Ziwei Star Files IPO Prospectus: Empowering Precision Oncology with 3D Visualization and MR Technologies
3D modeling, in layman’s terms, involves creating models with three-dimensional data in a virtual 3D space using 3D production software. It is commonly applied in the entertainment, commercial, and even tourism sectors. However, as 3D technology has gradually matured, companies in the healthcare industry have also taken an interest in it. Anhui Ziwei Dixing Digital Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Ziwei Dixing”) is one of the pioneering enterprises in this field.
Recently, VCBeat interviewed Mr. Wang Yizhu, founder of Ziwei Dixing, to discuss the current policy environment and development status of 3D technology in healthcare. Mr. Wang also shared his insights on the market opportunities in this field.
“2019 National Latest Cancer Report” from the National Cancer Center shows that malignant tumors (cancer) have become one of the major public health issues seriously threatening the health of the Chinese population. Over the past decade, the incidence rate of malignant tumors has maintained an annual increase of approximately 3.9%, with an average of 10,000 people diagnosed with cancer each day. The mortality rate has also seen a yearly increase of 2.5%, showing a continuous upward trend, making prevention and control efforts extremely challenging.
“The rate of increase in the incidence of malignant tumors has far outpaced the growth in the number of oncology healthcare institutions,” stated Wang Yi. According to statistics from the National Health Commission, China currently has 987,000 medical and health institutions, with primary care facilities accounting for 94% of the total. Public tertiary hospitals undertake more than 80% of oncology medical services. The growth of oncology healthcare resources in China has been slow, while bed occupancy rates and bed turnover frequencies remain persistently high.
Meanwhile, cancer treatment faces numerous challenges. First, medical resources are concentrated in first- and second-tier cities, with an uneven distribution of expert personnel and medical equipment, leading to a low overall cancer cure rate. Second, the doctor-patient relationship poses significant headaches for clinicians. However, the most critical issue is the extreme complexity of tumor surgery. Physicians need to clearly understand the location of lesions within the patient’s body, as well as the surrounding complex internal tissue structures and vascular distribution, prior to surgery. This enables precise tumor resection and risk avoidance during the procedure, thereby improving surgical efficiency and success rates.
Where there are pain points, there are opportunities. “There is a significant supply-demand gap in China’s oncology medical services market,” introduced Wang Yizhu. As of 2018, there were approximately 7.5 million existing cancer patients in China, with a treatment penetration rate of about 60%. The average annual treatment cost per patient was around RMB 70,000, making the market size for oncology medical services in China approximately RMB 320 billion. It is projected that the total number of cancer patients will reach 15.696 million by 2020, with the annual incremental market exceeding RMB 140 billion.
The oncology healthcare market, valued at hundreds of billions of yuan, represents a “gold mine” for startups, even if they capture only a small fraction of it. After 2016, the Chinese government introduced requirements for AI development in the healthcare sector, propelling medical AI into the spotlight as a high-growth track. In this context, Ziwei Dixing emerged as a frontrunner on this path.
Ziwei Emperor Star was established in February 2017. Headquartered in Hefei, Anhui Province, the company operates three R&D centers in Shenzhen, Hefei, and Chongqing. It is a high-tech enterprise specializing in precision oncology diagnosis and treatment, as well as a designated big data enterprise in Hefei City. The founder, Mr. Wang Yizhu, previously held positions at GE Healthcare and Beijing Wandong Medical Technology Co., Ltd., among other publicly listed companies. With over two decades of experience in medical industry technology R&D and management, he is also a medical imaging technology expert recruited under Beijing’s “Double High” Talent Introduction Program.
Wang Yizhu, with a technical background, fully understands the importance of professional talent and therefore places particular emphasis on expertise when building his core team. To date, all key personnel at Ziwei Dixing come from frontline roles in medical image processing, 3D visualization product development, and marketing. The company has assembled a specialized team comprising master’s and doctoral graduates from prestigious universities both in China and abroad, boasting extensive R&D experience and strong marketing capabilities.
“The evolution of medical imaging from two-dimensional to four-dimensional is an inevitable process,” introduced Wang Yizhu. Following industry trends, Ziwei Dixing has adopted the “Internet + Digital Healthcare” model and successfully developed multiple service offerings, including 3D visualization-based customized medical services, Mixed Reality (MR)-assisted precision surgical technology services, multidisciplinary consultation, and medical training services.
Three-dimensional visualization technology integrates AI innovations such as deep learning, intelligent image recognition, and neural networks to create 3D models of internal human organs. These are displayed as colorful, transparent, three-dimensional structures, assisting clinicians in addressing various complex and challenging cases currently encountered. This technology supports surgical simulation, risk assessment, precise measurement, and intraoperative navigation, thereby improving surgical success rates. Currently, Ziwei Dixing has achieved a number of high-quality clinical research outcomes and secured intellectual property rights in areas including 3D visualization of cerebral nerve tracts, pulmonary nodules/tumors, cardiac, urological, and orthopedic applications.
MR (Mixed Reality) technology services are built upon 3D visualization technology. By combining the advantages of VR (Virtual Reality) and AR (Augmented Reality), MR technology enables precise alignment of holographic images reconstructed from 3D data with the patient’s anatomy. This allows physicians to observe anatomical structures more intuitively and realistically, thereby enhancing surgical precision, facilitating communication with patients, and increasing the participation of junior surgeons in procedures. Furthermore, the technical service supports single-party control with synchronized multi-party visual display, providing a technological foundation for precise remote diagnosis and treatment.
“The internal structure of the human body is extremely complex, with individualized vascular variations. Being able to clearly visualize and thoroughly understand lesions and their associated relationships before surgery is, I believe, the aspiration of all surgeons,” Wang Yizhu told VCBeat. Currently, Ziwei Dixing has jointly established a Human Body 3D Visualization Joint Laboratory with the Hefei Institutes of Physical Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and set up an “AI and Precision Diagnosis and Treatment Research Center” with the College of Computer Science at Chongqing University. Moving forward, Ziwei Dixing will focus on advancing medical 3D printing modeling technology.
It is reported that over 300 renowned experts across China have applied Ziwei Dixing’s 3D human body visualization technology to academic research and clinical surgical guidance. Ziwei Dixing has established collaborations with more than 280 hospitals, including the PLA General Hospital (301 Hospital), Beijing Cancer Hospital, and the First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, with its business operations covering all 31 provinces and municipalities in China. Wang Yizhu revealed that Ziwei Dixing is currently undergoing Series A financing to strengthen R&D, market expansion, and medical education and training, aiming to extend its services to more than half of the country’s Grade III Class A hospitals within the next two to three years.