Lanzhou University Professor's Homegrown High-End Medical Equipment Ushers in a New Era of Precise and Safe Cancer Therapy

Within the broad field of oncology treatment, radiotherapy, surgery, and chemotherapy collectively constitute the “three pillars” supporting the therapeutic framework. Among these, radiation therapy is hailed as an “invisible surgical weapon” for destroying tumor cells, owing to its unique advantages. By leveraging high-energy ray technologies, it delivers precise and efficient targeting of tumor cells while striving to minimize damage to normal tissues, thereby optimizing therapeutic outcomes.

According to authoritative data, there were 4.8247 million new cancer cases and 2.5742 million cancer-related deaths in China in 2022, with the latter accounting for 26.5% of global cancer deaths. While approximately 70% of cancer patients abroad require radiotherapy, the corresponding proportion in China has not yet reached this level. These figures underscore the severity and urgency of cancer prevention and control efforts in China.

As the trend of population aging intensifies, the socioeconomic burden imposed by malignant tumors has become increasingly prominent, and cancer patients’ demand for innovative and highly effective treatments has grown more urgent. However, regrettably,For a long time, the domestic high-end radiotherapy equipment market has been unable to break free from the monopoly of foreign manufacturers.

“Can we break the current stalemate and provide the market with more inclusive oncology diagnosis and treatment products?”Guided by this vision, Professor Gu Long of Lanzhou University and founder of Ruisike has dedicated years to research and development, successfully creating boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) systems, proton therapy systems, and medical isotope production facilities.These devices not only offer high safety but also feature precise targeting and targeted therapy capabilities, thereby driving the development of upstream and downstream industries such as accelerators, electromagnets, power supplies, image guidance, and treatment planning systems. They are poised to accelerate the process of replacing imported high-end medical equipment with domestically produced alternatives.

Since 2011, Professor Gu Long has been dedicated to exploring and researching tumor particle diagnosis and therapy technologies and their potential for industrialization. During his tenure at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor Gu conducted in-depth research on particle diagnosis and therapy technologies and gained a profound understanding of their broad prospects for industrialization. While serving as Deputy Director of the National Nuclear Industry Research Institute at Lanzhou University, Professor Gu further recognized the importance of promoting the industrialization of this technology.

Professor Gu Long pointed out,China still lags significantly behind developed countries in the application of nuclear medicine and precision diagnosis and treatment. Based on two key indicators—the frequency of nuclear medicine diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and the per capita availability of nuclear medicine equipment—China’s level of nuclear medicine application is markedly lower than that of developed countries and regions such as those in Europe, the United States, and Japan.

To this end, Professor Gu Long officially founded Ruisike Medical in November 2022. Although the pandemic had not yet fully subsided at that time, Professor Gu firmly believed that as the epidemic gradually receded, the fields of high-end medical equipment and oncology would usher in a period of rapid development. Based on this profound insight and judgment, Professor Gu made the decisive move to enter this sector.

Since its inception, Ruisike Company has been committed to scaling the heights of particle diagnosis and therapy technology. In an interview with Chengguo Bureau, Professor Gu Long pointed out that although traditional radiotherapy can achieve certain therapeutic effects, it is often accompanied by significant side effects, a dilemma akin to “killing a thousand enemies while losing eight hundred of one’s own.” However, in the actual clinical setting of tumor treatment, the requirements for such therapeutic approaches are far more stringent.HeIt is believed that an ideal cancer treatment regimen should be able to completely eradicate tumor cells while minimizing damage to normal cells.

At the core of this paradigm shift is the more precise eradication of tumor cells, thereby avoiding unnecessary damage to surrounding healthy tissues. As an emerging enterprise, Ruisco is dedicated to achieving precise and safe diagnosis and treatment of tumors.

Professor Gu Long told VCBeat that the work undertaken by Ruiske is centered around the application of nuclear technology in healthcare, particularly in the field of advanced particle therapy and diagnostics.In this field, Ruisco places particular emphasis on three advanced particle-based diagnostic and therapeutic modalities: Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT), proton therapy, and the production of medical isotopes along with associated diagnostic technologies.。

Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) is vividly referred to as the “cellular knife,” a name derived from its unique mechanism: it leverages the nuclear reaction generated when boron-10 captures neutrons, releasing high-energy particles that precisely destroy tumor cells at the cellular level.

Proton therapy is another advanced form of precision-targeted treatment. It utilizes imaging technologies to determine the size, extent, and location of a tumor, precisely controlling the position of the Bragg peak of the proton beam so that it is located exactly within the tumor target volume. This enables “stereotactic ablation” of tumor cells, thereby achieving effective tumor eradication.

Medical isotope production and diagnostic technologies utilize accelerators to produce radionuclides, which are then separated, extracted, and synthesized into radiopharmaceuticals for cancer diagnosis or therapy.

From a technological portfolio perspective, the effective integration of Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT), proton therapy, and medical isotope production and diagnostic technologies can establish a precise and efficient system for cancer diagnosis and treatment.

Therefore, in terms of product commercialization, Rayco took the lead by focusing on two categories of high-end medical equipment: Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT) systems and proton therapy systems. In 2020, Putian City, Fujian Province, collaborated with Professor Gu Long’s team to launch the independently developed BNCT medical demonstration device project (Kunwu Dao) at the Mazu Health City. In 2022, China’s first BNCT medical demonstration device with fully independent intellectual property rights completed final assembly and commissioning, successfully achieving beam output, with its design specifications ranking among the top globally.

It was revealed that, as the first Kunwu Knife system steadily advanced through medical device registration testing and clinical trials, Professor Gu Long led his team in accelerating the industrialization of China’s high-end medical equipment. They successfully deployed the next-generation boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT) system in Jinjiang and also brought the team’s first independently developed proton therapy system to Jinjiang, thereby speeding up the development of the advanced particle diagnosis and treatment industry in both China and Fujian Province.

In addition to deploying the two aforementioned high-end medical equipment categories, Ruisco has meticulously developed three new radiopharmaceutical product pipelines based on accelerator technology. These product pipelines are designed to meet the needs of hospitals of varying scales, facilitating the rapid establishment and development of nuclear medicine departments in large, medium, and small hospitals, thereby enabling precise and efficient diagnosis and treatment of tumors.

Through this strategic business layout, Ruisike has successfully integrated the entire industry chain spanning medical devices, drug development, and clinical applications, thereby providing cancer patients with more comprehensive and personalized diagnosis and treatment solutions.

It is worth emphasizing that Ruisike has decided to simultaneously advance the research, development, and production of its entire product pipeline. Professor Gu Long pointed out that although this decision has imposed significant challenges and pressure on the company, Ruisike has successfully accumulated commercial orders by virtue of its outstanding performance in the field of advanced particle diagnosis and therapy technologies. At least from a financial perspective, the company has secured sufficient advance payments to effectively cover various expenses related to R&D and production."Supported by stable cash flow, Professor Gu Long expects that all product pipelines will successfully transition to the registration phase by the end of next year."

Particle therapy systems are a critical component of high-end medical equipment, and their research, development, and manufacturing must strictly adhere to national-level high-standard quality management systems. To this end, relevant enterprises must possess robust R&D capabilities, abundant technical resources, and excellent management proficiency to ensure the safety, efficacy, and stability of the equipment.

Professor Gu Long pointed out in the conversation that particle diagnosis and treatment technology holds immense market potential; however, the practical challenges of high technical barriers and substantial capital investment cannot be overlooked. He also revealed that Ruisike Company is actively preparing its financing plan for this year, aiming to accelerate the research and development of next-generation products to further advance the field.。

While focusing on technological breakthroughs, the company’s vision is also committed to benefiting the general public by ensuring that advanced medical technologies reach a broad population, thereby facilitating the widespread adoption of nuclear medicine and precision radiotherapy equipment in major medical institutions. He particularly emphasized that one of RaySearch’s core objectives is to significantly reduce the cost of particle therapy within the next five years, bringing it on par with photon therapy. This aims to eliminate price barriers, enabling more patients to benefit from the precise treatment and high efficacy offered by particle therapy.

The primary objective of this financing round is not only to raise capital to support the company’s operations and growth, but also to strategically introduce investors of significant strategic value. This aims to jointly drive the company toward a more systematic and standardized development path, thereby achieving a more robust and efficient operational model.

Professor Gu Long stated, “We look forward to external forces driving the company’s standardization in a reverse manner, enhancing management efficiency, enabling us to advance more efficiently toward commercialization, and steadily progressing toward our goal of becoming a century-old enterprise.”As a scientist-entrepreneur, his ultimate pursuit is not only to drive the industrialization of innovative technologies but also to ensure that more people benefit from advanced particle therapy and diagnostics, thereby realizing the vision of making these technologies accessible to all and benefiting humanity.