MeoBio Pioneers AI-Powered Digital Pathology to Enhance Clinical Decision-Making in Oncology
Pathological diagnosis is currently the most accurate diagnostic method and serves as the definitive diagnostic approach for the vast majority of diseases, particularly cancer, earning it the reputation as the “gold standard” of disease diagnosis.
Regrettably, the substantial shortage of pathologists has severely constrained the development of China’s pathology diagnostics industry. Data indicate that there are currently fewer than 20,000 licensed pathologists in China. Based on the National Health Commission’s staffing requirement of 1 to 2 pathologists per 100 hospital beds, the shortfall exceeds 90,000 pathologists.
Traditional pathology relies on pathologists’ extensive accumulated experience and is characterized by subjectivity and qualitative assessment. Taking cancer diagnosis as an example, significant discrepancies in results often arise from variations in subjective judgments among different pathologists when assessing malignancy grade and the risk of metastasis and recurrence based on tissue morphology. This has driven substantial clinical demand for digital hardware and digital pathology analysis software.
Objective, quantitative AI-driven digital pathology systems offer new possibilities for enhancing the overall efficiency of pathology departments and supporting clinical decision-making. From the perspective of clinical decision-making, assessing cancer malignancy and the risk of metastasis and recurrence represents a major application scenario for AI in digital pathology. Ningbo Meiao Biological Technology Co., Ltd. states: “Methods that leverage big data analytics and algorithms in digital pathology to evaluate tumor prognosis and therapeutic efficacy through tissue- and cellular-level biomarkers hold substantial market potential.”
Meiao Bio has targeted the potential of AI-powered digital pathology in assessing cancer malignancy and predicting metastasis and recurrence risks. It has successfully developed an AI digital pathology platform, pan-cancer prognostic biomarkers based on digital pathology, and the world’s first digital pathology scanner designed for precise measurement and AI compatibility, thereby providing more abundant and cost-effective evidence to support clinical decision-making.
“We analyzed over a hundred digital pathology companies both domestically and internationally, and found that the market share is primarily held by pathology equipment manufacturers and third-party testing service providers. The prevailing business model focuses on selling hardware and software solutions and providing services to pathology departments. Furthermore, most AI-powered digital pathology software currently available on the market falls under the category of ‘assistive tools’ for pathology. These products add digital and intelligent modules to existing conventional pathology testing procedures, and often face numerous challenges in practical implementation, including ethical concerns, pricing issues, and regulatory registration and certification,” said Zhu Yanwei, CEO of Ningbo Meiao Biological Technology Co., Ltd.
AI-driven digital pathology is at a critical juncture in its digital transformation and application, gradually transitioning from digitization and remote consultation to intelligent interpretation and cloud-based services. Meiao Bio focuses on developing innovative new digital pathology tests driven by clinical departments, providing additional evidence for clinical diagnosis and treatment decisions. “Our business model is closer to the development and commercialization of ‘original drugs,’ with the philosophy of ‘applying the approach used for specialty drugs to specialty diagnostics.’”
The technical development of specialized digital pathology testing requires prolonged accumulation of expertise and evidence-based medical data. Building on a decade of development and clinical research conducted by the ICGI Institute in Norway and the University of Oxford, Ningbo Meiao Biological Technology Co., Ltd. underwent three years of productization and domestic clinical validation, officially launching its digital pathology biomarker platform to the market at the end of 2020.
Meiao Biotech focuses on developing pan-cancer biomarkers with well-defined biological mechanisms, based on digital pathology images. The company’s proprietary pan-cancer biomarker, PNS (Ploidy Analysis of Solid Tumors, Chromatin Structure Typing, and Tumor-Stroma Ratio Analysis), leverages scanned images of tissues and cell nuclei combined with algorithms to provide objective, quantitative detection across multiple cancer types. This technology aids in assessing tumor malignancy and guides clinicians in making treatment decisions regarding chemotherapy, surgery, and follow-up care.
Furthermore, Meiao Bio has developed digital pathology scanners adapted for PNS detection and AI learning. AI-based image interpretation requires accurate and stable image data. In its AI digital pathology research projects, ICGI found that the vast majority of current scanners fail to adequately meet the needs of AI learning (particularly machine learning).
The digital pathology scanner developed by Meiao Bio is perfectly compatible with AI, offering image quality comparable to top global brands. Its coefficient of variation (CV) is 19% lower than that of leading international brands. It is suitable for AI-driven digital pathology research, education, and clinical applications, while also meeting the requirements for routine operations such as slide reading, teaching, and remote consultation.
According to Zhu Yanwei, Meiao Bio’s all-in-one device, which integrates a digital pathology scanner with PNS software, is currently undergoing registration. The company is actively establishing partnerships with leading oncology-focused medical institutions in China for hospital admission, testing services, and scientific research collaboration, aiming to better support clinical decision-making and enhance the efficiency and quality of pathology departments.
Next, Meiao Biotechnology will focus on developing projects for predicting the efficacy of chemotherapy and immunotherapy based on PNS, as well as multi-cancer prognosis assessment projects based on H.E. slides, fully leveraging the potential of AI digital pathology in cancer diagnosis.
It is worth noting that in recent years, technological iteration in the pharmaceutical sector has been accelerating, with new technologies and products continuously emerging. Ningbo Meiao Biological Technology Co., Ltd. is grounded in clinical needs and patient benefits, guided by market demands and practical application scenarios, and dedicated to the industrialization of cutting-edge innovative technologies.
The company’s core team comprises professionals specializing in clinical research, regulatory affairs, market access, and marketing. The partner team brings 20 years of management experience in the pharmaceutical industry and enjoys a strong reputation, while the key R&D technical personnel possess extensive industry experience in biomedical product development. This team structure enables Ningbo Meiao Biological Technology Co., Ltd. to efficiently complete the commercial loop encompassing product development, clinical research, and market promotion.
At the core of Meiao Bio is a commitment to continuously developing innovative solutions tailored to the needs of oncology-related clinical departments and experts, building a “global precision medicine commercialization platform,” and better serving society with proprietary technologies. The company has established in-depth collaborative partnerships with numerous top-tier domestic and international research institutions, including the University of Oxford and the ICGI Institute. It operates a wholly owned medical testing laboratory in Ningbo, capable of conducting clinical pathological, molecular, and serological diagnostics. In the 2020 National Industry Innovation and Entrepreneurship Competition, Meiao Bio achieved a notable ranking among the top 30 companies across all industries nationwide, standing as the only medical diagnostics startup selected from China.
In terms of product portfolio, in addition to its AI-powered digital pathology platform, Meiao Bio is developing the world’s first ultra-high-sensitivity liquid biopsy platform based on red blood cells. Recently, the company published its inaugural research paper on red blood cell oncology, providing the first global scientific evidence of nucleic acid exchange between tumors and red blood cells. This platform demonstrates higher enrichment efficiency and sensitivity compared to traditional serum-based liquid biopsy methods such as ctDNA and CTC detection, making it suitable for early cancer detection and companion diagnostics, and poised to usher in a new era of liquid biopsy.