Bailin Smart Tech Partners with IBM Watson Health to Introduce Genomics and Imaging Solutions in China

On June 21, Baiyang Smart Technology, a subsidiary of Baiyang Pharmaceutical Group, and IBM Watson Health jointly announced in Beijing that Baiyang Smart Technology has become the exclusive distributor of Watson for Genomics in China.

This is the second Watson Health cognitive intelligence product introduced following the comprehensive strategic partnership across all product lines between Baiyang Smart Technology and IBM on March 28. From Watson for Oncology to Watson Genomics, Watson Health’s cognitive solutions are continuously assisting oncologists in delivering adjunctive therapy, while also providing cancer patients with access to advanced global treatment options.

According to Fu Gang, Chairman of Baiyang Intelligent Technology, the company plans to distribute more Watson Health products in the future, such as Watson Health Imaging. So, how many products does Watson Health actually have, and how do they deliver healthcare services?In this regard, VCBeat has outlined Watson Health’s four major product lines to examine how they have implemented a comprehensive approach.

With the high incidence of oncological diseases, cancer has become a leading threat to public health. In China alone, approximately 4.3 million new cancer cases were diagnosed in 2015, and 2.8 million people died from the disease. According to IMS data, the market size for oncology medical services is estimated at RMB 215–286.6 billion. Thus, both the patient population and the market scale for cancer are substantial.

Furthermore, driven by the rise of precision medicine and the widespread adoption of next-generation sequencing (NGS), the market for tumor gene sequencing is also expanding. According to data from Illumina, the global market size for gene sequencing services is projected to reach $20 billion in the coming years, with oncology accounting for approximately $12 billion of this total.

Faced with such a vast patient population and market size, Watson Health has developed three oncology products:Watson for Oncology, Watson Genomics, and Watson for Clinical Trial Matching。

These three products are designed to be used in conjunction. For oncology patients with less severe conditions, physicians input the patient’s clinical information into Watson for Oncology. After analyzing the patient’s data, the system automatically generates multiple treatment options, each accompanied by a recommendation index and rationale. These rationales are selected from global treatment protocols or scientific research papers, adhering to the principles of evidence-based medicine.

According to the official website of Watson Health, Watson for Oncology’s treatment recommendations have achieved a concordance rate of over 90% compared with those provided by top expert panels, gradually becoming an important intelligent assistant for oncology specialists. It currently covers the treatment fields of lung cancer, breast cancer, rectal cancer, colon cancer, gastric cancer, and cervical cancer.

The chart above presents diagnostic and treatment data provided by Zhang Xiaochun, Vice President of the Qingdao University Medical Group and Director of the Oncology Hospital. Since Watson for Oncology was introduced to the hospital on April 27, 2017, it has served a total of 256 patients in less than two months, including 122 cases of breast cancer, 61 cases of lung cancer, 34 cases of colon cancer, 23 cases of rectal cancer, 11 cases of gastric cancer, and 5 cases of ovarian cancer.

According to Fu Gang, the collaboration with Watson for Oncology, which was agreed upon by both parties three months ago, is progressing steadily.Currently implemented in 8 hospitals, with an expected coverage of 150 tertiary general hospitals by the end of the year.。

When a cancer patient’s condition is particularly severe and routine clinical information alone cannot fully capture the disease status, genetic testing may be required to identify the underlying cause. In such cases, the Watson Genomics solution is needed.

Watson Genomics solutions analyze patients’ genomic data using de-identified tumor biopsy sequencing results uploaded by clinicians, identify DNA alterations associated with disease progression, and generate evidence-based reports of precise therapeutic options to assist physicians in determining treatment plans—whether tailored to the patient’s specific oncogenic drivers or based on standard-of-care regimens.

Similarly, the treatment plans provided by Watson Genomics are all backed by theoretical evidence. In an interview, Zhang Xiaochun stated, “We have been advocating for precision medicine for two years; however, due to the lack of standardization in genetic testing laboratories, the difficulty in interpreting sequencing results, and the time-consuming nature of the process, we do not adopt it casually. Watson Genomics provides theoretical support alongside its solutions, which gives us strong confidence and aids our decision-making.”

Fu Gang also stated that Watson Genomics solutions would primarily collaborate with specialized oncology hospitals to provide patients with customized medical services. Currently, the product is still in the phase of integration and collaboration with healthcare institutions and is scheduled to officially enter the market within three months.。

When there are no mature and effective therapeutic drugs on the market, and doctors are at their wit's end, it is time toWatson Clinical Trial MatchingIt’s showtime. Every year, medical institutions and companies conduct clinical trials for various new drugs or develop new treatment protocols. In this process, researchers are searching for suitable patients, while these patients are seeking their “last straw” for survival.

In traditional approaches, significant time is required to evaluate open clinical trials and determine patient eligibility based on relevant information from medical records.Watson Clinical Trial MatchingThis process is unnecessary; simply entering patient information automatically identifies eligible potential clinical trials, helping patients find their “lifeline” within minutes.

Unlike Chinese startup projects, Watson Health Imaging primarily integrates with clinical data to assist physicians in making diagnoses, with its flagship product being Watson Imaging Clinical Review.

Watson Imaging Clinical Assessmentis a cognitive data assessment tool. Although electronic health record (EHR) systems are widely adopted in the United States, patients’ medical visit records, problem lists, and diagnostic records cannot be accurately uploaded into EHRs.Watson Imaging Clinical EvaluationMore continuous and reliable electronic health records (EHRs) can be created to improve the quality of medical reports and the accuracy of the billing process. Continuous patient records encompass comprehensive patient data obtained from primary care physicians, specialists, and emergency department physicians.

Currently, this product focuses on aortic valve stenosis. If a cardiologist provides a diagnosis of aortic valve stenosis,Watson Imaging Clinical EvaluationIt will confirm whether the diagnosis has been uploaded to the electronic medical record and whether the uploaded content includes the patient's problem list and diagnostic records.

In 2016, IBM also established the Watson Health Medical Imaging Partnership, a consortium comprising 15 leading healthcare institutions, academic medical centers, mobile radiology providers, and imaging technology companies. To date, the conditions studied by the partnership have covered breast cancer, lung cancer, diabetes, ocular diseases, neurological disorders, stroke, and heart disease.

At the press conference on June 21,Fu Gang stated that Baiyang Intelligent Technology is currently in discussions with Watson Health regarding this project, which is highly likely to be introduced to China in the future.

China has its own experts in individual health management, but lacks experience in population health management. Watson Health offers a product specifically designed for government agencies, focusing on population health management. It can find a balance between medical costs and quality of care.

This system has already served more than 20 states across the United States, as well as other government entities. Its services primarily encompass the following six areas: cost control, budget planning, population health management, fraud and overutilization prevention, performance evaluation, and enhancing trust between patients and providers.

Many researchers believe that the future of immuno-oncology lies in targeting unique tumor characteristics to transform cancer treatment and extend therapeutic options to more patients. By leveraging Watson Health’s cognitive capabilities in drug development, potentially new immuno-oncology therapies can be brought to patients more rapidly.

Watson for Drug DiscoveryAs a cloud platform, it is designed to help life scientists discover new drug targets and alternative drugs.

In December 2016, Watson Health and Pfizer reached a new agreement to leverage Watson Health’s supercomputing capabilities for cancer drug development. Pfizer willWatson Drug Discoverymachine learning, natural language processing, and other cognitive reasoning capabilities for novel drug identification, combination therapy, and patient selection strategies in immuno-oncology.

Beyond new drug discovery, Watson Health can also be applied in life science fields such as drug safety monitoring, market size analysis, and assessment of clinical value.

Watson Health is a pioneer in the application of artificial intelligence in healthcare. While most domestic products were still in the R&D phase, Watson Health’s offerings had already embarked on commercialization. As a key partner of Watson Health in China, Baiyang Smart Technology has secured exclusive distribution rights for two products—Watson Genomics and Watson for Oncology—and leveraged its well-established channels, built through years of dedication to the healthcare sector, to facilitate their rapid deployment.

As stated in the signed contract,Baoyang Intelligent Technology Secures Priority Negotiation Rights for Select New Watson Health Products in the Chinese Market and Collaborative R&D Rights for New Product Launches. Therefore, we look forward to Baiyang introducing more intelligent medical products to China, thereby improving the country’s healthcare environment and conditions.