Suzhou Zhongtian Medical and Beijing BioMind Forge Strategic Alliance to Advance AI-Driven Diagnosis and Mechanical Thrombectomy Solutions for Acute Ischemic Stroke

On December 28, 2020, Suzhou Zenith Vascular and Beijing Ande Yizhi (BioMind) announced the establishment of a strategic partnership.

Both parties will collaborate closely in the treatment of patients with acute ischemic stroke. The integration of Zenith Vascular’s acute ischemic stroke product portfolio—including intracranial thrombus aspiration catheters, intracranial stent retrievers, distal access catheters, and negative pressure suction pumps—with Ande Yizhi’s BioMind AI-assisted decision-making solution for stroke will provide physicians with a more comprehensive diagnostic and therapeutic toolkit. This synergy will enable clinicians to rapidly and accurately assess the condition of patients with acute ischemic stroke, thereby improving the efficiency of patient care.

Zenith Vascular is an innovative enterprise focused on neurointerventional medical devices. In November 2020, the company’s distal access catheter, negative pressure suction pump, and suction connecting tube received NMPA registration certificates and entered the market for sales.

BioMind’s neurology product series has obtained authoritative certifications in multiple countries. In June 2020, it received China’s first Class III medical device approval for AI-assisted imaging diagnosis based on deep learning technology. Additionally, it has secured the EU CE mark, Singapore Medical Device Registration, a medical device license from the United Arab Emirates Ministry of Health and Prevention, Philippine FDA certification, and acceptance of its U.S. FDA application.

AI holds immense value in stroke imaging, helping physicians improve diagnostic accuracy, reduce interpretation time, and seize the critical window for surgical intervention.

Ande Medical Intelligence is a leading medical AI enterprise in China. Together with Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, and the Chinese PLA General Hospital, it successfully responded to the call and completed the technical breakthroughs for the "Medical Imaging Computer-Aided Diagnosis System" project under the "Key Tasks for Next-Generation Artificial Intelligence Innovation" issued by the General Office of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). Led by the Chinese PLA General Hospital, Ande Medical Intelligence collaborated with multiple institutions to undertake the construction task of the "Public Service Platform for Industrial Technology Foundations of AI-Based Screening and Computer-Aided Diagnosis in the Healthcare Sector," initiated by the Department of Science and Technology of MIIT. The company focuses on the research and development of AI-powered clinical decision support products based on medical imaging. Currently, Ande Medical Intelligence has achieved groundbreaking progress in areas including the nervous system, heart, breast, lungs, abdomen, five sense organs, as well as in the prevention and control of infectious diseases. Particularly in the field of neurological disorders, Ande Medical Intelligence has joined forces with Beijing Tiantan Hospital, Capital Medical University, to establish the world’s first Artificial Intelligence Research Center for Neurological Diseases. This partnership has created a complete closed-loop ecosystem encompassing "demand–R&D–production–application," empowering healthcare professionals through new technologies and achieving dual breakthroughs in both clinical practice and scientific research.

Ande Medical Intelligence BioMind Stroke Imaging-Assisted Diagnosis and Treatment Product

Zenith Vascular targets acute ischemic stroke, with a comprehensive product portfolio in the fields of thrombectomy stents and intracranial thrombus aspiration catheters. The company’s products are comparable to high-end imported counterparts, demonstrating excellent safety and efficacy in clinical practice. Leveraging its superior product quality and distribution capabilities, Zenith Vascular is positioned to reach 1,000 hospitals across China, providing safe and effective therapeutic devices for numerous patients with acute ischemic stroke.

Zenith Vascular Thrombectomy Aspiration System

Zenith Vascular and Ande Medical Intelligence are both leaders in their respective fields. By leveraging Zenith Vascular’s high-quality interventional devices for acute ischemic stroke and Ande Medical Intelligence’s AI-assisted decision support system for acute stroke, this strategic partnership will help extend the treatment time window for patients with acute ischemic stroke to 24 hours, thereby improving therapeutic outcomes.

Xia Jie, Chairman of Zenith Vascular, stated, “Moving forward, we will leverage our robust sales force, hospital resources, and physician training capabilities to rapidly promote the comprehensive solutions for acute ischemic stroke treatment offered by Zenith Vascular and Ande Medical Intelligence, thereby benefiting more patients.”

Cao Ying, Marketing Director of BioMind, stated, “Artificial intelligence offers two distinct advantages: first, it aggregates the expertise of numerous renowned physicians, retaining this knowledge perfectly and enabling rapid replication; second, it operates at high speed without being influenced by ‘extraneous factors.’ Ande Medical Intelligence is committed to maximizing the empowerment of physicians through AI technology in clinical settings. With BioMind providing assistance for precise diagnosis and Zenith Vascular delivering precise treatment through its products, this strong partnership enables multiple stakeholders to race against time in implementing superior treatment plans. This collaboration is undoubtedly a boon for stroke patients and will significantly elevate the level of stroke diagnosis and treatment in China.”

In recent years, as the number of patients with cerebrovascular disease in China has continued to rise, the proportion of deaths caused by cerebrovascular disease has exceeded 20%. Neurointervention, as an emerging and effective method for treating severe cerebrovascular conditions, has generated substantial demand for related consumables, indicating a broad future market potential. According to a report released by Industrial Securities, the market size for neurointervention in China is approximately RMB 19.3 billion.

Diagnosis and treatment of cerebrovascular diseases are characterized by high complexity and broad scope, imposing stringent technical requirements on related devices. For a long time, the market penetration of interventional cerebrovascular devices in China has remained very low due to issues such as monopoly by imported brands, high prices, and insufficient market education. It is believed that with the continuous advancement of domestically produced medical devices, the improving proficiency of physicians, and the widespread adoption of intelligent image reading systems, the Chinese interventional cerebrovascular treatment market will inevitably expand into third- and fourth-tier cities, leading to a rapid increase in the number of thrombectomy procedures and benefiting more patients.

Meanwhile, as the collaborative projects between Zenith Vascular and Ande Medical Intelligence continue to advance, the number of patients with acute ischemic stroke eligible for thrombectomy is expected to multiply, inevitably further driving the rapid development of China’s cerebrovascular interventional therapy market.

Xia Jie stated, “AI will be deeply integrated with cerebrovascular interventional therapy. In the future, AI-assisted imaging diagnostic systems will undoubtedly become standard, essential tools in cerebrovascular interventional procedures, just like therapeutic devices. Therefore, there is significant potential for further collaboration between Zenith Vascular and Ande Medical Intelligence.”

Current clinical decision support systems for stroke diagnosis and treatment primarily focus on post-stroke neuronal survival. In reality, these systems also hold significant potential for early intervention in stroke patients. Zenith Vascular has already entered the market for interventional therapies targeting chronic cerebral ischemia. By leveraging BioMind, an AI-powered neuroimaging diagnostic aid developed by Ande Medical Intelligence, to detect intracranial chronic ischemia at an early stage, patients can receive timely interventions such as intracranial or carotid artery stenting, yielding substantial clinical benefits.

Furthermore, prior to interventional therapy, it is essential to accurately differentiate between ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. While most software solutions are limited to diagnosing ischemic stroke, Ande Medical Intelligence offers comprehensive functionalities and is one of the few AI medical imaging companies in China capable of diagnosing hemorrhagic stroke and conducting risk assessments. As Zenith Vascular plans to expand into the hemorrhagic stroke sector in the future, Ande Medical Intelligence will serve as a key enabler.

Suzhou Zenith Vascular Co., Ltd. is a company dedicated to becoming an industry-leading provider of solutions for vascular diseases.

Since its establishment in Suzhou in May 2018, Zenith Vascular has adhered to its mission of “Making Vascular Treatment Simpler.” Through continuous innovation, a commitment to fully independent manufacturing, and the ongoing improvement of its quality management system, the company is dedicated to providing high-quality, domestically produced medical products. With a global perspective, Zenith Vascular collaborates with international experts in vascular interventional therapy and local elites to develop innovative medical device technologies that are “Me-better or First-in-Class.” By achieving localization and specialization, the company strives to align with world-leading technologies and benefit more patients with vascular diseases.

The company has fully established its marketing platform and production R&D platform, and is currently collaborating with Ande Yizhi to build a China-based data service platform.

Beijing Ande Yizhi Technology Co., Ltd. is a specialized AI enterprise focused on the research and development of artificial intelligence applications in the medical field. The company concentrates on the healthcare industry, committed to the deep integration of deep learning technologies with clinical needs. It integrates R&D, scientific research, sales, and after-sales services, developing solutions widely applied in areas such as AI-assisted medical imaging diagnosis, clinical treatment decision support, radiotherapy, pathology, genomics, and medical rehabilitation. Headquartered in Beijing, the company has established wholly-owned subsidiaries in Singapore and Luxembourg. Its BioMind “Tianyi Zhi” product series has obtained approval as Class III medical devices from the National Medical Products Administration (NMPA). This marks the first Class III certification in China for AI-assisted imaging diagnosis based on deep learning technology.

The company jointly established the world’s first Artificial Intelligence Research Center for Neurological Diseases (CHAIN) with Beijing Tiantan Hospital, forged close strategic partnerships with top-tier institutions such as the MIT Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) and the National University of Singapore, and serves as a council member of the Chinese Association for Artificial Intelligence and of the Medical Imaging Artificial Intelligence Professional Committee under the Chinese Research Hospital Association.

Beijing Ande Yizhi Technology Co., Ltd. was also selected as a designated entity for the “AI Unveiling Project” in medical auxiliary imaging diagnosis by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). It was honored with the title of “Outstanding AI Enterprise in Supporting Scientific and Technological Efforts Against the COVID-19 Pandemic,” awarded by the Department of Science and Technology of the MIIT. Furthermore, the company successfully won the bid for the 2020 Industrial Technology Foundation Public Service Platform project initiated by the Department of Science and Technology of the MIIT—namely, the “Public Service Platform for AI-Based Screening and Auxiliary Diagnosis Oriented to the Healthcare Industry.”