Professor Minghao Zheng, an academic pathologist, has been honoured with a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to orthopaedic research and regenerative medicine.
Born in Shantou, Guangdong Province, Professor Zheng graduated with a major in Pathology from Sun Yat-sen University of Medical Sciences. In 1988, he moved to Western Australia as a visiting scholar and later pursued advanced studies at The University of Western Australia (UWA), where he obtained a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree (1994) and a Doctor of Medicine (Clinical) degree (2000). He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists of the United Kingdom. In 2025, he was elected a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Health and Medical Sciences.
Currently, Professor Zheng serves as Professor of Orthopaedic Research at UWA. He has held positions including Associate Dean (International) at UWA's Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, Cheung Kong Lecturing Professor at Zhejiang University, and Deputy Director of the Australia-China Cooperative Research Centre for Biotherapy and Regenerative Medicine at Zhejiang University.
Additionally, he is head of Bone and Brain Axis Research at the Perron Institute for Neurological and Translational Science and co-founder of Australian biotechnology companies Orthocell and Marine Biomedical. He has published over 300 scientific papers and holds over ten patents related to biological devices and cell therapy products across Australia, the United States, Japan, Singapore, Europe and China.
Professor Zheng advocates the philosophy of "utilizing materials bestowed by nature, learning from the process of natural tissue healing, and designing devices for tissue repair". He promotes the use of "natural scaffolds" such as collagen scaffolds or biomineralized composites to repair damaged tissues, pioneering the development of naturally derived biomaterials and biological therapies for treating trauma to nerves, cartilage, tendons and bones.
In 2015, he invented RemplirTM, a nerve repair device featuring a collagen membrane structure that mimics the epineurium. Approved in multiple countries since 2022, the innovation has now been used in over 6,000 cases globally. Another notable invention co-created by Professor Zheng is PearlBoneTM, an artificial bone substitute material made from pearl oyster shells sourced from Broome, Western Australia, designed to improve outcomes in orthopaedic, trauma and reconstructive surgery applications.
His recent work on the impact of bone aging in brain function has shown that evidence-based lifestyle strategies for bone health may be beneficial for improving cognitive function.
Professor Zheng stated that his appointment to the Order of Australia is the greatest honour of his life.
"This award is overwhelming to me as I have travelled a long way to get to where I am today," Professor Zheng said.
"I’m honoured, but the credit belongs to the collective efforts of my students, colleagues, collaborators, partners and mentors. This recognition is also a testament to the dedication and passion of the teams at UWA, Orthocell, Marine Biomedical and the Perron Institute."
Congratulations to Professor Minghao Zheng on this well-deserved award.
