VB Weekly Report 1102: Beyond the 'Two-Child Policy' Hype – Key Developments in Healthcare and Biotech

————————————Events and Perspectives————————————

Last week, the Communiqué of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China announced the “full implementation of the policy allowing each couple to have two children, and the active initiation of actions to address population aging.” I believe everyone’s WeChat Moments feeds have already been flooded with this news, so I won’t repeat it ad nauseam. In short, feel free to have more children. However... do not overlook the central government’s “calculated intentions”: with the policy taking effect now, there will be a huge wave of Virgo babies born next year. You’ve been warned.

Furthermore, following the conclusion of the conference, the Communiqué of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China was released. The communiqué elaborated on the recommendations of the Communist Party of China regarding the future “13th Five-Year Plan.” Among these, the following proposals were put forth for the healthcare and medical sector:

1) Establish a more equitable and sustainable social security system, implement a universal participation plan, achieve national pooling of basic pensions for employees, transfer part of state-owned capital to replenish the social security fund, and fully implement the critical illness insurance system for urban and rural residents;

2) Advance the construction of a Healthy China, deepen the reform of the medical and health care system, rationalize drug pricing, implement coordinated reforms among healthcare services, medical insurance, and pharmaceuticals, and establish a basic medical and health care system and a modern hospital management system that cover both urban and rural areas;

3) Implement the food safety strategy;

4) Actively implement initiatives to address population aging;

Next, let’s continue reviewing last week’s major events:

Perhaps the most “unexpected” development is that 23andMe has resumed its genetic testing services.

Last week,23andMe publicly announced that the company has launched a revised genetic testing service, which has officially received market authorization.This service, named "Personal Genomic Services," is specifically designed to analyze genetic mutations in the body that have the potential to cause disease.

This also marks the relaunch of genetic testing services, two years after the U.S. FDA halted its direct-to-consumer, ultra-low-cost personal genetic reporting service.

“Completely different from two years ago, medical experts state that risk reports on potential diseases are no longer provided to consumers, particularly excluding risk assessments for major conditions such as heart disease, breast cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease.”

Meanwhile, WeGene has launched a new genetic testing kit and initiated its open platform program.



WeGene’s testing kit targets the genetic characteristics of major Chinese populations, selecting 600,000 loci for analysis. Based on this data, it provides interpretive services across seven categories—ancestry composition, health risks, fitness genetics, genetic disease screening, drug response, hereditary traits, and nutritional metabolism—covering more than 200 reports in total.

It is reported that, at present, only two biotechnology giants, Affymetrix and Illumina, can provide high-density biochips capable of detecting 600,000 loci.

One word,

The following news is even more inspiring.

Alibaba Reports Second-Quarter Earnings Beat Expectations, with Alibaba Health Contributing RMB 18.6 Billion in Revenue

Last week, Alibaba Group released its financial results for the second quarter of fiscal year 2016, ended September 30, 2015 (referred to as the third quarter of 2015 in China). The report showed that Alibaba Group’s revenue for the second fiscal quarter reached RMB 22.171 billion, representing a 32% year-over-year increase.

Under U.S. GAAP, the net profit for the second fiscal quarter was RMB 9.252 billion, representing a 36% increase from RMB 6.008 billion in the same period last year. Of this, the net profit attributable to ordinary shareholders of Alibaba Group was RMB 22.754 billion, a year-on-year increase of 665%.

Why Is Net Profit Higher Than Revenue? Upon investigation, it turns out that Alibaba’s growth was primarily driven by a RMB 18.6 billion non-cash gain resulting from the revaluation of its previously held equity interest in Ali Health. In the same period last year, this gain amounted to only RMB 468 million. In other words, investment income alone accounted for RMB 18.1 billion of Alibaba’s growth. Excluding this item, the actual net profit from core operations was approximately RMB 4.1 billion.

Although this is Alibaba’s affair, it serves as a stimulant for the internet healthcare sector, which has long been labeled as “cash-burning.”

Of course, necessary expenses must be incurred; otherwise, how can one generate profits? Take the following individuals as examples.

Hainan Haiyao Invests 4.5 Billion Yuan to Scale Up Internet Healthcare.

Last week, Hainan Haiyao released a private placement plan, under which the company intends to issue shares non-publicly to four specific investors: its controlling shareholder Nanfang Tongzheng, Dingli Shenghe, Black-necked Crane Fund, and TEDA Macrolife. According to the announcement, the subscription amounts for Nanfang Tongzheng, Dingli Shenghe, Black-necked Crane Fund, and TEDA Macrolife are RMB 1 billion, RMB 1.5 billion, RMB 1 billion, and RMB 1 billion, respectively. The aforementioned four subscribers have signed the “Conditional Share Subscription Agreement” with Hainan Haiyao. Following the shareholders’ meeting resolution on this non-public share issuance, if any other subscribers waive their subscription rights, the controlling shareholder Nanfang Tongzheng will fully subscribe for the waived shares at the issuance price.

The raised funds are proposed to be allocated as follows: RMB 1.7 billion for the Telemedicine Service Platform Project, RMB 1.0 billion for the Health Management Service Platform Project, RMB 700 million for the Hainan Haiyao Biopharmaceutical Industrial Park Project, RMB 600 million for the Hunan Lianqiao Medicinal Herbs Warehousing and Logistics Trading Center Project, and RMB 500 million for the repayment of non-publicly offered directional debt financing instruments.

Walgreens and Rite Aid, Two Major U.S. Pharmacy Chains, to Merge

According to The Wall Street Journal, pharmacy chain operator Walgreens Boots Alliance is close to reaching a deal to acquire Rite Aid.

This means that the two largest pharmacy chain operators in the United States will merge into one entity. Following the news, Rite Aid’s stock price surged, closing more than 40% higher in Tuesday’s trading session. Affected by this report, Walgreens Boots Alliance’s stock price also rose by approximately 4%.

Shares of CVS, another pharmacy chain operator, also rose about 1% in Tuesday trading.

Walgreens Boots Alliance declined to comment on the news, and Rite Aid has yet to comment.

Sinocare Invests $272.5 Million to Acquire the World’s Sixth-Largest Blood Glucose Monitoring Company

Last week, Shenzhen Xinuo Health Industry Investment Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Sinocare Inc., reached an agreement with Nipro Diagnostics, Inc., the U.S. subsidiary of Japan’s Nipro Corporation, on the transfer of equity interests and signed a conditional and binding Equity Purchase Agreement. The transaction involves a proposed investment of USD 272.5 million to acquire 100% of the equity interest in Nipro Diagnostics, Inc.

According to reports, Nipro Diagnostics is the sixth-largest global player and a leading U.S. company in blood glucose monitoring, ranking third in the United States behind Johnson & Johnson and Roche. Its products are distributed to more than 80 other countries and regions through Nipro Corporation’s global branches.

Sinocare boasts outstanding sales capabilities for its blood glucose monitoring systems in China. Upon completion of the acquisition, the company is expected to become a second-tier global provider of blood glucose monitoring products, significantly enhancing its market share in the global blood glucose monitoring product market.

It is worth noting that Sinocare has previously experienced two failed overseas acquisitions. One was the acquisition of Bayer’s diabetes care business in June this year. As a technological leader in blood glucose monitoring systems, lancing devices, and diabetes management software, this business recorded sales of €909 million (approximately $1.031 billion) in 2014. The other was the attempted acquisition of Panasonic Healthcare.

Thus, some argue that Sinocare is attempting a “snake swallowing an elephant” feat; this editor, however, believes that,

Additionally,Cardinal Health Completes Acquisition of Cordis

Cardinal Health Announces Completion of $1.944 Billion Acquisition of Johnson & Johnson’s Cordis BusinessCardinal Health has announced the completion of its acquisition of Cordis, a subsidiary of Johnson & Johnson, for a total consideration of $1.944 billion. Cordis is a global leader in cardiovascular and endovascular devices. The acquisition process, which began in March 2015, has now culminated in the successful launch of integration efforts, with the management team fully in place worldwide.

The acquisition of Contis will strengthen Cardinal Health’s product capabilities in physician preference items, including areas such as cardiovascular care, wound management, and orthopedics. The company is committed to helping customers standardize medical devices while providing innovative solutions for supply chain management, inventory optimization, and workflow tools and data to support the most effective patient management.

The merged Cardinal Health and Contis will be able to provide high-quality daily necessities, reliable and traceable inventory and logistics, as well as deep analytical capabilities, thereby enhancing products and services across the entire healthcare continuum. This multi-layered solution will become increasingly important with the emergence of value-based payment models.

Compared to the aforementioned high-profile moves, the following two entities are considerably more low-key.

Baidu and Shenzhen Health and Family Planning Commission Enter into Strategic Partnership to Jointly Promote the Development of Mobile Healthcare.

Last week, Baidu and the Shenzhen Municipal Health and Family Planning Commission held a strategic cooperation signing ceremony in Shenzhen.

Under this cooperation agreement, Baidu will be deeply involved in the planning and construction of Shenzhen’s health and family planning informatization. Both parties will jointly carry out big data mining, analysis, and applications, leveraging Baidu’s advantages in big data, cloud computing, and multi-dimensional security technologies to collaboratively explore new mechanisms and models for the development, utilization, operation, and security management of big data.

Meanwhile, Baidu will also enable citizens to conveniently search for the addresses, basic services, contact information, and profiles of renowned experts at various healthcare institutions in Shenzhen through its “Direct Access” feature on the Baidu search engine, thereby facilitating greater public awareness of the latest developments in the reform and development of Shenzhen’s health and family planning sector.

As early as March this year, Baidu Doctor announced a strategic partnership with the Shenzhen-based “Jiuyi 160” platform. This collaboration with the Shenzhen Municipal Health and Family Planning Commission will help Shenzhen residents access more convenient medical guidance, referral services, and consultations with renowned specialists at prestigious hospitals outside their local area.

YZY Medical Technology and Shanghai Lidi Establish Strategic Partnership for Clinical Application Research of Circulating Tumor Cells

Wuhan Youzhiyou Medical Technology Co., Ltd. (a high-tech enterprise specializing in the R&D, production, and sales of genetic diagnostic reagents and equipment for personalized medication) and Shanghai Lidi Biotechnology Co., Ltd. (dedicated to research, services, and product development in tumor-specific precision medicine) recently announced a strategic partnership to jointly advance the application of circulating tumor cell (CTC) detection technology in precision oncology. Under the agreement, Youzhiyou Medical Technology will provide Shanghai Lidi with a CTC detection platform and comprehensive technical support, Shanghai

Lidi has integrated its CTC detection platform into the company’s one-stop research technology platform for personalized precision oncology, advancing clinical research and application of personalized precision medicine to benefit cancer patients.

The most important items are the following established “products.”

China Telecom's Medical Imaging Cloud Platform Has Been Officially Completed and Put into Operation.

In October 2015, China Telecom’s Medical Imaging Cloud Platform was officially completed and put into operation. Based in Lanzhou, the platform provides medical imaging cloud services to regional health institutions and healthcare facilities across China.

Invested by the China Telecom Medical Industry Informatization Application (Lanzhou) Base and jointly developed with China Telecom Cloud Computing Branch, the platform was officially completed at the China Telecom Inner Mongolia Cloud Base in just over two months, under the guidance of China Telecom Group Corporation and through the collaborative efforts of multiple parties. With a designed capacity of 42 data center buildings, the Inner Mongolia Cloud Base offers cloud hosting capabilities for more than 100,000 racks and 2 million servers, making it currently the largest cloud computing park in Asia.

China Telecom Medical Imaging Cloud Platform can meet the following three needs to achieve reasonable and orderly flow of medical information:

- Meets the requirements for long-term storage and backup of medical imaging information throughout the lifecycle of imaging data, helping customers reduce construction and operational costs;

- Enable interoperability, sharing, and storage of PACS imaging data among different hospitals within the region and medical consortiums, while effectively enhancing regulatory oversight of imaging data by administrative authorities;

- The platform ultimately connects the imaging information silos of medical institutions at all levels, enabling imaging information collaboration, reducing redundant investment and construction costs, optimizing the utilization of healthcare resources, and achieving mutual benefits for all stakeholders.

Last week,Fudan University has spearheaded the establishment of Shanghai’s first “Obstetrics and Gynecology Medical Consortium.”

Specifically, it is led by the “Red House Hospital” and jointly composed of 12 hospitals, including Zhongshan Hospital, East China Hospital, Huashan Hospital North Branch, and Jinshan Hospital. Distributed across 10 districts and counties throughout the city, the network has a total of 1,719 obstetrics and gynecology beds and 1,015 obstetrics and gynecology physicians.

Within the “Medical Consortium,” tertiary hospitals, such as obstetrics and gynecology hospitals, deploy personnel and technical expertise to other member institutions, conduct regular technical exchanges and training, and promote internal talent mobility and the enhancement of diagnostic and treatment capabilities. A “two-way referral” channel is established among the hospitals: tertiary hospitals admit high-risk and complex cases, while patients with chronic diseases or in the rehabilitation phase are transferred to primary or secondary care facilities. Pregnant women and patients at any member institution can reserve a portion of the beds and specialist outpatient appointments allocated by the obstetrics and gynecology hospital.

North America's First Digital Hospital Opens.

After fifteen years of planning and preparation, and at a cost of several million dollars, the Humber River Hospital in Toronto, Canada, has finally opened its doors as North America’s first fully digital hospital. Within this facility, robots are being extensively utilized in daily medical operations, while digital technologies are facilitating communication between healthcare providers and patients.

Throughout the 1.8 million square feet of workspace, robots are capable of automatically mixing and managing chemotherapy drugs, maneuvering and parking delivery trucks, delivering meals and medical supplies to patients, and calling elevators. Each patient room is equipped with an innovative bedside touchscreen system, allowing patients to video chat with healthcare providers via Skype, read books, order meals, and access their electronic health records. The bedside telephone functions as a barcode scanner, enabling rapid and efficient updates to digital medical records as well as secure medication handling and management. To align with the new patient-centered care philosophy, most rooms are designed for privacy and include adjustable beds for patients’ family members.

Of course, the most surprising aspect is that the hospital’s growing reliance on robotics has not led to a rise in unemployment. On the contrary, the hospital has added 700 new employees. With most rooms now being private, human touch has become an indispensable requirement for delivering effective and safe care.

After reading, I only feel that

Of course, if you want to live a long life, do not engage in medical disturbances. Because..

Effective November 1, medical disturbances are officially subject to criminal penalties.

The "Ninth Amendment to the Criminal Law" stipulates that whoever gathers a crowd to disturb social order, where the circumstances are serious and render work, production, business operations, teaching, scientific research, or medical services impossible, thereby causing serious losses, shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not less than three years but not more than seven years if they are the ringleaders; other active participants shall be sentenced to fixed-term imprisonment of not more than three years, criminal detention, public surveillance, or deprivation of political rights.

Notably, the newly revised law introduces a number of new provisions, bringing nine common offenses within the scope of criminal punishment. These include disseminating false information on WeChat and Weibo, hiring imposters to take national examinations, attempting to profit from medical disturbances, serious overloading or speeding of school buses and passenger vehicles, illegal possession of terrorist materials, and abuse of the elderly, children, the sick, and persons with disabilities. Previously, such unlawful acts might have been subject only to administrative penalties; henceforth, however, they will incur criminal liability, resulting in a stigmatizing criminal record.

————————————Exclusive to VCBeat————————————

What Has Guahao.com Done Regarding Tiered Diagnosis and Treatment?

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Interpretation of Trending English Terms in Internet Healthcare:HMO

——————————————Healthcare Reform——————————————

★Xinjiang Public Hospitals Seek to Abolish Registration Fees
It is reported that on October 26, the Xinjiang Development and Reform Commission, the Health and Family Planning Commission, and the Department of Human Resources and Social Security jointly issued the “Notice on Issuing the Guiding Opinions on Adjusting Medical Service Prices in Public Hospitals Implementing Comprehensive Reforms.” The Notice explicitly states that “registration fees and outpatient consultation fees shall be merged into a single outpatient examination fee, and registration fees shall no longer be charged.” This means that for public hospitals implementing comprehensive reforms, the “registration fee” will become a thing of the past.

★Starting Next Year, Shanghai to Unify Urban and Rural Resident Basic Medical Insurance, with Further Enhanced Benefits
“Measures for Basic Medical Insurance for Urban and Rural Residents in Shanghai” (hereinafter referred to as the “Measures”) establishes a unified basic medical insurance system for urban and rural residents. The Measures create a unified enrollment platform, eliminating restrictions based on urban-rural household registration (hukou). Shanghai residents who are not enrolled in other basic medical insurance schemes, such as the Shanghai Employee Basic Medical Insurance, are no longer distinguished by urban or rural hukou status and are all eligible to participate in the Basic Medical Insurance for Urban and Rural Residents.

★Nanjing Launches Healthcare Reform: Fees for High-Difficulty Surgeries to Rise by Up to 75%
Starting from 00:00 on the 31st, the comprehensive reform of pharmaceutical pricing in urban public hospitals in the Nanjing area was officially launched. A total of 57 hospitals under the military, provincial, and municipal administrations will simultaneously implement zero-markup drug sales and adjust medical service prices. Under this reform, prices for drugs and certain laboratory and diagnostic tests will be reduced, while fees for some pathological examinations and surgical procedures, which were previously priced significantly below reasonable levels, will be increased. It is reported that due to the mixed nature of the price adjustments—with some increasing, some decreasing, and others remaining unchanged—the overall financial burden on patients seeking medical care will not increase.

★EU Introduces New Policy to Restrict Genetic Testing
Genetic testing refers to the use of laboratory methods to analyze an individual’s genes (DNA carrying genetic information). It can be used to diagnose genetic disorders, assess the risk of developing specific health conditions, guide treatment selection, or evaluate response to therapy. Testing is typically performed using blood or tissue samples, and best practices are determined through counseling and discussion based on the test results.

The latest draft of the EU regulations restricts genetic testing by limiting the use of managed medical devices. This may narrow the application scenarios for genetic testing.

Medical researchers do not support this restriction. They argue that the proposal would limit the availability of genetic testing and hinder social development. Some scientists are concerned that it would prevent medical professionals from collecting blood samples from newborns to screen for genetic disorders. Others worry that these restrictions could impede disease research.

★Guizhou Releases Reform Plan for County-Level Public Hospitals, Potentially Abolishing Drug Markups
The General Office of the People’s Government of Guizhou Province recently issued the “Implementation Plan for the Comprehensive Rollout of Comprehensive Reform of County-Level Public Hospitals in Guizhou Province.” The province will gradually dismantle the profit-driven mechanisms of county-level public hospitals through measures such as abolishing drug markups and adjusting performance appraisal methods.

The Plan proposes to implement 11 reforms within 2015, with all counties (cities) issuing implementation plans and related supporting policy measures by the end of October this year. The reforms include abolishing drug markups, implementing centralized procurement of drugs and high-value medical consumables for public hospitals, initiating adjustments to medical service prices, establishing county-level public hospital management committees, formulating and implementing performance evaluation methods for county-level public hospitals, comprehensively launching reforms in health insurance payment methods, strengthening supervision, effectively controlling unreasonable growth in medical expenses, and exploring the establishment of a system under which the government appoints chief accountants to public hospitals.

To underscore the public-welfare nature and basic-care mandate of county-level public hospitals, special-needs medical services will be phased out in the future. The introduction and application of medical technologies and large-scale medical equipment that exceed the functional scope of county-level public hospitals, have unclear efficacy, or entail high costs will be strictly controlled. Meanwhile, county-level public hospitals are strictly prohibited from setting revenue-generation targets for medical staff, and from linking their compensation to hospital revenues derived from pharmaceuticals, diagnostic tests, treatments, and other sources.

By the end of 2017, eight reform objectives were to be achieved, including the basic establishment of a modern hospital management system; attainment of a 90% rate for patient visits within county-level jurisdictions; ensuring that patients with major diseases receive treatment without leaving their counties; achieving substantial results in the reform of medical insurance payment methods; reducing the proportion of individual out-of-pocket health expenditures in total health spending to below 30%; and the basic formation of a tiered diagnosis and treatment system within county-level jurisdictions.

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The Global Clostridioides difficile Infection Market Will Surge to $1.5 Billion in 2024

According to forecasts by research consulting firm GlobalData, the global market for the treatment and prevention of Clostridioides difficile infections (CDIs) is projected to surge from $356.3 million in 2014 to $1.5 billion in 2024. The compound annual growth rate (CAGR) stands at a robust 15.8%, indicating strong growth momentum.

Growth will primarily occur in the following seven countries: the United States, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and Japan. Market growth will be driven by patent-protected products, CDI-specific antibiotics, and the introduction of innovative non-antibiotic therapies for the treatment and prevention of recurrent CDI.

Dr. Marc C. Hansel, a healthcare industry analyst at GlobalData, pointed out that Merck & Co. will lead the market for Clostridioides difficile infection treatment over the next decade, while other competitors such as Sanofi Pasteur, Rebiotix, and Seres Health will also capture a significant market share by 2024.

The smart home market is projected to reach $34 billion by 2020.

A recent report from U.S. market research firm ABI Research indicates that smartwatches will become the best-selling products in the integration of wearable devices with smart homes, even though fitness trackers accounted for approximately two-thirds of total wearable device shipments in 2014. The recently announced Google Android Wear and Apple Watch are driving multiple smart home platform providers, such as iControl, Alarm.com, and Samsung-acquired SmartThings, to accelerate integration efforts.

The Wearable Market Will Exceed $5.8 Billion in 2018

According to the latest report from Wearable Technologies Transparency Market Research, the global wearable technology market is projected to grow significantly at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 40.8% from 2012 to 2018.

The global wearable technology market is projected to reach $5.8 billion in 2018, more than seven times the $750 million recorded in 2012. Wearable technology is defined as devices worn on the human body, as opposed to portable consumer electronics such as smartphones and MP3 players. In most cases, wearable technology is used to monitor users’ activities and physiological biomarkers, which is the primary reason for its dominance in the healthcare sector.

The report shows that wearable technology is applied in multiple fields, such as fitness and wellness, entertainment, industrial and military applications, and healthcare.

Among these, the various subsectors within the medical field include blood glucose monitors, smart drug delivery devices, wearable patches, and other types of monitoring devices.

China's Vaccine Market Achieves an Average Annual Growth Rate of 15%

The First Summit Forum on the R&D of Biotechnology Products Required for Public Health Emergencies, held recently in Beijing, announced that China’s vaccine market has experienced rapid growth, with its total scale increasing from RMB 9 billion in 2010 to RMB 20 billion in 2014, representing an average annual growth rate of approximately 15%. An increasing number of multinational vaccine companies are continuously expanding their operations into the Chinese market.

According to the batch release statistics from the National Institutes for Food and Drug Control (NIFDC) in 2013, there were a total of 43 vaccine specifications marketed in China, among which 38 domestic manufacturers were capable of producing 41 specifications.

Survey: 23,000 Americans Hospitalized Annually Due to Dietary Supplement Use

The New England Journal of Medicine’s latest study reports that an analysis of U.S. hospitalization records over the past decade reveals that 23,000 Americans are hospitalized each year due to adverse effects from taking vitamins or herbal dietary supplements.

Many may suspect that the high number of hospitalizations is due to children accidentally ingesting health supplements. However, this study has excluded cases of accidental ingestion, so it is entirely unrelated. The most suspicious category, therefore, is plant-based health supplements!

"What about weight loss, improving sleep, and so on? One-third of hospitalized patients are harmed by this type of health supplement."

Rather than taking such medications, it is better to maintain one’s health through dietary adjustments in daily life...

——————————————New Technologies——————————————

Gum-Sized 3D-Printed Portable Device Capable of Real-Time Monitoring of 40 Blood Biomarkers

At the BioCAS 2015 conference recently held in Atlanta, USA, scientists from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland unveiled a unique 3D-printed medical device capable of real-time monitoring of key blood biomarkers. This miniaturized microfluidic device, equipped with an array of biosensors and no larger than a pack of chewing gum, enables healthcare professionals to continuously track patients’ levels of glucose, lactate, and other blood-borne substances.

The prototype of this 3D-printed device has already passed testing in rodents, and Lausanne University Hospital (CHUV) has developed a provisional plan to test the device in humans. Due to its promising prospects, several manufacturers and investors have already expressed interest. Dr. Carrara stated, “We can bring it to market within two to three years.”

Australian Students 3D-Print Multifunctional Smart Prosthetic limbU

Recently, Troy Baverstock, a student at Griffith University in Australia, developed limbU, a 3D-printed smart prosthetic limb. Equipped with numerous sensors, it functions as a medical diagnostic tool, activity tracker, mobile phone charger, and personal entertainment system, and even features colored LED lights.

For the limbU prosthetic, walking capability is only a small fraction of its functionality. Its embedded sensors enable numerous medically beneficial features, such as tracking rehabilitation progress. Additionally, internal motion sensors allow physicians to monitor limb orientation and movement, all of which facilitate further optimization of recovery protocols.

But there’s more. The smart electronic components in limbU can connect to a smartphone via Bluetooth, displaying the user’s daily exercise intensity, speed, and activity volume. limbU also monitors altitude, direction, GPS coordinates, temperature, and humidity to provide detailed charts of daily activities.

It can even be used as a mobile phone charger,

Japanese Experts Develop Artificial Blood for Pet Dogs

Japanese researchers reported at the annual meeting of the Japanese Society for Blood Substitutes that they have developed an artificial blood capable of performing the functions of red blood cells. In the future, this artificial blood is expected to be used for transfusion therapy in pet dogs.

Currently, the number of pet dogs and cats in Japan far exceeds the population of children under the age of 15. When pets suffer from hemorrhage or anemia, blood transfusions are required. However, as Japan has not yet established animal blood banks, veterinarians face significant challenges in sourcing blood independently.

Researchers at Chuo University in Japan extracted the DNA for serum albumin from dog livers, introduced it into yeast to facilitate proliferation, and then extracted the serum albumin. The researchers subsequently used this serum albumin to encapsulate hemoglobin extracted from bovine red blood cells, creating complexes with a diameter of approximately 8 nanometers. These complexes are capable of binding with oxygen.

Researchers believe that this technology can provide artificial blood for pet dogs that is stable for long-term storage, readily available, compatible across all blood types, and free from the risk of viral infection. They plan to collaborate with pharmaceutical companies to validate the efficacy and safety of this artificial blood in canine treatment, aiming to achieve practical application within five years.

For such a groundbreaking innovation, the editor hesitates to offer critique.

How should I put it,

I'll leave it to you to speak......

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