Chinese high-end medical device companies achieve a new level of innovation

The development of medical devices in China encapsulates nearly a century of medical advancements. Although China's start in the innovation and R&D of medical devices was relatively late, and there's a lack of accumulation in fundamental research areas. Achieving a breakthrough from zero to one requires accumulation in many aspects, including time, experience, and knowledge." Dr. He Qiong, Chief Scientist at Hescale, a graduate of Tsinghua University, stated: "During this accumulation process, we have consistently cultivated innovative 'soil', vigorously promoted technological transformation, successfully 'nurtured' a new generation of non-invasive liver disease detection technology, and launched the new Brand iLivTouch, providing impetus for the high-quality development of China's medical device industry."

Innovation Capacity Continuously Enhanced

As early as 2015, the State Council encouraged domestic medical device companies to strengthen innovation in the "Made in China 2025" plan; in May 2017, the Ministry of Science and Technology proposed in the "13th Five-Year Plan for Technological Innovation in Medical Devices" that medical devices should move towards domestic production, high-end development, and Brand building.

Simultaneously, a series of favorable policies have been introduced, opening a green channel for the innovation of medical device products and further accelerating the process of "import substitution" of high-end domestic medical devices. Data shows that from 2008 to the present, the domestic medical device industry has achieved an average annual compound growth rate of over 20% in R&D and manufacturing. A number of domestic medical device Brands have also emerged, benefiting patients with innovative scientific research achievements, with Hescale being a prime example.

Currently, FibroTouch, independently developed by Hescale, has served millions of people with liver diseases and occupies an important position in the high-end medical device market. While steadily advancing on the path of domestic production and high-end development, Hescale has also comprehensively upgraded its Brand this year, adopting the new high-end Brand iLivTouch and launching the Max series elastic detection system based on multi-channel image-guided instantaneous elasticity imaging technology (MigTE). This new product has achieved significant breakthroughs in detection accuracy, ease of operation, and clinical functions, and is far ahead of similar products on the market.

"The cultivation of innovative achievements is not an overnight success. Before officially launching the R&D of the Max series, we conducted rigorous and thorough preliminary research, verifying feasibility before project approval. At the same time, in the initial stages of the project, we tried many different solutions and evaluated, screened, and tested them one by one, ultimately establishing the best solution. The entire R&D process took five years to produce today's innovative achievements. The Max series features a dual-modality cross-border integrated probe, achieving precise synchronization of ultrasound images and elasticity measurement." Dr. He Qiong stated.

Max Series Achieves Initial Success

Compared with the previous generation of instantaneous elasticity imaging technology, the key to MigTE technology lies in how to collect data from multiple channels and then form an image. Dr. He Qiong explained that each channel represents the number of controllable vibration sources. A probe consists of multiple vibration sources, and multiple vibration sources can emit and receive ultrasonic signals at multiple positions, and the data obtained can form an image. In short, multiple signal channels are needed behind the vibration source to collect data. Multiple channels mean moving from one position to multiple positions, signals from one line to multiple lines, eventually forming a clear image visible to the naked eye, bringing convenience to doctors' clinical diagnosis.

In fact, using the pioneering image integration and intelligent fusion interaction technology, doctors can achieve integrated multi-channel image guidance and elasticity measurement, forming multi-directional, comparable images to help doctors quickly assess liver tissue morphology and complete the measurement of liver stiffness and fat attenuation parameters. Compared with liver puncture detection methods, the detection volume of the latest Max series has reached 1000 times that of liver puncture specimens. At the same time, the Max series can also observe the liver's position in real time, achieving what you see is what you measure.

Currently, the Max series has been put into operation in some hospitals and has achieved "maiden voyage" success. Dr. He Qiong revealed that doctors who used it in the early stages gave positive feedback. They believe that the images presented by Max are very clear, and the stability and accuracy of the detection are very good. In addition, the display method of elastic structure can also help correct errors during the operation, making it easy to operate and the detection efficiency is very high.

While bringing convenience to a large number of clinical doctors, Hescale is also thinking about the direction of future development. Dr. Shao Jinhua, general manager of the company, revealed: "In the future, based on MigTE technology, we hope to fully utilize the power of multiple channels and develop more functions. For example, for liver inflammation, fatty liver, etc., we plan to combine multi-channel imaging technology to collect more liver data information to provide more comprehensive assistance to doctors' diagnoses."