Jinse Medical Leverages Mixed Reality Surgical Navigation with Tech Giants, Industry Leaders, and Top Hospitals

Li Shangyin’s “Jinse” from the Tang Dynasty is undoubtedly familiar to all: “The zither, for no reason, has fifty strings; each string, each bridge, recalls my youthful years. Zhuangzi dreamed at dawn he was a butterfly, bewitched; Emperor Wang entrusted his springtime longing to the cuckoo.” This unique classical rhythm of Chinese poetry, with its interplay of reality and illusion imbued with a dreamlike romanticism, continues to generate new meanings and vitality in the ongoing inheritance of Chinese culture.

A millennium later, an engineering professional born in the 1980s from Gaoyou, Jiangsu, and educated in Shanghai, used technology as his pen to imbue “MiDIVI” with new significance for the era on the solemn and vast blueprint of life.

“I really like this poem. When naming the company, I found it quite distinctive, and the interplay between the tangible and intangible imagery within it resonates well with the mixed reality solutions we aim to develop,” said Pan Zhen, founder of MiDIVI, with a smile and a touch of shyness.

Virtual images overlaid with real-world images; image provided by the company

At the start of 2022, while the chill still clung to the bare branches, MiDIVI, a leading enterprise in mixed reality surgical navigation, successively secured tens of millions of RMB in Series A and A+ financing, presenting a vibrant scene. Behind this achievement was not only a cohort of emerging investors such as Weilin Capital, Chang Venture Capital, and Probe Capital, but also the support of prominent industrial investor Shangyuan Capital.

Capital is smart, and it tends to flow toward high-value areas. So what sets MiDIVI apart, given the strong interest from investors? With this curiosity in mind, VCBeat interviewed Pan Zhen, founder of MiDIVI.

MiDIVI, founded in 2017, is a pioneering medical enterprise in China that has developed a mixed reality surgical platform capable of navigating both soft and hard tissues. As early as the end of 2019,MiDIVI Secures China’s First Product Registration Certificate Based on Mixed Reality Technology.

The application scenarios of its independently developed mixed reality (MR) product series coverSurgical Medical Education, Clinical Practice, Remote Collaboration, and Surgical Navigationand other directions, bringing new innovation-driven factors to the technological iteration of smart surgery in the new round.

MiDIVI Medical Team

Pan Zhen, Founder & CEO, is a serial entrepreneur in the healthcare sector, having participated in MediTool (Mai Di Tu), a 3D printing enterprise, and possesses 16 years of experience in marketing and sales management within the medical industry.

Co-founder and CTO, Chen Liang,Holding a Master’s degree in Software Engineering from Nanjing University, he is the Co-founder of MediTool and leads software and hardware R&D. He has amassed extensive expertise in 3D reconstruction and imaging algorithms, demonstrating efficient and agile engineering development capabilities. Previously, he worked at Siemens Healthineers and Intel.

The core team is primarily composed of professionals born in the 1980s, who are mature, steady, and highly creative. The remaining core members possess diverse professional backgrounds, includingSerial entrepreneur,There have also beenExecutives at Fortune 500 companies and emerging domestic medical enterprises, as well as department directors and professors at top-tier tertiary hospitals in China.

Overall, MiDIVI’s team boasts a diverse talent pool with hybrid expertise spanning R&D, engineering, and sales.

The knee joint is the most complex joint in the human body and also the largest weight-bearing joint. As people age, prolonged use leads to wear and degeneration of the bones, which can induce diseases. Common symptoms include limited walking distance and an inability to climb stairs. Once knee problems arise, they have a significant impact on both physical health and daily life. Leveraging modern technology and advancements in cutting-edge medicine, total knee arthroplasty is currently the mainstream treatment method.

Total Knee Arthroplasty (TKA) is a novel technique for treating knee disorders that has gradually evolved following the successful clinical application of total hip arthroplasty. It effectively improves joint function, restores joint stability, and alleviates pain in end-stage knee disease, thereby significantly enhancing patients’ quality of life. TKA is widely practiced in developed countries.

The key to surgical success lies in the correct restoration of mechanical alignment. Postoperative patient satisfaction and prosthetic longevity in total knee arthroplasty largely depend on optimal postoperative knee alignment. Poor restoration of surgical alignment will lead to revision knee arthroplasty.

However, intraoperative positioning, bone resection, and prosthesis implantation in conventional total knee arthroplasty rely heavily on the surgeon’s experiential judgment, are subject to considerable subjective influence, and thus demand high levels of clinical experience and professional competence from the operating surgeon.

MiDIVI TKA proposes an intelligent and precise navigation solution for joint replacement surgery by deeply integrating virtual images, real-world targets, and surgical consumables.

PreoperativeMiDIVI TKA can confirm alignment, plan osteotomy surfaces, plan osteotomy thickness and angles, and perform prosthesis simulation,IntraoperativeBy precisely aligning with preoperative plans and real-world targets, real-time registration transforms total knee arthroplasty (TKA) from an experience-based procedure into a digitalized and precise surgical technique. It enables dynamic navigation for bone resection, resection verification, and intelligent real-time calculation and holographic display of flexion/extension angles, reducing errors to within 0.1°.

The significance is self-evident. For surgeons, it reduces instrument usage during procedures, lowers dependence on experience, and significantly enhances surgical precision, shortening the operative time from the original 90–120 minutes to within 60–70 minutes. For patients, it offers smaller incisions and less invasiveness compared to traditional total knee arthroplasty (TKA), enabling faster recovery and reduced soft tissue dissection. For hospitals, it helps improve bed turnover rates.

MiDIVI Holographic TKA Navigation Product Application Cases, Images Provided by the Company

Moreover, the system and its associated equipment are easy to operate and user-friendly.Physicians can operate the system after just two hours of preoperative training, with MiDIVI providing dedicated on-site support during surgeries to ensure smooth usage.

Moreover, the system can seamlessly fuse virtual images with the actual surgical lesion site.Giving Doctors "X-Ray Vision"，Avoid frequent screen checking to prevent intraoperative distraction. Meanwhile, this feature alsoFacilitating surgical medical education.

Jinshu System is a product in the planning stage of MiDIVI, and it will be the main product to be developed in the later stage. It is mainly used for patient education, doctor training, postoperative review and other fields, as well as assisting in preliminary intraoperative positioning.

With its robust capabilities, MiDIVI has becomeMicrosoft MRPP Certified Partner (one of fewer than 10 globally), Microsoft Co-Sell Partner,With Leading Listed Orthopedic CompaniesWeigao Orthopedicswork, and withThe First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine; Xiangya Hospital of Central South University; Nanjing Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University; Shanghai Chest Hospital; Shanghai Ninth People's Hospital; The First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University; Wuhan Union Hospital; Shanghai Changhai Hospitalhas established integrated industry-academia-research collaborations with the clinical departments of dozens of hospitals, and has achieved implementation primarily in the Yangtze River BasinNearly 50 hospitals have been onboarded.

Preoperative planning conducted by physicians using MiDIVI’s products. Image provided by MiDIVI.

In addition,Siemens Healthineers, AstraZeneca, Johnson & JohnsonMany well-known multinational corporations, among others, are also actively engaging in technical collaborations with MiDIVI on smart surgical products. In the future, MiDIVI will introduce more smart surgical products into the global industry chain.

MiDIVI deeply understands the principle that “one must be strong oneself to forge iron.” While actively pursuing external expansion, it also places great emphasis on strengthening its internal capabilities. Within just a few short years, MiDIVI has obtained18 software copyrights, 11 patents successfully applied for, with over 20 patents pending. Driven by the dual engines of internal innovation and external expansion, MiDIVI is steering toward broader horizons.

Regarding future development, Pan Zhen has a clear plan in mind. He stated2022 will be a pivotal year for MiDIVI to achieve “self-sustaining growth” and set sail.

In terms of product pipeline and R&D, MiDIVI will adopt“Horizontal Departmental Expansion + Vertical Surgical Procedures” Strategy,Accumulate Growth Momentum, Exert EffortsJinshu System, Holographic Joint Navigation, Holographic Lung Navigation, Intramedullary Nailand other products, while also hoping to obtain this yearThe First Innovative Class III Registration Certificate.

MiDIVI is currently seeking a new round of financing, with a total amount of RMB 120 million, to be used for expanding its product line, recruiting team members, and pursuing commercial mergers and acquisitions.