Top 10 Eye-Catching Internet Healthcare Technologies Spark IPO Buzz

This issue kicks off the second edition of [VCBeat’s Blue Book]—the latest technological trends in the internet healthcare industry.

“Special Note” [VCBeat’s Blue Booklet] is a biweekly news roundup produced by VCBeat, aiming to scan the latest developments in the global digital health industry, so that readers can grasp the trends of the entire industry within 20 minutes.

Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have recently developed a new interactive robot capable of providing recommendations to healthcare professionals, thereby assisting them in making decisions under complex circumstances. This robotic assistant may soon be deployed in delivery rooms to support medical staff. In a two-year study, MIT scientists evaluated the robot’s efficacy in serving as a resource nurse, tasked with making complex decisions in rapidly changing environments. The role involves addressing thousands of critical issues, including bed allocation and selecting the appropriate nurses for cesarean sections.

He believes that artificial intelligence chatbots in the future—such as those providing basic information services seen on Facebook Messenger—will completely revolutionize the way everyone uses computers. Nadella stated that nearly every application developer today, whether developing desktop applications, mobile apps, or websites, will choose AI bots as their interface, and Microsoft’s software developers, customers, and partners will gradually integrate AI bots into their products. Clearly, Microsoft is already prepared: the company plans to introduce a brand-new concept—“conversation as a platform.”

This robotic physiotherapist (EMMA), jointly developed by graduates of Nanyang Technological University and AiTreat, provides patients with professional physical therapy services, such as massage, to help relax muscles and reduce injury.

According to the latest issue of Nature Communications, Canadian researchers have pioneered a new method that uses DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) as an engine for microscopic machines, which can be used to detect substances such as viruses, bacteria, cocaine, and even metals.

Recently, experts at University Hospitals Leuven in Belgium developed the world’s first 3D-printed prosthetic eye for a 68-year-old male patient. More importantly, the manufacturing cost of this 3D-printed prosthetic eye (or artificial eye) was only €1,300, with the majority covered by the patient’s health insurance.

Currently, there is a substantial body of research focused on 3D-printed bone structures and 3D-printed biocompatible implants. Among the latest developments is work by the German chemical company Evonik Industries. The company is currently investigating biodegradable composite materials as alternatives to metal implants. This research is being conducted by its Medical Devices Project House located in Birmingham, Alabama. The study is still in its early stages. Evonik aims to ultimately develop biocompatible implants that gradually degrade within the body as the bone heals, thereby eliminating the need for surgical removal.

On July 20, a complex hepatectomy performed by the liver surgery team led by Professors Fan Jia and Zhou Jian from Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, was live-streamed via VR (virtual reality) technology. More than 30 trainees in the conference room, equipped with portable VR devices, were able to clearly observe every detail of the surgical procedure. By freely switching between 360° panoramic views, they could also monitor and learn in real time about the seamless coordination among surgeons and nurses, between the lead surgeon and assistants, and between the surgical team and anesthesiologists.

On July 24, the Precision Medicine and Gene Sequencing Conference was held in Beijing. Li Qing, Director of the Medical and Health Science and Technology Development Research Center under the National Health and Family Planning Commission, delivered a keynote speech titled “Innovation-Driven Development Strategy and S&T Strategy.” Li outlined the five major tasks of precision medicine research at the national level, providing guidance for professionals in the field of precision medicine. In 2015, the Ministry of Science and Technology announced a plan to invest RMB 60 billion in the field of precision medicine by 2030.

Recently, Professor Wang Jun’s laboratory at the University of Science and Technology of China published their latest research findings in the international academic journal *Biomaterials*. They discovered that the combined use of autophagy inhibitors and chemotherapeutic agents, delivered via a nanoparticle transport system, can effectively kill breast cancer cells and breast cancer stem cells. This study provides a novel therapeutic approach to address treatment resistance and recurrence caused by breast cancer stem cells.

Every cancer originates from a single cell. Researchers at The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) have recently identified a precise and reliable method to pinpoint the cellular origins that lead to leukemia, which is highly beneficial for cancer diagnosis and prognosis assessment. This novel approach, termed genome-wide analysis of open chromatin, was published in the international academic journal Nature Communications.

With over 7.5 million new cases of Alzheimer’s disease reported annually, the search for novel vaccines and effective therapies for dementia has become increasingly urgent. Recently, a study published in the international journal Scientific Reports by researchers from the United States and Australia identified a potential new vaccine that targets pathological proteins associated with Alzheimer’s disease, a common cause of dementia in the elderly.

Scientists at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan have recently developed a robot featuring a “skeletal” structure and muscles akin to those of humans. Japanese researchers stated that both the robot’s bones and muscles are fabricated from synthetic materials; the muscular component employs an assembly of multi-fiber bundles capable of mimicking the contraction and relaxation of human muscles, thereby pulling on the skeleton to generate movement.

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