medical and health field. As the simplest and most abundant element in the universe, hydrogen is colorless, odorless, and biologically active, demonstrating remarkable medical potential. In recent years, with the accelerated development of hydrogen donors and the increasing number of application products entering the market, clinical evidence for hydrogen medicine has been growing. According to statistics, since last October, over 300 articles on hydrogen biomedical medicine have been published worldwide.

At the same time, the industry has received a major piece of good news — the long-awaited national standard for hydrogen gas measurement in certain types of hydrogen donors (national standard for measuring gas content in dispersed systems of fine bubbles in water) has now entered the final review stage, which will lay a solid foundation for the standardization and normalization of hydrogen products.

02

Research Achievements Emerging Like a Spring Burst

The Application Prospects of Hydrogen Medicine Are Vast

In recent years, research in hydrogen biomedical medicine has shown vigorous development. Numerous studies have demonstrated that molecular hydrogen has yielded positive results in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, adjuvant cancer therapy, anti-aging, and the prevention and treatment of chronic diseases.

New Hope for the Treatment of Respiratory Diseases

The First Affiliated Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, as the National Respiratory Medicine Center, enjoys a high reputation in the field of respiratory disease treatment. The fact that this congress was held at this hospital highlights the application potential of hydrogen medicine in treating respiratory diseases.

A study published in January 2024 explored the potential of hydrogen as an adjunct therapy for COPD. The study showed that inhaling hydrogen significantly improved COPD patients' CAT scores (a COPD assessment test) and their mMRC dyspnea scale scores, indicating that hydrogen plays a positive role in relieving respiratory symptoms.

Promoting Wound Healing and Anti-Aging

Professor Xuemei Ma's team at Beijing University of Technology has made breakthrough progress in the fields of hydrogen-mediated wound healing and stem cell regenerative medicine. Their "Hydrogen Nation" hydrogen dressing series of products was unveiled at the Zhongguancun International Technology Trade Conference in March of this year, marking a major breakthrough in translating research results from the lab to the market.

The team's research found that hydrogen can trigger a novel healing process, promote the accumulation of extracellular matrix components such as autologous collagen, activate autologous stem cells, enhance the repair function of wound tissue, and create a natural moist healing environment, enabling rapid epithelialization and scarless healing of various wounds.

Professor Ma introduced: "Compared to hyaluronic acid and collagen, which have molecular weights often exceeding tens of thousands, hydrogen is the smallest molecule in nature. The hydrogen molecules in the new hydrogen dressing can easily penetrate the epidermal and dermal layers of the skin to exert their functions deep within the skin."

Significant Cardiovascular Protective Effects

A latest study to be published in the journal Antioxidants in November 2025 shows that molecular hydrogen has value in the development of early-stage heart failure. The study indicates that hydrogen inhalation improves microvascular perfusion, alleviates oxidative stress and metabolic abnormalities by activating local regulation and restoring central control mechanisms. This is of great significance for delaying the progression of chronic heart failure and provides new ideas for the prevention and treatment of cardiovascular diseases.

A New Approach to Nervous System Protection

A case report published in the journal In Vivo in 2025 showed that molecular hydrogen therapy can enhance the expression of immune markers such as Treg, plasma cells, Tr1 cells, and KLRG1 on Tc cells. The researchers used hydrogen as an adjunct to traditional therapy to treat a patient with acute subdural hematoma accompanied by midline shift and uncal herniation, finding that hydrogen therapy may have a protective effect on nervous system injury by modulating immune responses.

03

The Hydrogen Health Industry: The Next Trillion-Dollar Market

With the rapid development of hydrogen biomedical medicine, the hydrogen health industry is also facing new development opportunities. From June 6 to 8, 2025, the Guangdong International Health Industry & Hydrogen Products Expo was held at the Guangzhou Poly World Trade Center, showcasing the latest achievements of the hydrogen health industry.

According to data from the expo, China has a large population and is entering an aging society. In the future, the market size of hydrogen-rich water in China will be in the tens of billions of RMB or more. The hydrogen industry is expected to become the next 10-trillion-yuan market, impacting global medical demand and healthcare systems, and triggering a molecular hydrogen medical revolution.

Currently, the range of hydrogen products on the market is extensive, including healthy drinking water series, home/medical-use hydrogen inhalers, hydrogen beauty series, hydrogen physiotherapy series, hydrogen food series, and hydrogen daily chemical series. From water ionizers to hydrogen-rich water cups, from industrial applications to molecular hydrogen biomedical medicine, companies are seizing business opportunities while more academic experts in the industry are investing in research on hydrogen medicine and hydrogen-rich water.

The successful holding of the 11th Hydrogen Biomedical Medicine Congress marks the entry of China's hydrogen biomedical research into a new stage of development. With further research and expanded clinical applications, hydrogen medicine is expected to provide new support for the implementation of the Healthy China strategy. As Professor Ma Xuemei said: "The 'hydrogen' wind is blowing gently; the future has arrived." This simplest molecule holds the greatest hope for human health.

Text | Self-written, some data sourced from the internet

(Beijing Daily, CNKI, Hebei News Network, MDPI, PubMed, ScienceDirect, etc.)

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