United Imaging Showcases Ultra-High-End Product Portfolio at CMEF, Advancing an Integrated Innovation Ecosystem Across Industry, Academia, Clinical Practice, and Research

From May 14 to May 17, 2019, United Imaging Healthcare Co., Ltd. showcased more than 30 products spanning its diagnostic imaging, radiotherapy, internet healthcare, and artificial intelligence product lines at the 81st China International Medical Equipment Fair (Spring) (CMEF), and held a new product launch event themed “Innovation Without Bounds.” At the event, United Imaging unveiled a series of internationally leading ultra-high-end products and technologies, as well as the latest collaborative achievements with top-tier clinical institutions and research institutes both in China and abroad.

Xue Min, Chairman and CEO of United Imaging Group, stated, “Over the past eight years, United Imaging has remained steadfast in its commitment to independent innovation, driving the development of both the company and the industry through innovation. We have continuously sought breakthroughs in core technologies and launched a series of ultra-high-end products to meet the higher demands of clinical practice and scientific research. Meanwhile, we have actively mobilized resources from various sectors, including industry, clinical practice, and academia, to foster an innovative ecosystem characterized by deep collaboration and symbiotic win-win outcomes. This enhanced capacity for innovation is propelling China’s medical equipment industry into truly world-class innovation and value chains.”

The 3.0T Tansuo MRI is a flagship product released by United Imaging. Leveraging its industry-leading ultra-high-performance gradient system, Light-Speed imaging technology, and Light-Speed Engine, it delivers superior image contrast and more detailed structural visualization. The system is also equipped with a comprehensive suite of advanced and AI-powered applications, such as resting-state functional brain imaging, quantitative analysis of brain structure, and quantitative analysis of brain tumors, providing powerful tools for cutting-edge clinical and research exploration.

Leveraging the 3.0T Explorer MRI system, United Imaging has established in-depth collaborations with leading domestic research institutions and hospitals, including the Shanghai Center for Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Intelligence, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Huashan Hospital (West Branch) affiliated with Fudan University, the Kunming Institute of Zoology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine. These partnerships focus on advancing brain science research in areas such as foundational validation studies of molecular and functional brain atlases in healthy humans, mapping normal brain aging in middle-aged and elderly populations, investigating brain tumors and neurodegenerative diseases, studying molecular and functional brain atlases in primates, and exploring neurological disorders.

Currently, brain research has become one of the most important topics in modern science and represents the ultimate frontier for humanity’s understanding of natural phenomena and ourselves. This three-pound organ, composed of hundreds of billions of neurons, remains enigmatic in its connection to the human body. Meanwhile, neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and depression are increasingly posing major threats to human health. According to data from the World Health Organization, the global socioeconomic burden attributable to brain diseases accounts for 19% of that of all diseases, surpassing the 11% attributed to cardiovascular diseases and the 7% attributed to cancer. Advances in neuroscience will make critical contributions to the diagnosis and treatment of these conditions. Countries around the world are actively exploring the mysteries of the brain, and China has launched its own national brain science research initiatives.

Academician Zhang Xu, a member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Vice President of the CAS Shanghai Branch, and Dean of the Brain and Intelligence Research Institute at Zhangjiang Laboratory, stated, “United Imaging has provided robust technical support in imaging technology and software applications. In particular, the brain imaging data acquired by the United Imaging 3.0T Explorer MRI system supports research on brain anatomical connectivity patterns, brain function, and brain disorders. This facilitates the further refinement of brain atlases with clear biological significance and the validation frameworks for their applicability, thereby driving source-level innovation in brain science research.”

Huashan Hospital (West Branch), Fudan University, serves as the Shanghai Brain Disease Research Center and undertakes key tasks in China’s brain science initiatives, including research on brain disorders and the development of Shanghai’s “Brain Bank.” Mao Ying, Vice President of Huashan Hospital, Fudan University, and President-Elect of the Neurosurgery Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, stated, “We are collaborating with United Imaging to validate molecular and functional atlases of the healthy human brain, aiming to translate brain science discoveries into clinical practice for the treatment of brain diseases, particularly brain tumors and cerebrovascular disorders. The United Imaging 3.0T Exploration MRI system provides a solid foundation for brain disease research. Furthermore, United Imaging works closely with us to develop new sequences and algorithms tailored to our hospital’s research needs, significantly accelerating the translation of scientific findings into clinical applications.”

At this exhibition, United Imaging also announced the latest progress on the world’s first total-body dynamic scanning PET-CT, the uEXPLORER. Since its inception, the uEXPLORER has captured global attention—marked by a powerful collaboration between top research teams from China and the United States, revolutionary ultra-high performance parameters in the history of molecular imaging, and recognition as one of the Top 10 Scientific Breakthroughs of 2018 by Physics World magazine. The breakthroughs and advancements it promises for both clinical practice and scientific research have become a focal point of current industry interest.

In April 2019, the world’s first total-body dynamic scanning PET-CT system, the uEXPLORER, was installed at Zhongshan Hospital Fudan University and entered the clinical validation phase. Dr. Shi Hongcheng, Director of the Department of Nuclear Medicine at Zhongshan Hospital, stated, “With the installation of the uEXPLORER, we will leverage its ultra-high performance and capability for real-time dynamic metabolic imaging to conduct research in areas such as systemic diseases, metabolic changes in small lesions, and new drug development.”

The device has currently received approval from the U.S. FDA. The second uEXPLORER system worldwide is being installed at the University of California, Davis, in the United States and is poised for clinical use. In addition, United Imaging has received orders from more than ten research and clinical institutions around the globe.

“Building on this revolutionary product, we will establish a world-class platform for scientific research collaboration, engaging in multi-center collaborative exploration with top-tier hospitals and research institutions worldwide. Currently, the US Explorer Alliance, Zhongshan Hospital of Fudan University in Shanghai, and nuclear medicine experts from United Imaging are collaborating globally to conduct related studies. In the future, we hope to welcome more partners to join, making this global collaborative innovation network increasingly diverse and robust,” said Xue Min.

Among the batch of ultra-high-end products and technologies with internationally leading standards that United Imaging introduced this year are several projects included in the first batch of the Ministry of Science and Technology’s “13th Five-Year” National Key R&D Program’s “Special Project on R&D of Digital Diagnostic and Therapeutic Equipment.” To date, four of the eight such special projects undertaken by United Imaging have been commercialized and launched into the market. These include the world’s first “spatiotemporal integrated” ultra-high-definition TOF PET/MR, the new-generation clinical all-digital optical-guided PET-CT, China’s first 640-slice CT scanner, and the first domestically produced high-definition, low-dose 3D tomographic breast imaging system. All these projects were led by United Imaging in collaboration with multiple hospitals, universities, research institutes, and quality inspection agencies. They have filled previous gaps both domestically and internationally, providing a more cutting-edge innovation platform for further clinical and scientific research collaboration.

Furthermore, in April this year, the first medical imaging AI project under the National Key R&D Program of the 13th Five-Year Plan—titled “A New Smart Healthcare Service Model Based on an Imaging Cloud Platform with Full Data Chain Intelligence”—was officially launched. As the lead organization, United Imaging will collaborate with major universities, research institutes, and Grade-A tertiary hospitals over the next three years to build an intelligent medical imaging cloud big data platform, creating a new service model for smart screening and assisted diagnosis.