From Clinician to Innovator: Dr. Zuo Yuxing's Journey to Revolutionize Metabolic Disease Treatment with Tangji Medical

Everyone hopes for “good health,” but if you are a patient with diabetes, you will know from the moment of diagnosis that it may coexist with your life, even accompanying you for a lifetime.

Mr. Zuo Yuxing has deep personal insights into this matter. Before embarking on his entrepreneurial journey, as a clinical physician in internal medicine, he treated hundreds, if not thousands, of patients who had developed various complications due to metabolic disorders. In China at that time, there were no superior treatment options for metabolic diseases; managing weight through lifestyle modifications and pharmacological interventions to improve endocrine function was considered the best available approach. Nevertheless, he could not help but repeatedly ponder, “Is there truly no better way?”

Determined to break the mold and revolutionize the treatment experience for patients with metabolic diseases, he planted what seemed like a “crazy” seed in his mind. Since then, his focus has been firmly fixed on technological innovation in medical care within this field.

Mr. Zu Yuxing, Founder and CEO of Tongee Medical

When metabolic diseases are mentioned, many people may first think of diabetes; in fact, obesity is also a condition that warrants significant attention. Obesity serves as a breeding ground for numerous health issues, with diabetes, hypertension, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) being closely linked to it.

“Faced with a vast patient population, the impact of a single physician is truly limited.” After seven years of dedicated practice on the clinical frontline, Mr. Zuo Yuxing chose to leave the hospital setting and transition into the medical device sales industry. In this new role, he can help more patients by providing physicians with professional medical devices and technologies. Additionally, this position allows him to engage with a wide array of cutting-edge medical devices and technologies, thereby accumulating valuable experience in pursuit of his goal of “innovation.”

“I have always believed that the transition from invasive to minimally invasive, and ultimately to non-invasive procedures, is undoubtedly the major direction for future clinical practice. The laparoscopes and gastroscopes I use in my clinical work are typical examples of minimally invasive technologies; with further improvements, they may eventually replace traditional surgical models, thereby benefiting a vast number of patients.” Guided by this conviction, Mr. Zuo Yuxing has gradually unlocked his new identity—Regional Sales Head at Olympus; distributor for North China for international medical device giants including Johnson & Johnson, US Surgical, Boston Scientific, Philips, and Hitachi.

During the market sales process, he visited and studied various companies, compared their product features, and gained a more comprehensive understanding of the design, production, and manufacturing of cutting-edge medical technologies. Gradually, a preliminary concept took shape for the design of devices that treat metabolic diseases through gastrointestinal intervention.

In addition, he traveled alone to Beijing to join an innovative U.S.-owned company specializing in the R&D and manufacturing of urological laser systems, becoming a core member of this medical device startup. There, he gained extensive practical, theoretical, and regulatory expertise in the R&D, production, and quality control of medical devices, while also accumulating valuable lessons learned from the operational management of medical device enterprises.

Mr. Zuo Yuxing has been consistently seeking and researching solutions and products for the minimally invasive or even non-invasive surgical treatment of metabolic diseases, until one day, a professional academic conference brought him the most cutting-edge medical information from around the world—The "Standards of Care in Diabetes" issued by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) explicitly states that a surgical procedure known as "gastric bypass surgery" can be used to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes.. After delving deeper, he felt as if the seed buried deep within his heart was about to sprout.

After reviewing the relevant literature, Mr. Zuo Yuxing learned that the mechanism of gastric bypass surgery involves altering the pathway of food through the gastrointestinal tract, thereby allowing high-concentration nutrients to reach the distal intestine earlier. This process promotes insulin secretion, reduces apoptosis of pancreatic islet cells, and stimulates their proliferation, ultimately restoring pancreatic islet function, facilitating weight loss, and aiding in the treatment of metabolic disorders such as diabetes and fatty liver disease.

His years of accumulated experience in clinical practice and medical devices enabled him to immediately recognize that such a surgical approach was by no means a “minor procedure.” It would cause irreversible trauma to patients and demand a high level of technical proficiency from surgeons. He believed that achieving similar outcomes might not necessarily require open surgery, but could instead be accomplished through minimally invasive medical devices.

“If an endoscope can be used to place a tube within the human intestine, allowing food to pass through the tube and flow along the intestinal tract, gastrointestinal rerouting surgery would be unnecessary.” At that time, such technology did not exist in China. If this innovation could be realized, it would represent a major breakthrough—precisely what Mr. Zu Yuxing hoped to achieve.

Schematic Diagram of Tongee “Gastric Bypass Stent System” After Implantation

Since then, Mr. Zuo Yuxing has been determined to devote himself to the research and development of innovative endoscopic interventional therapies for metabolic diseases. He soon filed his first invention patent, and two years later, the first prototype of the “Gastric Bypass Stent System” was successfully developed. Looking back, these milestones may seem effortless, but they actually represented an arduous journey from zero to one. No one knows how many failures and setbacks he endured, but he ultimately succeeded.

At the end of 2016, Mr. Zuo Yuxing officially founded the “Pioneering New Avenues for the Treatment of Metabolic DiseasesHangzhou Tongee Medical Technology Co., Ltd., driven by this vision, took its “pride and joy”—the Gastric Bypass Stent System—to numerous investment and financing roadshows, only to be met with indifference rather than appreciation.

“At that time, few hospitals in China were performing gastric bypass surgery. When I mentioned that diabetes could be treated surgically, hardly anyone believed me; and when I went on to explain the therapeutic mechanism, even fewer people showed any interest.” Nevertheless, a talent of exceptional caliber eventually found his discerning patron. Mr. Sun Xiaolu of Proxima Ventures took a strong interest in his project and, after thorough due diligence, decided to become his angel investor. With the support of Proxima Ventures and other investors, Mr. Zuo Yuxing’s ambitious vision finally began to take shape.

For a startup, such a beginning is very promising; however, subsequent development has not been as smooth as he had imagined. “Initially, our team consisted of only five members. As the company continued to expand, various issues gradually emerged.”

The initial challenges revolved around a series of issues surrounding the core product. The company’s first product, the “Gastric Bypass Stent System,” designed based on the principles of gastric bypass surgery, is an innovative solution that integrates cross-disciplinary technologies from gastroenterology, general surgery, endocrinology, and radiology. Its development process was far from easy.

During the selection of base materials for the stent system, R&D personnel needed to conduct thousands of technical tests on dozens of materials before finally determining two viable solutions with favorable outcomes. In the process of product structure design, as there were no similar products available domestically, he had to pursue independent innovation by referencing existing surgical laparoscopy and medical gastroscopy technologies. Meanwhile, integrating theoretical knowledge from gastrointestinal surgery and gastrointestinal dynamics, he continuously optimized and improved the product based on experimental data. Mr. Zuo Yuxing frankly stated that the development of the gastric bypass stent system was far more challenging than he had imagined.

As a startup, Tongee Medical is navigating the challenges common to all new ventures in product manufacturing, quality control, and overall corporate management, including human resources. Although long-term animal trials have consumed significant resources, their success promises a brighter future for countless patients with metabolic diseases. Throughout this journey, no member of the Tongee Medical team has chosen to retreat.

“We have all come together based on a shared belief. We firmly believe that our products can be successfully developed to benefit a vast number of patients.”

To accelerate the R&D process, Tongee employees worked tirelessly day and night on data analysis and testing. To elevate Tongee’s management to a new level, Mr. Zuo Yuxing also pursued advanced studies in managerial psychology at the University of Hong Kong, aiming to enhance Tongee’s talent acquisition, organizational management, and corporate culture development.

In early 2019, after thousands of technical improvements and more than 300 animal trials, the gastric bypass stent system finally entered the phase of human clinical trials.

The first-in-human clinical trial of this novel technology was launched with the support of multiple medical experts. Mr. Zhang Shutian, Dean of Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University, and Former Chairman of the Chinese Society of Gastroenterology Endoscopy Branch, served as the Principal Investigator (PI) for the clinical study. Mr. Zhu Dalong, Director of the Department of Internal Medicine and Director of the Department of Endocrinology at Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital, and Chairman of the Chinese Diabetes Society, served as the Academic Director. Notably, Mr. Zuo Yuxing himself became the first subject enrolled in the trial.

In 2019, Mr. Zuo Yuxing underwent implantation of the “Gastric Bypass Stent System” at Beijing Friendship Hospital.

“I chose to be the first human subject myself to personally experience what it feels like for a patient to use our product, and to extrapolate the data model we established in pigs to humans. The critical step in bringing our product to fruition is the transition from porcine models to human application. By experiencing it firsthand, developers can better improve the product and accelerate the R&D process.”

Encouragingly, this pivotal clinical trial has yielded a substantial volume of human data, marking a qualitative leap in the research, development, and testing of Tongee’s gastric bypass stent. Mr. Zuo Yuxing’s dedication has thus been duly rewarded.

At this point, Tongee has already seen the light before dawn, but Zuo Yuxing and his team have not relaxed in the slightest; they continue to refine and iterate the product based on feedback from trial participants.

Mr. Zuo Yuxing, a physician by training, once stated with his team: “Our products are intended for use in the human body; the recipients could be our loved ones or family members. As we aim to serve hundreds of millions of patients with metabolic diseases in the future, we must not allow even the slightest error.” Perhaps it is precisely this meticulousness that facilitated the subsequent clinical trials of the “Gastric Bypass Stent System,” making them proceed ever more smoothly.

Tongee Medical has entered a fast track of development. In September 2018, Tongee Medical, together with Zhejiang University and Zhejiang Chinese Medical University, jointly applied for and obtained approval for the “Provincial Key R&D Program Project.”In August 2020, the “Gastric Bypass Stent System” received special approval for innovative medical devices from the National Medical Products Administration.; In early 2021, Tongee officially initiated patient enrollment for its registration clinical trials in collaboration with seven Grade A tertiary hospitals in China. Subsequently, the company secured further support from investors including Baidu Venture Capital, Longma Peak, and Dingxin Capital. Over the past few years, Tongee Medical has obtained more than 20 domestic and international invention patents.

In terms of product advancement, the number of participants enrolled and devices implanted for the “Gastric Bypass Stent System” has seen exponential growth. Regarding corporate operations, Zuo Yuxing, a physician by training, maintains exceptionally stringent standards for product quality, leading to increasingly robust systems in R&D, production, manufacturing, and quality control, thereby ensuring effective product quality and safety. In talent development, Tongee has attracted numerous high-caliber professionals, including Mr. Li Xiaotao, former Vice President of Greater China at Boston Scientific, and Ms. Shen Qiongfang, former Human Resources Director of Dali International Group. Their contributions have injected new momentum into technological innovation and talent ecosystem building, further clarifying the company’s global commercialization and strategic layout. The soft power of Tongee Medical’s corporate culture and its core competitiveness continue to strengthen.

“Where there is a will, there is a way.” Perhaps no phrase better describes Mr. Zuo Yuxing. The “seed” he has carefully cultivated for over a decade has finally blossomed into brilliant flowers, allowing him to proclaim to the world the ideal he has long held deep in his heart—“Pioneering new therapeutic pathways for metabolic diseases to alleviate suffering, restore health, and empower patients worldwide to reclaim their well-being.”。

To this day, Mr. Zuo Yuxing has preliminarily completed his transition from physician to entrepreneur. The days when he practiced medicine seem long past, yet the label of “physician” will forever remain with him.

After seven years in clinical practice, he witnessed profound patient suffering and the limitations of medical interventions, ultimately channeling these experiences into a driving force for innovation. Currently, Tongee Medical has assembled a team of dozens of domestic and international expert advisors specializing in digestive and metabolic diseases, with more than ten project-based R&D teams dedicated to developing innovative medical products.

Zuo Yuxing and his team are also leveraging the implantation of the “Gastric Bypass Stent System” for obesity treatment as a cornerstone to sequentially launch clinical studies on its indications for a broader range of metabolic disorders, such as fatty liver disease, diabetes, and polycystic ovary syndrome.

The path to medical innovation is bound to be long; Tongee Medical has only just begun its journey.

Beyond medical products, Mr. Zuo Yuxing aims to provide patients with metabolic diseases with a comprehensive, cross-platform digital health management service platform. This platform integrates high-quality, tailored medical capabilities and services across the entire care continuum, enabling patients to establish a complete online-to-offline closed-loop health management system. He is genuinely committed to making a tangible difference for patients with metabolic diseases and advancing human health.

Currently, the global population suffering from obesity-induced metabolic diseases is substantial. Tongee Medical aspires to and is confident in delivering superior solutions for patients with metabolic disorders worldwide through scientific research and innovation.