Fujian Medical University Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital to Transfer Novel Microwave Ablation Needle Patent for RMB 190,000

Recently, Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University released a public notice on the transformation of scientific and technological achievements, proposing to transfer its"A Microwave Ablation Needle"Transfer of the relevant patents, with a transfer amount ofRMB 190,000. The inventors of this patent areProf. Guo Wuhua。

This technology is a microwave ablation needle, with its coreMicrowave Ablation Therapy for Soft Tissue Lesions in Liver Cancer, Renal Cancer, and Other Conditions, emitting microwave energy through radiating electrodes to heat, coagulate, and necrotize the diseased tissue, thereby achieving the therapeutic objective.

Its key advantage isForming a radiation zone and a reflection zone at the periphery of the radiating electrode, the reflective zone directs microwave energy to the radiation zone to achieve directional radiation, thereby avoiding damage to normal tissues surrounding the lesion (particularly suitable for lesions adjacent to major blood vessels and vital organs). Meanwhile, water circulation cooling through the inlet and outlet chambers reduces the risk of tissue carbonization, enhancing surgical safety and precision.

Microwave Ablation TechnologyAs a critical therapeutic approach for soft tissue lesions such as liver cancer, kidney cancer, and lung cancer, its clinical application demand continues to rise due to the advantages of minimal invasiveness and high efficiency.Microwave Ablation NeedleAs the core actuator of this technology, its performance directly determines therapeutic efficacy and patient safety. While it should serve as a key enabler for precise ablation, existing products suffer from numerous critical pain points that severely constrain the safety and adaptability of clinical applications.

Traditional microwave ablation needles face core technological bottlenecks: on one hand,Inherent Flaws in the Radiation Pattern, most existing products are of the omnidirectional radiation type, with microwave energy diffusing indiscriminately in all directions. When ablating lesion tissues adjacent to vital organs such as large blood vessels, bronchi, and the esophagus (distance ≤2 cm), they are highly likely to damage surrounding normal tissues. This not only reduces the local control rate but may also trigger severe complications, significantly increasing surgical risk; on the other hand,Insufficient Cooling and Stability, some products lack efficient water-circulation cooling systems, making them prone to tissue carbonization and overheating of the needle tip during ablation. Moreover, the needle bodies mostly feature segmented connection structures, resulting in a higher risk of needle breakage or tip detachment, which further compromises surgical safety and reliability.

From the perspective of clinical practicality, existing products still exhibit significant limitations in adaptability. Some products have fixed and non-adjustable radiation angles, making it impossible to flexibly adjust the ablation zone according to the shape and location of the diseased tissue, thereby failing to meet the treatment requirements for complex lesions. Additionally, some products demonstrate poor tip visibility under medical imaging, prone to generating artifacts that result in insufficient puncture localization accuracy and compromise the precision of ablation.

Meanwhile, traditional products fail to adequately address the personalized needs of diverse pathological scenarios and lack targeted designs for lesions located near vital organs. Consequently, surgeons must frequently adjust the puncture angle during procedures to avoid damaging normal tissues, which not only increases operational difficulty but may also prolong surgical duration and exacerbate patient trauma.

Furthermore, existing products exhibit numerous deficiencies in detailed design: the sealing performance of the radiation zone at certain metal needle tips is suboptimal, making coolant leakage prone to causing tissue irritation; certain products demonstrate poor impedance matching of the radiating electrode, resulting in significant microwave energy transmission loss, reduced ablation efficiency, and an increased probability of gas explosions. These issues collectively confine microwave ablation procedures to a predicament characterized by "insufficient precision, high safety risks, and poor adaptability to clinical scenarios." There is an urgent clinical need for a microwave ablation needle that offers precise directional radiation, efficient and stable cooling, and compatibility with complex lesions, thereby addressing clinical pain points throughout the entire workflow from puncture localization to ablation and inactivation.

Addressing the long-standing issues of microwave ablation needles in clinical applications“Indiscriminate radiation, susceptibility of normal tissues to damage, and insufficient surgical safety”Addressing core pain points, Professor Guo Wuhua’s team from Mengchao Hepatobiliary Hospital of Fujian Medical University, leveraging years of clinical experience, collaborated with an engineering team to innovatively develop a novel microwave ablation needle technology. This technology features“High-Precision Directional Radiation + Full-Dimensional Safety Protection”Leveraging this as its core advantage, it has established an integrated solution encompassing puncture localization, energy delivery, and ablation-induced inactivation. This effectively overcomes the application limitations of traditional fully radiative ablation needles in treating lesions adjacent to vital organs, providing more reliable and intelligent equipment support for minimally invasive ablation therapy.

InCore Function InnovationIn this regard, the technology has achieved a substantial breakthrough in directional radiation, significantly reducing the risk of inadvertent injury to normal tissues. Traditional microwave ablation needles are difficult to use safely for treating lesions adjacent to critical structures such as major blood vessels, bronchi, and the esophagus, due to their indiscriminate radial energy diffusion. This technology achieves precise energy control through two major design approaches:

1. Innovatively constructing a radiation zone and a reflection zone around the periphery of the radiating electrode——The reflective region efficiently reflects and focuses microwave energy onto a preset radiation zone, which releases energy through micron-scale through-holes or slot apertures, supporting multiple preset radiation angles such as 30°, 60°, 90°, and 180° (with a maximum coverage of 360° omnidirectional); it is particularly suitable for high-risk lesions located within 2 cm of vital organs;

Second, two technical solutions are provided: metal tips and ceramic tips.Metal needle tips employ precision array through-holes of 0.01 mm–0.2 mm to conduct microwaves, while ceramic needle tips achieve energy focusing in conjunction with the open slots of internal metal tubes. Both approaches can highly concentrate microwave energy on the target tissue, theoretically significantly enhancing local control efficiency while markedly reducing energy leakage to surrounding healthy tissues.

InSafety PerformanceIn this regard, the technology establishes a comprehensive security assurance system through multi-level structural synergy:

High-Efficiency Water Circulation Cooling System:By utilizing a coaxial cable structure with inflow and outflow chambers formed between the inner and outer tubes, combined with a distal flow-guiding tube design, cooling water is directed straight to the tip of the radiating electrode. This ensures efficient heat absorption and circulation discharge, effectively suppressing tissue carbonization and enhancing equipment stability under high-power operating conditions.

Integrated Structure Enhances Reliability:The needle tip and needle shaft are integrally formed via laser welding, reinforced with heat-shrink tubing, thereby completely eliminating risks such as needle breakage or tip detachment associated with traditional segmented structures that rely on soldering or adhesive bonding.

Multi-layered Detail Protection Design:The gold-plated layer on the surface of the radiating electrode enhances microwave transmission efficiency; the distal chamfer precisely defines the ablation endpoint; insulating blocks and sleeves prevent accidental electrical conduction between electrodes; the through-hole area employs a dual-sealing design with coating and an inner insulating tube to eliminate tissue irritation caused by coolant leakage.

InClinical AdaptabilityIn terms of this aspect, the technology demonstrates“Multi-scenario compatibility, user-friendly operation, and precise positioning”significant advantages. Its radiation zone can be configured as either continuous or intermittent, with flexible circumferential coverage angles to accommodate complex lesions of varying morphologies and locations. The device features an annular radiopaque groove at the distal end of the needle tip, providing clear visualization and minimal artifacts under medical imaging modalities such as CT and ultrasound, thereby significantly enhancing puncture localization accuracy. The exposed length of the radiating electrode is ≤5 mm, and its outer diameter is consistent with that of the coaxial cable’s outer shielding layer. This design ensures ablation efficiency while effectively reducing the risk of vapor explosion.

Furthermore, this product is compatible with existing mainstream microwave ablation generator platforms and can be deployed for clinical use without requiring additional equipment modifications. The operational procedure is largely consistent with that of conventional ablation needles, resulting in a low learning curve for physicians and facilitating rapid adoption and widespread implementation.

InProduct Quality and Market CompetitivenessIn this regard, the technology also demonstrates significant advantages: its core components are fabricated from high-performance materials such as medical-grade stainless steel, nickel-titanium alloys, and bioceramics, offering excellent biocompatibility, thermal conductivity, and corrosion resistance. The manufacturing process is highly standardized, with strict control over key parameters (such as radiation angle, through-hole dimensions, and cooling channel structure), ensuring batch-to-batch consistency. Notably, for special lesions adjacent to major blood vessels, bronchi, and bile ducts, it provides a directional ablation solution that is difficult to achieve with conventional products, thereby filling a gap in clinical applications.

WithPrecise Targeting, Safe and Reliable, Broad CompatibilityThree Core Advantages: This microwave ablation needle technology demonstrates broad application prospects in the minimally invasive treatment of soft tissue tumors, including liver, lung, and kidney cancers. It is poised to become a key tool for next-generation ablation therapy, supporting the high-quality development of precision interventional treatments.

With the rapid proliferation of minimally invasive interventional oncology therapies, the microwave ablation needle market has evolved into a dual-track landscape featuring both conventional omnidirectional radiation models and directional/precision-controlled models, with domestic and international enterprises and institutions focusing onRadiation Controllability, Cooling Efficiency, Image Visualization, Structural SafetyIterative upgrades across four key areas are driving overall progress toward greater precision, enhanced safety, and better adaptation to complex lesions.

True Health (Zhuhai) Medical Technology Co., Ltd., integrates respiratory tracking and optical navigation with microwave ablation needles to achieve intraoperative dynamic localization and automatic calibration, reducing reliance on puncture techniques and enhancing the precision of ablation for respiratory-moving organs such as the lungs and liver; it has received NMPA approval for market launch.

Jiangsu PolyUChuang Technology Co., Ltd., the tip of the single-use microwave ablation needle is made of a proprietary material with enhanced toughness. It features a high-precision temperature monitoring system and a high-flow water cooling system, offers multiple models to accommodate different lesions, holds multiple patents, and has been approved for inclusion in the national medical insurance coverage.

Hijia (Beijing) Medical Device Co., Ltd.,Its “Kangbo Knife” integrates microwave hyperthermia and cryoablation technologies to enhance the uniformity of marginal tumor necrosis. It is indicated for solid tumors with a diameter ≥3 cm, has obtained CE certification, and been included in the Green Channel for Innovative Medical Devices.