Source: People's Daily - People's Daily
Picture ①: United Film Medical Booth at the 2022 World Health Expo. Photo ②: Tongxin Medical's fully magnetic levitation implantable left ventricular assist system (artificial heart). Photo ③: In the heavy ion center of Wuwei Cancer Hospital in Gansu Province, the patient is receiving heavy ion thermal beam treatment. Photo by Chen Hao
The world's first human body whole body 5.0T magnetic resonance is launched, and my country is the first to achieve ultra-high field whole body clinical imaging; the first domestically produced fully magnetic levitated artificial heart is approved for market, and patients with heart failure have a "Chinese heart"; the first domestically produced heavy ion cancer treatment equipment is put into use, bringing new hope to cancer patients...
From following and running side by side to leading, from assembling parts to mastering core technologies, my country's independent scientific and technological innovation capabilities continue to improve, and high-end medical devices with completely independent intellectual property rights continue to emerge, breaking through key core technologies and breaking foreign monopoly. For example, the localization of high-end medical devices such as magnetic resonance, artificial hearts, heavy ion cancer treatment equipment, etc. has made significant progress, providing convenience for patients.
Data from the National Drug Administration shows that in the first eight months of this year, my country approved the market for 39 domestic innovative medical device products, hitting a record high in previous years, providing strong support for meeting people's health needs.
From following to leading
"If you keep following others, you will only fall behind and never have a day to make a comeback"
In the spring of 2011, when Shanghai Lianying Medical Technology Co., Ltd. was first founded, the domestic high-end medical imaging equipment market was monopolized by the three foreign giants General Electric, Philips and Siemens. Since my country does not master core technologies, domestic magnetic resonance equipment mainly occupies the mid- and low-end markets, and high-end 3.0T magnetic resonance 100% relies on imports.
Lianying Medical has a dream: to build a Chinese high-end medical device brand, so that more patients can use "high-end rather than high-priced" medical equipment. To this end, the entrepreneurial team sets an "iron law": cover all lines, independently research and development, master all core technologies, and benchmark against top international companies.
Now, United Imaging Medical has successfully broken a series of key technology blockades, and its independent research and development ratio of core components ranks among the top in the world. Among them, a series of products such as the whole-body PET-CT imaging system fill the gap in the international market and achieve global technological leadership.
Ten years of hard work. United Imaging Medical products have not only achieved the highest domestic market share for many years, but are also exported to developed countries and regions such as the United States, Japan, and Europe, breaking the long-term monopoly pattern of multinational corporations and making my country the third country to fully master all the core component technology and complete machine manufacturing of high-end magnetic resonance.
As of now, Lianying Medical has launched more than 80 products with completely independent intellectual property rights, many of which are the world's firsts. United Imaging’s medical products have now entered more than 9,400 medical institutions in about 40 countries around the world. In China, United Imaging’s medical products have been settled in nearly 900 Grade A hospitals. Xue Min, chairman of
United Film Group, said: "The key core technology must be in your own hands. If you keep following others, you will only fall behind more and more behind and will never have a day to make a comeback."
47-year-old Mr. Zhang is a patient with end-stage heart failure. Not long ago, he successfully completed artificial heart implantation surgery at Beijing Anzhen Hospital.
This artificial heart weighs only 186 grams, which is equivalent to a table tennis ball. The fully magnetic levitated artificial heart, also known as the "implanted left ventricular assist system", was developed and produced by Suzhou Tongxin Medical Technology Co., Ltd. It is the first fully magnetic levitated artificial heart officially launched in my country.
Chen Chen, founder and CEO of Tongxin Medical, studied gas turbine major, but he has always been interested in medicine. In 2006, he led his team to develop a fully magnetic levitation artificial heart, but it was not accepted by the clinical practice because it was too large and ended in failure. However, Chen Chen was not discouraged and hoped to redevelop a fully magnetic levitation artificial heart.
In 2007, Suzhou Industrial Park contacted Chen Chen and gave him a research and development start-up capital. Chen Chen saw the opportunity and founded Tongxin Medical in 2008. The Ministry of Science and Technology listed the fully magnetic levitated artificial heart as a key project of the "863 Plan", and Chen Chen served as the project leader.
"I firmly believe that Chinese people will definitely make world-leading products!" In November 2021, Chen Chen led his team to develop a fully magnetic levitation artificial heart that took 13 years to be approved for market launch. Currently, there are only two fully magnetic levitation artificial hearts approved for sale around the world, and the other is from the United States. Compared with similar products in the United States, domestic products are smaller in size, lighter in weight, better blood compatibility, and have more advantages in surgical trauma, infection risk, device reliability, etc.
In 1993, when facing the industrialization of basic research results, researchers from the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, located in Lanzhou City, Gansu Province, finally chose the field of heavy ion treatment for cancer.
Ma Lizhen, chairman of Guoke Ion Medical Technology Co., Ltd., witnessed the birth process of the first domestically produced heavy ion cancer treatment equipment. Ma Lizhen joined the Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences in 1995 and served as a heavy ion accelerator engineer, responsible for the operation and maintenance of the accelerator. He began designing in 2008 and officially started the construction of a complete set of cancer treatment devices in 2012.
"A large number of scientists and engineers gritted their teeth and persevered in the northwest, which resulted in the successful development of heavy ion cancer treatment equipment." Ma Lizhen recalled that the scientific researchers worked hard and firmly believed that they would definitely create internationally advanced equipment. In March 2020, my country's first carbon ion treatment system with independent intellectual property rights was put into clinical application at the Heavy Ion Center of Wuwei Cancer Hospital in Gansu Province. Since then, my country has become the fourth country to achieve heavy ion beam treatment for tumors after the United States, Japan and Germany.
Ma Lizhen introduced that compared with imported heavy ion cancer treatment equipment, the construction cost of domestic equipment is only 1/3 to 1/2 of it, the weight and volume are smaller, the hospital invests less, and the patient burden is lighter.
Breakthrough of core technology
"Key core technology is not given by others, it can only rely on self-reliance and independent innovation"
"At the beginning of the business, we can also develop magnetic resonance equipment by purchasing core technology. If we follow this path, our products will always be at least one generation behind others." said Zhang Qiang, chairman and CEO of United Film Medical.
Everything starts from scratch, and the challenges can be imagined. At that time, multinational giants had occupied the high-end medical imaging equipment market for decades, and the technology they accumulated was unattainable. In order to break through core technologies as soon as possible, the entrepreneurial team of United Film Medical worked day and night.
"At the beginning, many people did not believe that Chinese people could develop high-end magnetic resonance, and believed that the performance of domestic equipment was unreliable." Zhang Qiang said that when the early United Imaging medical equipment entered the hospital, there were always imported similar equipment next to it. Under this invisible pressure, the R&D team of United Imaging Medical is often stationed in the hospital, listening to doctors' feedback at any time, quickly solving the problems encountered in clinical practice, and continuously improving product performance, which amazed the doctors.
In August 2017, Fujita University Hospital of Health and Health in Japan introduced an ultra-clear light guide PET-CT from Lianying Medical. This is the first high-end medical imaging device in China to enter the Japanese market. Japan is known for its strict medical access. United Film Medical's high-end medical equipment "breaks the ice" in Japan, which means it has truly stepped on the world stage. A director of a tertiary hospital in China visited Japan and was very surprised to see this domestic equipment. After returning to China, he decided to purchase United Imaging medical equipment.
is aimed at the major needs of the country and the lives and health of the people, and is pursuing the most urgent and urgent issues. It is the unremitting pursuit of United Filmmakers. In early 2020, the COVID-19 epidemic broke out suddenly, and Shanghai Ruijin Hospital urgently needed a CT scan specifically for fever clinics. Lianying Medical completed installation debugging within 24 hours, setting an industry record. This "Sky Eye CT" is equipped with "Sky Eye AI" fully intelligent automatic scanning and navigation, which supports intelligent positioning of the compartment. Doctors do not need to enter the examination room, greatly reducing the risk of cross-infection. The epidemic is like a big test, and Lianying Medical has achieved an amazing "acceleration", and every product is accurately connected with the needs of epidemic prevention and control.
"Key core technologies are not given by others. They can only rely on self-reliance and independent innovation. Only by breaking through key core technologies can you have the right to speak in the international market." Xue Min said.
The heart is the "engine" of the human body. The so-called fully magnetic levitation artificial heart is a miniature high-power blood pump implanted into the apex, replacing the "pump" function of the human heart.Therefore, blood pumps are the core technology of fully magnetic levitating artificial hearts. The first major problem in developing fully magnetic levitated artificial hearts is to minimize the volume of the blood pump while ensuring the efficient operation of the blood pump. Chen Chen led the team to creatively utilize the different characteristics of permanent magnets and electromagnets, and through the special modulation method of "four two to make a big difference", the volume and power consumption of the electromagnet are reduced, thus reducing the rotor diameter, optimizing the internal structure of the blood pump, and reducing the overall volume of the blood pump.
The second biggest problem in developing fully magnetic levitated artificial hearts is to solve the problem of hemocompatibility. Chen Chen's team continuously optimizes the design of the internal flow channel of the blood pump, allowing blood to flow efficiently in the blood pump, while reducing damage to the blood, effectively solving the problems of hemolysis, thrombosis, bleeding and other hemocompatibility.
"We cannot be followers. To do it, we must do better than other people's products. To develop an innovative product, we must understand every core technology thoroughly, be patient, constantly try, and constantly correct it." Chen Chen said that all the technologies of domestic fully magnetic levitation artificial hearts are in the hands of Chinese people themselves. The core technologies related to the product have applied for a number of patents in the United States, Europe, Japan and other places, breaking through the barriers to international intellectual property rights.
Malignant tumors seriously threaten human health, and radiotherapy is one of the most important treatment methods. Conventional radiotherapy mainly uses X-rays and gamma rays. After the ray enters the human body, side effects are easily caused.
"After the heavy ion beam enters the human body, it will not release a large amount of energy in the shallow layer to destroy normal tissue, but will release almost all the energy at a certain depth, thereby greatly improving the accuracy of radiotherapy and reducing the pain of patients. Therefore, heavy ion radiotherapy technology is an internationally recognized cutting-edge technology." Ma Lizhen said.
"We have more than 500 people directly participated in R&D and construction, of which more than 10 academicians in the fields of basic physics, nuclear technology and applications." Ma Lizhen introduced that from drawings to equipment, from huge scientific research devices to medical devices that can be placed in hospitals, every step of this requires scientific research and engineering personnel to overcome many difficulties. At present, all heavy ion cancer treatment equipment has been domestically produced, and more than 60 patented technologies have been obtained.
recruits outstanding talents
"Attract people with dreams, retain people with careers, and achieve people with stages, fully release the innovative vitality of talents, and create an atmosphere that encourages innovation and tolerate failure."
Talent is the foundation of independent innovation. The high-end medical equipment industry is a technology-intensive industry. Where do innovative talents come from?
Zhang Qiang said: "Attracting people with dreams, retaining people with careers, and achieving people with stages, fully releasing the innovative vitality of talents, and creating an atmosphere that encourages innovation and tolerate failure are the secrets of the success of Lianying Medical."
Zhang Qiang remembers that at the beginning of his business, Lianying Medical proposed the company's vision - to become a world-class medical innovation leader. Many talents with ideals and sentiments resolutely joined the entrepreneurial team of United Film Medical. At present, United Film Medical has gathered a large number of outstanding professional talents, with a total talent team of more than 5,400, of which more than 39% are R&D personnel.
In May 2021, Lianying Microelectronics released its first "China Core" for high-end medical imaging. With the birth of this "China core", United Film Group has officially built a full-chain vertical innovation system from the whole machine system to the core components and then to the underlying components. This is mainly due to the efficient cooperation between the two teams of the whole machine and the chip, and the complementary advantages, highlighting the cohesion and combat effectiveness of the talent team.
"We are committed to becoming a world-class company. This is a difficult but destined long-term road. In the future, Lianying will advance into many 'no man's land'. Only by attracting the world's talents can we continue to surpass." Xue Min said.
Based on domestic research institutes and universities, cultivating local talents is the key to the success of domestic heavy ion cancer treatment equipment.
In order to promote the industrialization of heavy ion therapy technology, Guoke Ion has built a team of nearly 500 people, including more than 100 front-line workers, more than 300 technicians, and nearly 100 R&D personnel. Many of them graduated from famous domestic universities, majoring in physics, biology, medicine, nuclear technology, electrical appliances, machinery, etc.
In order to give full play to the creativity of talents, Guoke Ion gives employees a relaxed and free working environment."The company implements a result-oriented assessment. As long as the product can be submitted with quality and quantity after expiration, the employees will decide how to work in the middle." Ma Lizhen introduced that for the project leader, people, money and materials need to be allocated quickly. The specific details will be decided by the project leader, and the company will not interfere. After researchers enter the company, as long as the R&D project meets the development direction of the company's products, the relevant funds will be guaranteed and a certain amount of fault tolerance is given.
is widely used to attract high-quality talents at home and abroad, and give full play to the advantages of collaborative innovation at home and abroad. It is the "magic weapon" of the artificial heart team.
Chen Chen introduced that when Tongxin Medical was established, there were less than 10 R&D forces, but the next year it established a wholly-owned subsidiary abroad and hired a global consulting team to assist in R&D. Today, the company has more than 200 talent teams, and has R&D centers at home and abroad, bringing together top industry resources in the field of artificial hearts in the world and giving full play to the R&D advantages of the two places.
"We have formed an international R&D team that can win battles." Chen Chen said that Tongxin Medical's R&D team is a multidisciplinary team, including medicine, machinery, electronics, software, materials, etc. For the talents recruited, they will be trained to become excellent industrial engineers according to the highest international standards.
Unblock the innovation chain
"Break the innovation island between disciplines, build a collaborative innovation platform for industry, academia, research and medicine, and realize the linkage between the innovation value chain"
High-end medical devices are the product of the intersection of multiple disciplines. Manufacturers cannot "fight alone". They must rely on teamwork to open up innovation chains and achieve deep integration of industry, education, research and medicine.
In November 2021, the "Independent Development and Industrialization of High Field Magnetic Resonance Medical Imaging Equipment" project led by Lianying Medical, led by the Shenzhen Advanced Technology Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army of China, and Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University won the "First Prize of the 2020 National Science and Technology Progress Award". This is a "sample" that deeply integrates industry, education, research and medicine.
Zhang Qiang said: "An important successful experience of Lianying Medical is to break the innovation island between disciplines, build a collaborative innovation platform for industry, academia, research and medicine, and realize the linkage between the innovation value chain."
10 years ago, Lianying Medical and the Shenzhen Advanced Technology Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences jointly created a new mechanism for the "diversification and integration" of science and technology and industry. The Shenzhen Advanced Technology Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has opened a "special zone" for scientific researchers, stipulating that researchers only need to consider the difficulties of the company, and do not have to worry about applying for projects or writing papers. As long as you make breakthroughs in magnetic resonance technology, you can get promotions and salary increases. Under such a mechanism, scientists and engineers have achieved "seamless connection". Many scientific researchers live from Shenzhen to Shanghai and work together with the engineer team to tackle key problems.
In the past, it was difficult for domestic medical imaging equipment to knock on the doors of top tertiary hospitals. However, institutions such as the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army and Zhongshan Hospital affiliated to Fudan University have unique vision and actively embrace the "producers" of independent innovation, fully support domestic high-end medical equipment to take the path of independent innovation, and jointly incubate forward-looking scientific research results.
Fan Jia, director of Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated to Fudan University and academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, will still unforgettable for her "first encounter" with Lianying Medical. Since 2014, Zhongshan Hospital and United Film Medical have jointly explored innovative models of industry, academia, research and medicine, and have nurtured many world-class innovative products. From the birth of China's first 3.0T magnetic resonance to China's first PET/MR clinical trial, from the world's first 2-meter PET-CT to the world's first 5.0T magnetic resonance settlement, Zhongshan Hospital and United Film Medical have joined forces to lay the foundation for comprehensively conquering "bottleneck" technology and mastering international discourse power.
As early as 2013, Tongxin Medical began to cooperate with Fuwai Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences. At the beginning, Fuwai Hospital took the lead in conducting animal experiments. After achieving good results, the product design was further optimized and clinical trials began. Since June 2017, Hu Shengshou, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, director of the National Cardiovascular Disease Center, and director of Fuwai Hospital, used the fully magnetically suspended artificial heart to treat three critically ill patients and was successful, setting a precedent for the successful clinical application of artificial heart in my country.
"Although the fully magnetic levitated artificial heart has been approved for market, there is still room for further optimization." Chen Chen said that artificial hearts ultimately need to be used by doctors on patients. Whether the product is easy to use and how effective it is, doctors and patients have the most say. In addition to Fuwai Hospital, Tongxin Medical also cooperates with Beijing Anzhen Hospital, Xi'an Xijing Hospital, Shanghai Chest Hospital, Wuhan Union Hospital and other hospitals to effectively solve clinical problems.
Chen Chen introduced that the current fully magnetic levitation artificial heart is powered by an external battery, and patients need to carry the battery around the clock, and the powered wires penetrate the abdominal cavity, affecting the normal life of the patient. "The next generation of products must solve the problem of wireless charging, and patients no longer need wires. This involves batteries, wireless charging, electrical engineering and other fields, and hopes to achieve breakthrough innovations."
Scientific researchers from the Institute of Modern Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, with the help of a group of oncologists, learned while modifying, inspecting and adjusting, and built the first medical heavy ion cancer treatment equipment in my country with independent intellectual property rights. In April 2018, the Chinese Academy of Sciences Holdings Co., Ltd. and the Institute of Modern Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences initiated the establishment of Guoke Ion Medical Technology Co., Ltd., whose backbone team is mainly composed of R&D and engineering and technical personnel of the Institute of Modern Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences. At present, the heavy ion cancer treatment equipment built in Wuwei has been put into clinical application, and the heavy ion cancer treatment equipment built in Lanzhou is about to be put into clinical application. Projects in Wuhan, Hubei, Hangzhou, Zhejiang, Putian, Fujian and other places are under construction.
Ma Lizhen said that the company is developing a new generation of heavy ion cancer treatment equipment, and establishing a central control room to centrally manage equipment across the country to provide standardized treatment for cancer patients in various places. The company will continue to carry out in-depth cooperation with institutions such as the Institute of Modern Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Peking University, Tsinghua University, Sun Yat-sen University Affiliated Cancer Hospital, Peking University Third Hospital, etc., so that more scientific and technological achievements can benefit the people.
■Reporter’s Notes
Control the key core technologies in your own hands
The world’s first 5.0T magnetic resonance of the human body, the first domestic fully magnetic levitation artificial heart, the first domestic heavy ion cancer treatment equipment... The emergence of these products marks that my country’s high-end medical devices have broken the foreign monopoly and made significant progress in independent technological innovation, which is exciting.
Innovation is the soul of a nation's progress and an inexhaustible source of prosperity and development of a country. Historical experience has proved that key core technologies cannot be obtained, cannot be bought, or begged for. Only by firmly grasping the key core technologies in your own hands can you get rid of the fate of being "bottled".
For a long time, most of my country's high-end medical devices have relied on imports. Multinational "giants" have been operating for decades or even hundreds of years, seizing the initiative in the core technology field to monopolize the market and obtain excess profits. If Chinese companies want to "break through", they need long-term scientific research and technical accumulation. Only by being confident, endure loneliness, being brave to explore, and not being afraid of failure can we seize the opportunity and gain the initiative. Talent is the foundation of independent innovation. We must be good at attracting, retaining, and making good use of talents, gathering talents from all over the world and using them, so that the potential for innovation can be fully released and the vitality of innovation can flow fully.
Unlimited scenery in dangerous peaks. We hope that more companies will strive to achieve independent and controllable key core technologies, and firmly grasp the initiative in innovation and development in their own hands.
layout design: Zhang Danfeng
"People's Daily" (September 23, 2022, 19th edition)
