5G Ushers in a New Era of AI-Driven Healthcare: The 2019 5th West Lake Health Forum Held in Hangzhou

On August 29, the inaugural Yangtze River Delta High-Quality Development Conference for the Health Industry, alongside the 2019 West Lake Health Forum · Zhejiang International Health Industry Summit, grandly opened at the Hangzhou International Expo Center. Themed “5G Ushers in a New Era of Medical AI,” the forum was jointly hosted by the Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission, the Zhejiang Provincial Development and Reform Commission, and the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Economy and Information Technology. It was organized by Hangzhou Jianpei Technology Co., Ltd. and the Zhejiang Health Service Promotion Association, with support from the Yangtze River Delta Health Industry Alliance, the Zhejiang Medical Association, the Xiaoshan Economic and Technological Development Zone, Meinian Onehealth Healthcare, Hangzhou Bay Information Port, Intel, and other entities. The event brought together over 100 government officials, more than 800 industry experts and researchers, over 1,000 hospital executives, and entrepreneurs. More than forty media outlets, including EO Health (Yiou Health), People’s Daily Online, China News Service, Xinhua Net, Zhejiang Economic Television, Tencent, and Toutiao, provided on-site real-time coverage.

Su Changcong, Member of the Party Committee and Deputy Director of the Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission; Huang Libin, Director of the Operation Monitoring and Coordination Bureau of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT); and Xu Bo, Director of the Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, attended the event and delivered opening remarks. More than ten Chinese and international experts and scholars, including Academician Tan Weihong of the Chinese Academy of Sciences; Sun Liying, former reviewer at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); Chen Yong, Director of the Biomedical Research Center at the Advanced Technology Research Institute of the University of Science and Technology of China; Jiang Wei, Researcher at the Zhejiang Digital Medical and Health Technology Research Institute; Yu Rong, Chairman of Meinian Onehealth Healthcare Group; Cheng Guohua, Chairman of Jianpei Technology; Chen Yanwei, Tenured Professor at the College of Information Science and Engineering, Ritsumeikan University, Japan; Cheng Jingliang, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Society of Radiology; Shi Kuangyu, Director of the Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Translational Diagnostics and Treatment in the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the University of Bern, Switzerland; Liu Jie, Changjiang Scholar; Hu Hongjie, Director of the Department of Radiology at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine; Christoph Block, CEO of KànMedIm UG, Germany; Gong Xiangyang, Director of the Department of Radiology at Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital; Zhou Zhenghao, Co-founder of General康聊 Intelligence (Taiwan); and Cai Chunxian, Member of the Disease and Health Management Professional Committee of the Chinese Hospital Association, attended the conference and delivered keynote speeches. Leaders who jointly attended the forum included Jiang Zhenlin, Director of the Yangtze River Delta Regional Cooperation Office; Yu Haining, Executive Vice President and Secretary-General of the Anhui Health Tourism and Cultural Industry Promotion Association; Huang Dongsheng, Party Secretary of Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital; Wang Jian’an, President of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine; Yu Enyan, President of the Zhejiang Rehabilitation Medical Association; Lin Jun, President of the Zhejiang Maternal and Child Health Association; and Ye Jianhong, Member of the Standing Committee of the Xiaoshan District Committee.

As the dawn of the 5G era ushers in a new chapter, technological forces beyond imagination are surging beneath the surface. Seizing this opportunity to overcome challenges and propel healthcare to new heights has become the key to unlocking the future of smart medicine. As an annual international high-level forum bridging healthcare and AI, West Lake Health Summit brings together experts from domestic and international medical, academic, and industrial sectors. The summit delves into cutting-edge topics such as “5G-Empowered Medical AI” and “Hospital Intelligence in the 5G Era,” focusing on multiple dimensions including 5G technology, AI enablement, smart healthcare, and industrial openness. From a global perspective, participants jointly explore innovation and development in “5G + Healthcare” and “Healthcare + AI.”

Applying Research for Practical Use, Learning to Build Industry. At this year’s West Lake Sword Forum, the cross-sector integration of “industry, academia, and research” was prominently showcased as a major highlight, bringing together experts to discuss cutting-edge advancements and demonstrate practical efficacy. Leaders from academia, healthcare, and industry convened to chart the future of medicine, painting a vivid picture of technology empowering healthcare. Tan Weihong, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and President of Zhejiang Cancer Hospital, elaborated on the “Chinese Dream” of biomedicine—Molecular Medicine—within the framework of the Healthy China strategy. He articulated the core concept of leveraging molecular technological innovation to advance the national Healthy China strategy, highlighting new developments in modern medicine that enable disease detection and prevention at the molecular level, thereby effectively safeguarding human life.

Under the theme “The Current State and Future of AI in Medicine,” Xu Bo, Director of the Institute of Automation, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and Dean of the Zhejiang Digital Content Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Sciences, provided incisive insights, asserting that there is no “AI winter.” He emphasized that smart healthcare, powered by health big data and deep learning, will have disruptive value in transforming global medicine. His presentation comprehensively showcased current applications of AI in the medical field, as well as emerging trends and breakthroughs on the horizon. Delivering a keynote address on “5G Technology Accelerating the Development of Smart Healthcare,” Jiang Wei from the Zhejiang Digital Medical and Health Technology Research Institute shared insights on building highly interconnected online healthcare systems based on 5G technology, offering a comprehensive outlook on the new landscape of smart healthcare development. How can China’s new drug R&D go global and establish itself on the international stage?

Sun Liying, a former FDA reviewer and Program Director at the National Cancer Institute (NCI), provided a professional perspective from the standpoint of a “referee,” discussing how to establish a research-driven, symbiotic model for medical and pharmaceutical innovation through data chains and innovative thinking, thereby seizing opportunities for the internationalization of new drugs. Standing in the current Health G Era, Chen Yong, Director of the Biomedical Research Center at the Advanced Technology Research Institute of the University of Science and Technology of China, shared insightful perspectives on the ecosystem concept of comprehensive health, aiming to promote the symbiotic development of a community of life for holistic well-being within an ecological civilization.

As a pioneer in implementing professional health checkups and medical services in China, Yu Rong, Chairman of Meinian Onehealth Healthcare Group, provided insightful presentations on building an ecosystem for preventive care through dual drivers of quality and data, leveraging big data and artificial intelligence technologies. This approach aims to create closed-loop, full-lifecycle health management and advance the national strategy for improving public health. Zhou Zhenghao, Co-founder of General Care AI from Taiwan, gave a detailed introduction to the opportunities and challenges of AI technology in Taiwan’s healthcare market.

Cutting-edge academic research is charting the course for future medical consultations and diagnostics, while authoritative voices from the healthcare sector reaffirm the value of intelligent medicine. Cheng Jingliang, Vice Chairman of the Chinese Society of Radiology and Director of the Magnetic Resonance Imaging Department at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, provided an in-depth analysis of the various applications of artificial intelligence in diagnosing brain diseases, highlighting from multiple perspectives the immense potential of deep learning in medical imaging and other fields. Addressing the interplay between genetic mutations and immune responses, Liu Jie, a Changjiang Scholar and Director of the Institute of Digestive Diseases at Fudan University, shared frontline experience on the establishment and application of big data-based platforms for complex and refractory diseases, exploring new strategies enabled by intelligent oncology drugs and therapies. Hu Hongjie, Director of the Radiology Department at Sir Run Run Shaw Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, drew upon extensive clinical experience to share insights into the development and application of AI in medical imaging for tumors, cardiovascular diseases, and other conditions. He emphasized actively embracing AI technology to serve clinical practice and truly build a new model of “AI + Physician.”

Drawing on years of pioneering experience in artificial intelligence (AI) for medical imaging in China, Gong Xiangyang, Director of the Department of Radiology at Zhejiang Provincial People’s Hospital, elaborated on the profound impact of the convergence of “AI” and “tele-imaging,” as well as the resulting transformation in hospital operational models. Under the theme “Operation and Management of Tele-imaging in the Context of ‘Internet + Healthcare,’” Cai Chunxian, a member of the Disease and Health Management Professional Committee of the Chinese Hospital Association and Director of the Medical Imaging and Tele-consultation Center at Neijiang No. 2 People’s Hospital, systematically presented practical experiences in building clinical tele-imaging services, representing hospitals in central and western China.

Moderated by Xu Yuanping, Managing Director of Fortune Capital, the roundtable discussion on “New Opportunities for Medical AI in the 5G Era” featured insights from Lan Jianping, Dean of the Zhejiang Institute of Industry and Information Technology; Lei Xiaoyan, Director of the MRI Department at Shaanxi Provincial People’s Hospital; Dong Wubin, Investment Director at BOC International Holdings; and Wang Guisheng, Director of the Radiology Department at the Third Medical Center of the Chinese PLA General Hospital. The panelists discussed the current state of artificial intelligence in healthcare and explored the future development of the medical industry under the convergence of 5G and AI from multiple perspectives, including policy, investment, and research.

The development of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and big data is demonstrating remarkable capabilities across the healthcare sector. What innovations can AI truly bring to modern medicine? As strong promoters of research and application in new technologies, developed countries including those in Europe, the United States, and Japan have been conducting in-depth research and practical implementations. Yanwei Chen, Tenured Professor at the College of Information Science and Engineering at Ritsumeikan University in Japan and Adjunct Professor at Zhijiang Laboratory, delivered an insightful presentation on the theme “Intelligent Information Technology and Healthcare in Japan.” He shared how current information technology is driving significant transformation in Japanese healthcare, inspiring collective exploration of future practices in smart healthcare. The advancement of AI has ushered in a “second spring” for nuclear medicine. Kuangyu Shi, Director of the Laboratory for Artificial Intelligence and Translational Diagnostics and Therapy in the Department of Nuclear Medicine at the University of Bern, Switzerland, discussed nuclear medicine in depth, likening its strategic importance to the “Star Wars” initiative. He highlighted how technologies such as big data and deep learning are enhancing the integration of diagnosis and treatment in nuclear medicine. Christoph Block, CEO of KànMedIm UG from Germany, presented on the topic “AI for Endoscopy: Medical need, current status and future perspectives,” introducing the applications of AI in real-world clinical settings, along with medical needs, current challenges, and future directions for exploration.

At the West Lake Health Forum, diverse perspectives converged as industry experts engaged in dynamic discourse, sparking significant interest. Practical implementations and the latest advancements in various AI healthcare application scenarios inspired the audience, raising the question: What achievements have been made in smart healthcare innovation during the 5G era? This forum, characterized by a multitude of voices, provided the answers. As a company deeply rooted in smart healthcare for many years, Jianpei Technology has proactively kept pace with emerging trends. During this year’s West Lake Health Forum, Jianpei Technology held a signing ceremony with Daxiang Doctor (Elephant Doctor), jointly initiating new models of professional medical services such as AI-assisted diagnosis. Furthermore, Jianpei Technology collaborated with Professor Yanwei Chen, Tenured Professor at the College of Information Science and Engineering, Ritsumeikan University, Japan, to officially release their co-authored book, *Deep Learning in Healthcare*. This work comprehensively reshapes research outcomes in key AI technologies, showcasing the appeal of deep learning applications in medicine and healthcare. On the path of industry-academia-research collaboration, Jianpei Technology has remained steadfast in its original commitment, fostering cooperation both domestically and internationally, and has thus taken a leading position.

Focusing on regional “sci-tech innovation,” facilitating industrial “integration,” and promoting the integrated “development” of the health industry in the Yangtze River Delta region have become a major highlight of this year’s West Lake Health Forum. On April 25, 2018, the General Office of the State Council issued the Opinions on Promoting the Development of “Internet + Healthcare,” which pointed out the need to improve the “Internet + Healthcare” service system, address the demands for medical information sharing and telemedicine, ensure the transmission of healthcare-related data, and promote the construction of dedicated networks for telemedicine. The 2019 Government Work Report explicitly stated the need to expand and upgrade network capacity and enhance telemedicine networks, among other measures. Meanwhile, China attaches great importance to the strategic position of 5G, with the government vigorously advancing 5G technology, standards, and industrial development. Clear deployments to promote 5G development have been made in China’s strategic plans, including those for becoming a cyber power and a manufacturing powerhouse, the 13th Five-Year Plan, and the national informatization development strategy. Made in China 2025 proposes achieving comprehensive breakthroughs in fifth-generation mobile communication (5G) technology. Technology-enabled healthcare is poised to welcome new opportunities. This forum has brought together three major provincial departments—the Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission, the Zhejiang Provincial Development and Reform Commission, and the Zhejiang Provincial Department of Economy and Information Technology—to jointly host, promote, and support the development of the 5G healthcare industry. Their efforts aim to effectively guide and support relevant explorations and practices in 5G healthcare, accelerate the interoperability and sharing of healthcare information, collaboratively foster the growth of the 5G healthcare industry, and usher in new opportunities for the smart healthcare sector.

On the other hand, as the most dynamic, open, and innovative region in China’s economy, the Yangtze River Delta plays a pivotal strategic role in the nation’s overall modernization and comprehensive opening-up. It also serves as a “demonstrator” of high-quality healthcare and a “pioneer” in medical innovation. Promoting the deep integration of information technologies—such as 5G and artificial intelligence—with the healthcare sector to drive high-quality development necessitates enhanced coordination and integration across the Yangtze River Delta region.

At this year’s West Lake Health Forum, leaders from the Yangtze River Delta Regional Cooperation Office, the Zhejiang Provincial People’s Government, and 22 departments and bureaus of Zhejiang Province, along with representatives from industry regulatory authorities and institutions across the “one city and three provinces” (Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui), jointly attended and listened to the discussions. The forum explored the development path and direction for the integrated growth of the health industry in the Yangtze River Delta, examined key issues that must be addressed during the convergent development of the health sector, and shared the latest scientific and technological innovations from the three provinces and one municipality in the region. This forum also served as the inaugural Yangtze River Delta High-Quality Health Industry Development Conference, aiming to collaboratively promote integrated and high-quality development in the Yangtze River Delta, strengthen innovation-driven growth in the health industry, advance the construction of an industrial innovation system, deepen the sharing and joint utilization of medical and healthcare resources in the region, and achieve deep integration of strategic fields and emerging technologies, business models, and formats—such as biopharmaceuticals and “AI + Health”—leveraging regional industrial foundations and resource endowments.

The year 2019, hailed as “Year One of 5G,” is poised to be filled with extraordinary developments and the boundless possibilities of technology transforming healthcare. Under the Healthy China strategy, efforts are being made to develop high-quality products and solutions focused on key areas of healthcare, facilitating the implementation of national healthcare reform policies, supporting government administration, helping medical institutions improve service quality, promoting the deep integration of information technology with the healthcare industry, strengthening innovation in digital healthcare services, and actively exploring opportunities in the “Internet + Healthcare” sector. At a thematic forum, the Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission and the Zhejiang Digital Content Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences released the outline of the White Paper on the Development of Medical Artificial Intelligence in Zhejiang Province. Authoritative experts from three provinces and one municipality, representing leading sectors of the health industry, provided interpretations of domestic policies, discussed trends in artificial intelligence and financial investment within the health industry, analyzed policy directions, and exchanged insights on 5G-enabled smart healthcare technologies.

Rooted in the Yangtze River Delta and oriented toward the world, we focus closely on issues in medical development, actively promote open innovation in the Yangtze River Delta region, and enhance the shared well-being of hundreds of millions of people. Healthcare is a vital component of building a community with a shared future for mankind, a key element in achieving strong, sustainable, balanced, and inclusive economic growth, and an important guarantee for peace and stability. By fully leveraging our unique characteristics and collaborative advantages, we strive to build a comprehensive platform that integrates government and enterprise efforts, combines high-level dialogue with pragmatic cooperation, and significantly drives the development of the regional smart healthcare industry. This remains the original aspiration, as well as the consistent mission and responsibility, of this edition of the West Lake Health Forum.

With China officially issuing commercial 5G licenses, 5G technology has begun to integrate into people’s daily lives. What sparks will fly when 5G technology converges with healthcare? At the forum, several academicians from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Academy of Engineering, along with industry experts and corporate representatives, lifted the veil on this emerging frontier through their insights and shares.

As the latest generation of mobile communication technology, 5G is characterized by ultra-high speeds, ultra-low latency, and massive connectivity. It has accelerated the innovative breakthroughs and integrated applications of next-generation information technologies such as big data, cloud computing, and artificial intelligence, ushering in a new era for healthcare development. It can be said that in the near future, the application of 5G in the medical field will transform the ecosystem of future healthcare. At this forum, vibrant thematic exchanges and insightful perspectives were shared on topics such as “5G Empowering Medical AI” and “Future-Oriented Medical Artificial Intelligence,” covering various dimensions including the application of information technology and AI in medical imaging, disease diagnosis, treatment strategies, and hospital infrastructure development.

While artificial intelligence has already been deployed in real-world medical scenarios, it still holds immense potential and market opportunities. For instance, AI-powered medical imaging recognition assists physicians in interpreting patient scans more quickly and accurately; clinical decision support systems are applied to early screening, diagnosis, rehabilitation, and surgical risk assessment; and AI accelerates drug discovery, addressing the longstanding challenges of prolonged development cycles and high costs. From “Internet + Healthcare” and “AI + General Health” to “5G + Smart Healthcare,” the global healthcare industry has been increasingly integrating cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence, the Internet of Things (IoT), and big data. This cross-sector convergence is driving healthcare services toward genuine intelligence and ushering in unprecedented opportunities for development.

5G healthcare has already demonstrated strong application potential in its early exploratory phase, enabling remote medical scenarios such as teleconsultation, remote ultrasound, telesurgery, emergency rescue, remote teaching, and remote monitoring, as well as in-hospital applications including intelligent triage, mobile nursing, hospital command and management, and AI-assisted diagnosis and treatment. The impact of 5G technology on healthcare will undoubtedly be significant and far-reaching; it will facilitate broader public access to medical resources and help alleviate, to some extent, the imbalance between the supply and demand of healthcare services.

Perhaps “future hospital wards may no longer require medical monitors, but instead transmit patient data rapidly to workstations via 5G networks using information patches,” “rounds in the intensive care unit can be conducted through remotely operated robots,” and “electronic medical records of patients can be accessed in ambulances to enable pre-hospital emergency interventions.” These examples illustrate how 5G technology can significantly expand the scope and content of healthcare services. Future medical scenarios will demand substantial network capabilities, and the typical features of 5G—high bandwidth, low latency, and security—align precisely with the needs of future healthcare development. It is conceivable that 5G could completely disrupt the current healthcare ecosystem!

As highlighted by experts from Zhejiang Province and the Chairman of Jianpei Technology at the forum, under the theme “5G Ushers in a New Era of Medical AI,” creating new healthcare scenarios through the Internet of Everything enabled by 5G technology has made it possible to customize a hospital for each patient. This is no longer just an imagination. In this era of comprehensive connectivity, new forms such as smart hospitals and medical consortia are emerging, jointly transforming and ushering in a new era of medical AI. The 5G network can serve as a key to unlock real-world scenarios that were previously difficult to digitize, thereby allowing digital technologies to reshape the physical world with finer granularity and opening up new prospects for smart healthcare.

Since the release of the industry’s first white paper in the field of medical imaging big data, the “Smart Medical Imaging Technology Development Report,” at the 2015 West Lake Health Forum, the event has introduced new innovations every year. In 2016, it featured a “human-machine competition” between AI-powered image reading robots and radiologists. In 2017, it hosted the industry’s first “arena-style” competition for robotic image interpretation. In 2018, it launched the Zhuo Yisheng Intelligent Auxiliary Diagnosis Platform. This year, the forum was upgraded and held as part of the Yangtze River Delta High-Quality Health Industry Development Conference, making it more large-scale and representative. Additionally, the professional book Deep Learning in Healthcare, published by Springer Germany, was released, along with the outline of the White Paper on the Development of Medical Artificial Intelligence in Zhejiang Province, jointly issued by the Zhejiang Provincial Health Commission and the Zhejiang Digital Content Research Institute of the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

This edition of the West Lake Health Forum exemplified a unique integration of “high-end caliber, depth, practicality, and sustainability,” achieving unprecedented scale and delivering substantial, actionable insights. The forum convened numerous experts and scholars from the medical, academic, and industrial sectors, facilitating the exchange and integration of experience and resources across all stages of 5G smart healthcare—namely industry, academia, research, and application. It provided an in-depth presentation of the integrated development strategy and construction progress of the health industry in the Yangtze River Delta region, while sharing advanced concepts in medical technology development from developed countries such as the United States, Germany, Switzerland, and Japan. With leading industry executives engaging in dynamic dialogue and renowned academic institutions sharing their expertise, the event offered an open, integrated, professional, diverse, and international cross-disciplinary academic platform. All highlights resonated with the theme of this year’s West Lake Health Forum: “5G Opens a New Era of Medical AI.” This marks a new journey in the development of smart healthcare in the advent of the 5G era and stands as a new milestone in building a robust health industry ecosystem in the Yangtze River Delta region. Looking ahead, we will continue to explore the vast “no-man’s land” at the technological frontier and strive to scale new heights in China’s healthcare development, thereby enhancing public well-being and co-creating a healthy and better life.