Zhongjiu Flash Launches China's First High-End FLASH Radiotherapy System e-Flash200A

Recently, at the opening ceremony of the 12th China (Mianyang) Science and Technology City International Science and Technology Expo, Zhongjiu Flashlight made a high-profile release of its major scientific and technological achievement: the “Zhongjiu Flashlight e-Flash200A Ultra-High Dose Rate Electron Beam Radiotherapy System.”

“Mianyang Release” has recognized this technological achievement as “globally leading and a domestic first,” which will provide more advanced and efficient treatment options for cancer patients in China.

Radiotherapy is one of the three major modalities for cancer treatment (alongside surgery and chemotherapy). Conventional radiotherapy typically employs fixed radiation fields, which struggle to fully conform to the irregular shapes of tumors and may cause significant damage to surrounding healthy tissues during irradiation. In contrast to conventional radiotherapy techniques, FLASH radiotherapy is a technology that delivers high-dose-rate radiation to tumors within an extremely short time frame, thereby reducing radiation-induced toxicity to surrounding healthy tissues while ensuring effective tumor cell kill.

The newly released Zhongjiu Flash e-Flash200A Electron Beam Radiotherapy System is a superficial tumor treatment device based on electron beams,Characterized by ultra-high dose rate, controllable penetration depth, short treatment duration, precise targeting, and low side effects, it is suitable for irradiation of superficial lesions, radiotherapy for superficial solid tumors, and intraoperative radiotherapy, and can serve as an adjuvant therapy during and after surgery.

The system is equipped with an automatic positioning, six-degree-of-freedom medical robotic arm capable of handling heavy loads with sub-millimeter positioning accuracy, a high-precision dose feedback and control system operating at ultra-high dose rates, and a manual traction and visual guidance system to conduct radiotherapy;It is expected to reduce the number of radiation therapy sessions in a single course from over 20 to just 1–4, while shortening the duration of each session from 15 minutes to under one second. This approach can significantly reduce toxic side effects, alleviate patient suffering, lower treatment costs, and improve therapeutic efficiency.

The system officially passed the product type testing in September 2024. This marks a critical step forward for China in the research and development of Flash radiotherapy systems, opening up a new avenue in cancer treatment and filling a domestic gap.

In addition, Zhongjiu Flash is also fully advancing the research and development of its X-ray FLASH radiotherapy system, which is applicable to radiotherapy for solid tumors at various depths. It is expected to complete type testing and enter the clinical trial phase in 2025.

In 2019, a French research team first applied FLASH radiotherapy to a 75-year-old patient with T-cell cutaneous lymphoma. Following treatment, the tumor began to regress significantly within 10 days, and only mild side effects were observed. This case marked the first successful application of FLASH radiotherapy in a human patient, demonstrating its potential clinical benefits.

Since then, clinical studies have been gradually conducted worldwide, primarily focusing on exploring the feasibility and safety of FLASH radiotherapy, as well as its effects on tumors and normal tissues.

Abroad, the Proton Center at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in the United States has launched the FAST-01 and FAST-02 trials to evaluate the safety and efficacy of proton FLASH radiotherapy; meanwhile, the University of Lausanne Faculty of Biology and Medicine in Switzerland has initiated the IMPULSE Phase I dose-escalation clinical trial, which primarily focuses on administering FLASH radiotherapy to patients with cutaneous metastases of melanoma.

Numerous hospital experts in China have also launched research into FLASH radiotherapy. In 2020, the technical team at the Institute of Applied Electronics, China Academy of Engineering Physics, utilized a terahertz free-electron laser injector to establish the world’s first high-energy X-ray photon FLASH radiotherapy validation platform. They provided the first global demonstration of the high-energy X-ray FLASH effect and simultaneously completed the miniaturized design of the device.

Currently, the major companies worldwide engaged in research on FLASH radiotherapy include Varian, IBA, Mevion, PMB, Maxscend Medical, and Zhongjiu Flash.

Meisheng Medical is a global leader in the field of miniaturized proton radiotherapy. Its proton radiotherapy equipment is the world’s smallest integrated, cost-effective single-room proton therapy system. In October 2020, Meisheng Medical debuted its proprietary FLASH research technology at the annual meeting of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

In October 2021, Meisheng Medical partnered with Sweden’s RaySearch to develop advanced treatment planning technologies and explore irradiation techniques for FLASH proton intensity-modulated therapy. This technology leverages the ultra-high dose rate of FLASH in small field sizes to achieve the large-volume FLASH fields required in clinical practice, thereby optimizing Meisheng Medical’s HYPERSCAN pencil beam scanning technology and delivering superior clinical outcomes.

Currently, FLASH proton therapy has demonstrated significant potential in the treatment of malignant tumors, but research worldwide remains in the preclinical trial stage.

Zhongjiu Flash was established in 2022 through joint investment by Sichuan Changhong Electronic Holding Group, the Institute of Applied Electronics of China Academy of Engineering Physics, Mianyang Science and Technology City Kexin Medical Development Co., Ltd., and Mianyang Yuancheng Integrated Development Group Co., Ltd. The company specializes in the research, development, manufacturing, and sales of high-end medical equipment, specifically FLASH radiotherapy linear accelerators.

The establishment of Zhongjiu Shanguang marks Changhong’s formal entry into the nuclear medicine industry.

In January 2023, Changhong jointly invested with enterprises such as the Institute of Applied Electronics, China Academy of Engineering Physics, to carry out the research and development, experimentation, testing, and regulatory approval certification of high-energy X-ray FLASH medical devices and related products. In 2023, it signed a strategic cooperation agreement with BGI Group to jointly establish a Joint R&D Center for FLASH Radiotherapy Technology, conducting research collaborations on preclinical trials of FLASH radiotherapy equipment and the application of nuclear medicine technologies.

Huaan Securities forecasts that the market size of radiotherapy equipment in China is expected to reach RMB 6.33 billion by 2030. This indicates that the radiotherapy equipment industry possesses sustained growth momentum and promising market prospects.

In the face of a multi-billion-dollar radiotherapy market, the drive toward self-reliance and controllability in high-end technologies has become unstoppable. Beyond Zhongjiu Shanguang’s e-Flash200A electron beam radiotherapy system, domestically produced high-end radiotherapy equipment has achieved multidimensional breakthroughs in clinical oncology radiotherapy.

For instance, in June, China’s first “Magnetic Wave Knife” entered the NMPA’s “Green Channel” for special review of innovative medical devices, ushering in an era of non-invasive tumor treatment; in September, RayerKnife, the first domestically produced “CyberKnife” from Ruier Medical, officially received NMPA approval for market launch, reshaping the global landscape of the stereotactic radiotherapy market; in the same month, United Imaging Healthcare unveiled the industry’s first integrated direct-use accelerator—the integrated CT-ring linear accelerator uLinac HalosTx—elevating image-guided radiation therapy (IGRT) to the high-definition CT era and significantly enhancing radiotherapy precision.