Professor Li Kang of West China Hospital: Innovation Is a 'Relay Race'—Different Roles Should Be Played by Different People

To further clarify the pathways for medical device and technological innovation with research-oriented hospitals as the main body,VBOrange BureauandSichuan Western Medical Technology Transfer CenterJointly initiate surveys and interviews targeting various innovation teams in research-oriented hospitals to jointly explore new models for hospital innovation translation.

Personal Profile:Distinguished Researcher at the West China Biomedical Big Data Center, Sichuan University; Vice Dean for Research at the Sichuan University-Pittsburgh Institute; Director of the Joint Laboratory between West China Hospital and SenseTime; Academic and Technical Leader of the Health Commission of Sichuan Province; Discipline Leader of Smart Nursing at the Provincial Key Laboratory of Nursing; Recipient of one of the first projects under the “Minshan Action” Plan for open-competition-based R&D institutions in Chengdu High-Tech Zone, leading the Medical Surgical Robotics Research Institute. His primary research areas include biomechanics, human-computer interaction, medical robotics, medical image and video analysis, and medical device innovation.

Currently, a large number of top talents in the field of medical technology are successively embarking on their journey back to China.

According to estimates by the Oak Ridge Associated Universities (a consortium of more than 100 U.S. universities), 98% of Chinese citizens who earned their Ph.D.s in science or engineering in the United States in 2001 remained in the country five years later. The latest estimates show that, by 2019,This figure has dropped to 70%., which indicates that a large number of highly skilled professionals are beginning to “migrate” back to China.

There is certainly a reason for this. In recent years, as competition between China and the United States has intensified,The U.S. Research System Begins to Impose Restrictions on Chinese Scientists at Every Turn. Taking research funding as an example, in 2018, the U.S. National Institutes of Health increasedScrutiny of Scientists with Undisclosed Funding Sources from Countries Other Than the United States or Ties to Foreign Institutions, which indicates that it will be more difficult for Chinese scientists to obtain research funding than ever before.

But this is not the only reason for Chinese scientists to return to China,The rapid rise in China’s overall scientific research strength is equally crucial. According to data from the Ministry of Science and Technology,China's total R&D investment across all sectors is projected to reach 2.4 trillion yuan in 2020, representing a year-on-year increase of nearly 8.4%. Driven by substantial financial investment, China has made significant improvements in both research hardware, such as laboratories, and research software, including policy frameworks, thereby gradually narrowing the gap with the United States in scientific research capabilities.

In addition, local governments have demonstrated ample “sincerity” to attract more overseas scientific and research talent to return to China. For example,"Minshan Action" Planas an example, this is a key initiative proposed by the Chengdu High-Tech Zone at the beginning of this year to attract leading talents and innovative teams. It is reported that the plan willInvest 30 billion yuan to establish 50 new-type R&D institutions over the next five years，and released the first batch of 14 demand lists for R&D institutions under the “Open Competition” mechanism, with the aim of building the capacity for exponential growth of core technologies and facilitating breakthroughs in critical “chokehold” technologies.

On June 15, the first two pharmaceutical and healthcare projects under the “Minshan Action” Plan were successfully unveiled.Support Amount Exceeding RMB 100 Million, which includesDr. Li KangLed by"Chengdu Minshan West China Medical Surgical Robot Technology Research Institute"Project.

It is reported that the project team has gatheredWest China Hospital, University of Science and Technology of China, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, University of Electronic Science and Technology of Chinaincluding academicians at Chinese universities21 Renowned Experts, leveraging platforms such as the National Major Scientific and Technological Infrastructure for Translational Medicine and resources including the West China Hospital–SenseTime Joint Laboratory, focusing onMedical Surgical Robotics, it is expected to gather 190 scientific researchers within five years, achieving in the western regionDevelopment and Industrialization of the First Medical Surgical Robot。

What exactly prompted Dr. Li Kang to return to China, and what are his aspirations for his work there? As a newly returned overseas-educated PhD, how does he perceive the domestic innovation landscape, and what insights does he offer? To uncover the answers to these questions, VCBeat’s Orange Fruit Bureau interviewedDr. Li KangConducted an exclusive interview.

In the field of medical robotics, although China started late, its development speed has been remarkably fast.

Data shows that the market size of China's medical robotics industry grew year by year from 2016 to 2019, with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 28.82%. In 2019, the market size reached USD 620 million, representing a year-on-year increase of 21.57%.China’s medical robot market size is projected to reach $740 million by 2020., representing a year-on-year increase of 19.35%.

Behind the rapid growth, we also harbor doubts:Why Do We Increasingly Need Medical Robots?

Addressing this issue, Dr. Li Kang offers his unique insights, stating, “Many hospitals are now performing joint replacement surgeries, and the volume of these procedures has indeed increased; however, at the same time,”The number of revisions is also increasing year by year.. Revision implies that the initial procedure was not performed optimally. While there may be many contributing factors, the most critical one is often the surgeon’s inaccurate placement during the operation. If we analyze this at a deeper level, it is our“Physicians’ competency levels vary, which can lead to deviations in treatment outcomes.”

“But medical robots can effectively address this issue,”On the one hand, it has established a standardized treatment system to ensure the quality of medical care.; on the other hand,It effectively addresses the issues of resource waste and unequal resource allocation.. First, renovation itself constitutes a waste of resources. Furthermore, if primary care hospitals fail to establish a standardized treatment system, all patients will flock to West China Hospital, which will undoubtedly further skew the balance of medical resource distribution. This is not what we wish to see, soThe primary role of medical robots is to extend the reach of high-quality medical resources..” added Dr. Li Kang.

But how can this be achieved?

The primary issue to be addressed is the technical one.Taking orthopedic robots as an example, the mechanical demands in orthopedics are exceptionally high, and wear is relatively severe; consequently, complications often arise after metal implants are placed in the body. Therefore, it is essential to integrate more engineering principles into technical research, which will significantly enhance the operational precision of medical robots.

The next issue to address is data collection.Medical robots essentially integrate all high-quality medical technologies; therefore, the ability to collect multi-dimensional data will undoubtedly enhance their operational capabilities, holding significant application value for improving treatment success rates. Currently, cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, 5G, and the Internet of Things (IoT) are continuously being integrated into the healthcare sector, making it possible to establish a comprehensive data collection system covering the entire patient journey from pre-diagnosis to post-diagnosis.

The final issue to be addressed is production.Dr. Li Kang stated that the medical robotics project will establish design centers in major core regions in the future, and will build simulation platforms based on these design centers to form a high-efficiency, low-cost, and comprehensive production system.

"Future opportunities will increasingly arise from interdisciplinary innovation."

Currently, China's healthcare industry is in a period ofDigitalization, Automation, and IntelligenceIn this transitional phase characterized by cross-disciplinary integration and rapid evolution, research teams seeking to develop truly valuable innovative projects must identify “convergence points” across different technological dimensions and fully integrate core competencies from multiple stakeholders.

Taking Dr. Li Kang’s research project as an example, the project team has assembledWest China Hospital, University of Science and Technology of China, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, University of Electronic Science and Technology of Chinaincluding 21 renowned experts from domestic universities, such as academicians. These university experts will be responsible for different technical fields; among them, the team from West China Hospital led by Dr. Li Kang is mainly responsible for medicalArtificial Intelligenceresearch in this area.

In Dr. Li Kang’s view, such “Division of Labor and Collaboration” has greatly promoted research. He stated, “It is actually very difficult to replicate our current research team.“, because we maintain an open culture and bring together professionals with diverse technical expertise, many of whom have a track record of success. In addition, we have specialists well-versed in operations, conversion optimization, and marketing. Their involvement has effectively bridged the gap between product development and R&D, significantly facilitating project advancement.”

In addition, Dr. Li Kang is also atUnlock More Innovation PotentialCurrently, the integration of medicine and engineering is becoming a consensus. Some universities in China have already established colleges dedicated to this interdisciplinary field, aiming to better apply core engineering technologies to the medical sector and thereby stimulate greater innovation within the healthcare industry.

Dr. Li Kang is deeply aware of one thing: he is part of the only joint educational institution between top-tier Chinese and American universities in the western region.Sichuan University-Pittsburgh InstituteWe are collaborating to conduct in-depth scientific research. He stated, “Taking our robotics project as an example, the research itself requires extensive knowledge in mechanics, control systems, and artificial intelligence. Therefore, the participation of the Pittsburgh Institute will effectively address some of our technical challenges in engineering, thereby enhancing the potential of our research projects to a certain extent.”

It is reported that,Sichuan University-Pittsburgh Instituteis caused bySichuan UniversitywithUniversity of PittsburghThe Sino-foreign joint college established through collaboration represents a new model of internationalized education, forged by the strategic partnership between two prestigious Chinese and American universities with international reputations. It is one of only five colleges at the institutional cooperation level between Chinese and U.S. universities officially approved by the Ministry of Education. The Pittsburgh Institute introduces the educational philosophies of top-tier international universities, an ABET-accredited curriculum system, faculty recruited globally through open competition, and high-quality educational resources. By integrating the academic and educational strengths of both institutions and adopting English as the medium of instruction, it is currently developing, includingMechanical Engineering, Electronic and Information Engineering, Computer Sciencea comprehensive range of engineering disciplines, will recruit over 100 distinguished professors from overseas.

In Dr. Li Kang’s view, the collaboration with the Pittsburgh Institute is not only about better advancing scientific research projects but also about tapping into more youthful innovative potential. He stated, “The joint research model between hospitals and universities provides opportunities for more young people. For instance, assistant professors in engineering disciplines at universities are typically young and highly passionate about innovation, but having long been based in academic settings, they find it difficult to access clinical resources.”All day long, I can only imagine clinical scenarios in my head., which is detrimental to both the project research and their personal growth. They need to accumulate clinical experience, and West China Hospital can effectively meet this need.

According to Dr. Li Kang, the project team has currently formed approximately six or seven such graduation design teams, primarily composed of undergraduate students. These teams focus on the interdisciplinary field of medicine and engineering, concentrating on initial exploratory work at the primary level and producing targeted phased outcomes.. If these initial outcomes prove valuable, the team will devote more effort to them., including the involvement of graduate students to conduct in-depth research on this topic.

Dr. Li Kang stated, “In fact, this innovative model has already seen many successful cases in the United States. For instance, a commercially available venous blood-drawing robot was developed by undergraduate students, demonstrating that this innovation model is viable.”We Should Give Young People More Opportunities for Innovation, they are more creative than we imagined.”

When many people think of scientific research, they first perceive it as difficult, and second, as a rather protracted endeavor. However, in essence,Research Isn’t “Slow”; It’s the Process That Is。

Take investment as an example. In a scientific research project, the investment institutions were already prepared to transfer the funds, but the project team might still be going through the approval process and required meetings for review. Only after all these procedures were completed could the funds actually be received. This process usually takes about half a year, sometimes even longer.

But will investment firms pause to wait for you? Certainly not. For investment firms, their overall pace is extremely fast, and they prefer a “short, flat, and quick” approach.Therefore, during the lengthy approval process, they may have long since lost their patience.。

If funding cannot be secured, it is tantamount to cutting off the “financial lifeline” of a research project., making it difficult to continue advancing the project. Even if, against all odds, the project were to move forward, it would have missed the optimal window of opportunity; by then, superior innovative or alternative technologies may already have emerged in the market, significantly diminishing the intrinsic value of the technology itself.

But besides the lengthy approval process, scientists may also need to “fumble around,” becauseThe entire process may be opaque; you are unaware of what the next step entails, nor do you know how long the specific review period for the current step will take., scientists would appear at a loss.

Dr. Li Kang found himself trapped in such an awkward predicament. He remarked, “After returning to China, I devoted considerable time to understanding the regulatory system and then worked to advance matters step by step. However, much of the time was spent shuttling back and forth between various procedural stages, which ultimately held little practical significance.”The absence of a robust intellectual property rights management framework has rendered the landscape opaque and uncertain.。”

However, this issue is actually quite easy to resolve. According to Dr. Li Kang, the system for translating scientific research achievements into practical applications in the United States follows a highly standardized process, with phased deliverables produced upon the completion of each stage.Therefore, scientists do not need to handle every step from start to finish; they only need to focus on what they do best, receive their due rewards, and delegate tasks outside their expertise to the next tier. This makes the entire process run as smoothly and efficiently as a relay race.。

However, such a system does not yet exist in China. Dr. Li Kang stated, “In domestic research projects, scientists are required to remain involved throughout the entire process and may even end up performing tasks well outside their areas of expertise. Furthermore, scientists can only reap rewards after the project achieves successful commercialization—a process that is both lengthy and arduous, placing significant pressure on researchers.”

However, from Dr. Li Kang’s perspective, this “unfavorable situation” is gradually improving, which is precisely why he returned to China. We must acknowledge that there are indeed many issues within our scientific research system, but these problems are moving in a positive direction and are being progressively addressed and refined. In the course of this optimization,We need time, and of course, the efforts of participants in every link.。

The Western Sichuan Medical Technology Transfer Center is an independent, non-profit private organization with legal person status, jointly established by West China Hospital of Sichuan University in collaboration with the Sichuan Provincial Department of Science and Technology, the Chengdu Municipal Government, and government-affiliated entities of the Chengdu High-Tech Industrial Development Zone. It serves as a key platform and external window for West China Hospital to conduct technological innovation and facilitate the transfer and commercialization of achievements in the biopharmaceutical sector. Based on the integration of the innovation chain, industrial chain, and value chain, the Center adopts an open cooperation model to provide comprehensive support to both technology suppliers and demanders. This includes precise project identification and matchmaking, commercialization assessment, market research and analysis, end-to-end intellectual property management, translation strategy design, clinical study assistance (for Investigator-Initiated Trials [IIT] and Industry-Sponsored Trials [IST]), academic conferences, training, and the organization of industry-academia-research exchange activities. By establishing a medical innovation service and evaluation system, the Center has promoted the development of the regional biopharmaceutical industry toward high-end, specialized, and quality-driven growth.