Professor Ling’s research has centred on polysaccharide biopharmaceuticals and the biomedical applications of HA, including ocular drug delivery and viscosupplementation therapy for osteoarthritis. His work has supported the application of HA in ophthalmic and orthopaedic drug development, including research relevant to cataracts, dry eye syndrome, and osteoarthritis. He has authored 396 peer-reviewed publications and nine monographs and holds 299 invention patent applications, including 138 authorised patents and 69 commercialised patents. His achievements have been recognised by two National Science and Technology Progress Awards (Second Prize), one National Science and Technology Progress Award (Third Prize), the Ho Leung Ho Lee Prize for Science and Technology Innovation, the Wu Jieping–Paul Janssen Pharmaceutical Research Award, and the National Outstanding Young and Middle-Aged Expert Award, among other distinctions. Through sustained research, technological development, and industrial collaboration, Professor Ling has contributed to connecting polysaccharide chemistry and biopharmaceutical research with pharmaceutical development, biomedical applications, and the industrial production of HA-based products.