RuiTu Bio Redefines Clinical Laboratory Testing with AI-Driven Full Automation: Over 500 Hospital Adoptions Within a Year

This reflects the typical work reality and personal experiences of most clinical laboratory physicians, who faced an even heavier workload during the pandemic.

With the rapid advancement of modern technology, the automation process in clinical laboratories began in the mid-to-late 20th century and has now entered a relatively mature stage. However, two prominent issues still persist today:

First, the pre-analytical sample processing workflow in clinical laboratories is cumbersome, time-consuming, and labor-intensive. The implementation of total laboratory automation and intelligence remains in its early stages, and there is a lack of standardized operating procedures across different laboratories.

Second, the level of automation in cytological examination varies significantly across different sample types. Morphological analyses—ranging from routine blood cell and urine sediment examinations to karyotyping for genetic eugenics screening—are still predominantly performed manually, covering all steps from specimen pre-processing to microscopic observation.

Addressing Industry Pain Points and Challenges,Shenzhen Reetoo Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Reetoo”) is dedicated to providing testing laboratories with fully automated and intelligent diagnostic products that cover all specimen types and the entire workflow, thereby redefining the landscape of medical laboratory testing.Based on this, VCBeat interviewed Dr. Li Qiaoliang, General Manager and Chief Scientist of Reetoo.

Dr. Li Qiaoliang graduated with a degree in Artificial Intelligence from Huazhong University of Science and Technology and serves as an Associate Professor in the Department of In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) Technology at Shenzhen University, the first such department in China. He has published more than 120 papers in top international journals, including IEEE TMI and TBME, and has filed over 30 patent applications. He has collaborated in the development of more than ten innovative diagnostic products, including China’s first fully automated chemiluminescence immunoassay analyzer and a fully automated C-reactive protein (CRP) analyzer.

In 2017, Dr. Li Qiaoliang co-founded Reetoo with Dr. Qi Suwen, his long-time colleague. Dr. Qi earned her degree in Clinical Laboratory Diagnostics from Chongqing Medical University. She is an invited reviewer for the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), has presided over 15 provincial and ministerial-level projects including those funded by the NSFC, and has published more than 40 SCI-indexed papers. Currently serving as a master’s supervisor at Shenzhen University, she oversees reagent research and development at Reetoo.

Patient specimens collected in hospitals can be categorized by test type into physical indicators, chemical indicators, and morphological indicators. Physical indicators represent the most basic tests, including specimen color, pH, and shape. Chemical indicators are used to detect the chemical reaction characteristics or concentrations of various substances within the specimen. Morphological indicators are employed to observe the types and features of various components in the specimen. Among these, morphological indicators have become the “gold standard” for diagnosing many diseases due to their objective, authentic, and direct nature.

To gain a clearer understanding of the pain points in current testing scenarios, let us take the example of gynecological vaginal discharge specimen testing. It is understood that vaginal discharge testing comprises two components: dry chemistry analysis and cytological morphology examination. Dry chemistry indicators include sialidase, leukocyte esterase, and other parameters. During the procedure, the specimen eluent is added to the reagent test card, where substances in the vaginal discharge undergo a chromogenic chemical reaction with the reagents, thereby determining whether the chemical indicators are negative or positive. The technical difficulty of dry chemistry testing is relatively low, and many hospitals employ semi-automated and fully automated instruments for such analyses.

However, cytological examination of vaginal discharge specimens is technically challenging and has a low degree of automation. Laboratory physicians must elute the sampled cotton swabs in buffer solution, manually smear them onto glass slides, and perform additional procedures such as staining and drying. Ultimately, cells and bacteria are classified and quantified through direct microscopic visualization to assess specimen cleanliness and aid in the diagnosis of gynecological diseases.

Dr. Li Qiaoliang stated, “Currently, in the field of medical laboratory testing, cytological morphology analysis is almost entirely performed manually. The examination of a single specimen can take anywhere from half an hour to several hours, or even longer.”

Insufficient staffing in clinical laboratories, coupled with repetitive and cumbersome operational tasks, not only leads to physical and mental exhaustion among laboratory physicians but also compromises the accuracy of test results. Leveraging its years of deep expertise in the in vitro diagnostics (IVD) industry, the reetoo team has conducted an in-depth analysis of these pain points and utilized its research strengths to integrate AI with IVD, creating a fundamental solution.

One-Stop Completion of All Specimen Testing Items

Taking the detection of gynecological leukorrhea specimens as an example, Reetoo has launched the F2000 Fully Automated Vaginal Secretion Analyzer, a specimen-centric one-stop automated processing system. Specifically,Operators need only load the dedicated tube containing the vaginal discharge swab directly onto the instrument, and the system will automatically complete the analysis of six chemical indicators, including sialidase and leukocyte esterase.。

Meanwhile, the F2000 has also automated complex cytomorphological testing procedures, enabling one-stop, on-board completion of sample dilution, slide preparation, staining, and scanning with focused imaging.The scanned images are transmitted to the terminal display, where the host system employs AI algorithm models to identify and statistically classify cellular images, generate corresponding diagnostic reports, and automatically upload them to the hospital’s HIS (Hospital Information System).

“From being able to process only dozens of specimens per person per day, to simultaneously managing multiple machines per person per day, work efficiency may increase by more than tenfold.” Currently, Reetoo’s gynecological testing products have launched two models, the F600 and the F2000, with testing speeds reaching up to 60 tests per hour and 90 tests per hour, respectively, meeting the needs of hospitals of different scales.

Dr. Li Qiaoliang stated, “Why do we say that laboratory medicine is being reshaped? For operators, the operational workflow has undergone significant changes. The original specimen testing process was fragmented, consisting of several or even dozens of discrete steps, whereas the one-stop system has completely overturned this model, bringing about a major upgrade to the entire workflow.”

This product shifts from the traditional methodology-centric testing approach to a specimen-centric, one-stop testing solution.Various types of specimens are automatically scanned and transported via a track system to designated equipment for testing, with results uploaded directly to the hospital information system, thereby achieving a fully automated workflow without manual intervention.

AI-Assisted, Significantly Improving Recognition Accuracy

The essence of restructuring laboratory medicine lies in the disruptive innovation of testing and analytical models, with AI playing a pivotal technological role that determines the future trajectory of intelligent automation in the field.

reetoo’s F600 analyzer not only liberates operators from repetitive manual tasks but also provides intelligent cell image recognition and analysis, marking the first successful application of AI deep learning technology in IVD products.

According to reports, the F600 currently maintains an average cell recognition accuracy of over 90% for vaginal discharge specimens., overcoming issues such as complex background, high levels of impurities, and cellular deformation in vaginal discharge samples. Furthermore, the algorithm model of the F600 analyzer can continuously self-update and train during client-side operation, thereby enhancing detection performance.

Reetoo’s next-generation DeepCell AI engine serves as the core foundation for image recognition.According to the introduction, the DeepCell engine achieves high-accuracy image recognition by overcoming two technical challenges. First, it demonstrates strong generalization capabilities, maintaining stable performance across large-scale clinical samples. Second, the algorithm has low computational requirements. To consider product usage costs, the AI model is well-adapted to run on standard computers and computing cards.

Achieving both of these simultaneously poses a significant challenge to Reetoo’s big data development and algorithm research, which, conversely, has become its core competitive advantage.

It is reported that,Reetoo, as the lead organization, co-drafted the Chinese Expert Consensus on the Testing of Gynecological Leucorrhea Specimens in collaboration with over 30 Grade A tertiary hospitals nationwide; it also served as the chief editor for the Group Standard for Automatic Vaginal Secretion Analyzers issued by the Guangdong Medical Device Management Association.Dr. Li Qiaoliang stated that Reetoo will continue to collaborate with more hospitals to promote the gradual elevation of group standards to industry and international standards.

As of now, reetoo has obtained11 Class II NMPA Registration Certificates，24 Medical Device Product Filingsand84 CE Certifications，The product line covers eight major categories of full-specimen testing in the clinical laboratory, including blood, vaginal discharge, semen, chromosomes, urine, feces, sputum, and tissue., providing a comprehensive product portfolio for future total laboratory automation solutions.

As a brand-new brand and enterprise, Reetoo has also achieved rapid promotional growth. It is reported thatIn 2021, its installed base covered more than 500 hospitals at secondary level or above in China, including top-tier institutions such as Wuhan Union Hospital, Sichuan Provincial People’s Hospital, and Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital., recognized by experts。

Although Ruitoo Biotechnology has a larger proportion of its team dedicated to R&D, this does not hinder its strength in both R&D and sales. Its commercialization strategy is divided into three major segments:

First, top-down dissemination. The promotion of innovative products is more effectively initiated through academic and research channels, leveraging the influence of academic leaders and large tertiary hospitals to radiate outward to surrounding areas, thereby conducting market promotion gradually from the top down.

Second, by forging strategic partnerships with influential enterprises, the company is actively engaging in business development (BD) collaborations with well-known brands both domestically and internationally to accelerate product commercialization and rapid market penetration.

Thirdly, overseas market expansion is being advanced simultaneously. Reetoo is currently building its overseas team and actively participating in exhibitions such as MEDICA and Arab Health in Dubai. It has been disclosed that the company has received cooperation intentions from distributors in Europe, the Middle East, and other regions.

According to reports, Reetoo plans to conduct a Series C financing round in the near future to accelerate product research and development and market promotion.Currently, its product development has entered the second phase, upgrading workstations into an assembly-line configuration. The products feature modular assembly and can be differentially configured based on site-specific conditions and testing standards, thereby more flexibly adapting to end-user requirements.

But this is not all of reetoo.

“From an abstract perspective, automation can be said to have liberated the hands of operators. The next step is to liberate their minds by leveraging AI for microscopic examination, quality control, result verification, and report interpretation,” stated Dr. Li Qiaoliang. “These areas will be the key focus of reetoo over the next three to five years. If corresponding AI solutions are successfully implemented, it will bring about a transformative change in clinical laboratories:”From automation to AI-driven operations, moving closer to unattended laboratories, but this all requires time to mature.。”