Medical Imaging Series Report No.11: Yingda Tech – Deepening Mobile Imaging Technology
Strictly speaking, diagnostic image interpretation on the iPad is feasible. With technological advancements, tablet-based mobile devices that meet iPad specifications have increasingly found their way into physicians’ pockets, becoming important auxiliary tools. First, tablet screens are larger than smartphone screens, and their display resolution can approach the requirements for radiological diagnosis. Second, a critical function in radiological diagnosis is the adjustment of window width and window level on raw DICOM images; this capability ensures high-fidelity rendering of medical images on mobile devices.
(Windowing technique is a display method used in CT examinations to observe normal tissues or lesions with varying densities, encompassing window width and window level. On the same CT scan slice, selecting different window widths and levels allows for the acquisition of grayscale images that highlight various tissue structures.)
In 2011, the U.S. FDA approved the Apple iPad for the first time as an auxiliary device for radiological medical imaging diagnosis. The FDA stated that the iPad’s advanced mobile technology enables physicians to view images immediately, eliminating the need to move back and forth between the diagnostic site and workstations.
The iPacs engine, produced by Chengdu Yingda Technology Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Yingda Technology”), was initially positioned for mobile medical imaging applications, aiming to display images in high definition and approach diagnostic-grade standards.
In January 2015, Jiang Jiang, founder and CEO of Yingda Technology, began formal preparations to establish the company, having already conducted several months of technical pre-research and validation. On May 29 of this year, the company was officially incorporated. In June, version 1.0 of the SDK-embedded mobile imaging sharing toolkit and the remote diagnosis platform, both included in the iPacs engine, were officially launched.
“iPACS” is a lightweight, open-source medical imaging engine. Aligned with the trends of cloud-based storage and mobile visualization of medical images, it can be seamlessly integrated into various scenarios related to medical imaging applications.
PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication Systems), fully named “Picture Archiving and Communication System,” is a medical imaging technology that provides image storage and access. Based on modern computer and communication technologies, it replaces traditional film with digital formats for image processing, thereby enabling the efficient and cost-effective storage, management, transmission, and display of medical images and case information. Its primary function is to archive the vast volume of medical images generated daily by hospital radiology departments in digital format, allowing for rapid retrieval and use under appropriate authorization when needed, while also incorporating additional auxiliary diagnostic and management capabilities.
Compared with traditional PACS systems, the “iPACS” engine is more suitable for mobile use, as it displays content via HTML5 without requiring any plugins, and mobile browsers offer better HTML5 support than their PC counterparts.
The “iPACS” engine can be applied to remote imaging diagnosis, case sharing and discussion within imaging education communities, personal cloud storage of medical images for patients, and shared access to imaging reports. It can also be used to build regional PACS imaging centers based on cloud storage. Yingda Company believes that while medical imaging is a critical component, optimal outcomes are achieved only when it is integrated with clinical workflows and other business processes. This rationale underpins the original intention to encapsulate its core technology into an SDK.
Jiang Jiang stated that the SDK serves to enhance the capabilities of physician-led startups. Many such groups lack expertise in building technical teams, whereas we can provide the core engine for medical imaging solutions.
The SDK-embedded mobile imaging sharing toolkit comprises three components: front-end image display, cloud-based image storage and transmission, and back-end image processing.
Currently, numerous medical app companies in China are building their own databases. Unfortunately, patient data remains scattered like pearls within these isolated, closed systems, failing to be utilized effectively. Yingda Technology aims to avoid reinventing the wheel, at least in the field of medical imaging. It seeks to prioritize the role of imaging as a critical auxiliary support for disease diagnosis and advocates for maximizing the sharing and utilization of imaging data through cloud storage. Legally, imaging records, as part of the objective medical record, should belong to the patients themselves. From a technical perspective, Yingda adopts a non-intrusive embedding and integration approach based on HTML5, enabling convenient integration of professional imaging viewing tools across iOS, Android, and Windows platforms. The initial concept behind Yingda’s R&D SDK is to provide a toolkit without customizing page workflows.
As an SDK serving as a foundational component, it finds application entry points across various domains, including physician-physician community apps, physician-patient community apps, oncology disease management apps, single-disease analysis and management software, patient follow-up systems, chronic disease management platforms, and even veterinary orthopedic medical record systems. To accommodate different application scenarios, SDK 2.0 introduces “Professional Mode” and “Rapid Mode,” striking a balance between display efficiency and precision. For instance, “Professional Mode” is suitable for imaging diagnosis-focused workflows, while “Rapid Mode” is ideal for imaging education and sharing. Even in “Professional Mode,” technologies such as image cropping, compression, and chunked transmission are employed to optimize transfer efficiency. Compared with traditional PACS vendors, Yingda’s iPACS offers a more flexible and lightweight solution. Medical imaging applications are not always heavy-duty, bulldozer-style systems; there are indeed many opportunities in niche segments.
Jiang Jiang stated that no traditional medical software company in China has yet positioned itself to specialize in developing a lightweight, open-source PACS browser engine. Mobile imaging technology should first be made available to healthcare entrepreneurs, allowing each party to focus on their respective areas of expertise. Although some companies offer open cloud imaging platforms, they typically provide access only through SaaS models. For instance, ScImage in the United States launched PicomWebLink with objectives similar to ours, but it does not provide an SDK encapsulation for developers. Moreover, many server backends remain constrained by vendor limitations, and their architectures tend to be heavy-weight. In contrast, the SDK offered by Yingda Company can be deployed on clients’ private servers and supports the construction of a lightweight PaaS architecture, making it better suited for mobile healthcare application scenarios.
Currently, Yingda Technology only releases partial source code to developers for embedded support, with the SDK scheduled to be fully open-sourced in 2017. “We aim to lower the barrier to entry for mobile imaging entrepreneurship in China.” Nevertheless, the expansion of medical imaging services remains constrained by geographical limitations and regulatory policies. The era of free practice for physicians is still far from arriving, and the growth of internet-based imaging diagnosis services is not as simple as replicating a “viral loop.”
Jiang Jiang stated, “Yingda Technology is committed to continuously advancing in the following direction: integrating clinical and imaging data to conduct in-depth, disease-specific analyses, thereby enhancing data value; developing specialized applications and apps for niche segments; and exploring and implementing enterprise-grade hybrid cloud storage solutions for PACS. This approach aims to alleviate hospitals’ concerns about migrating data to the cloud and has been our strategic focus since securing financing in 2016.”
Partners
Current partners of the company include Huaxia Imaging Network, among others. The company is a contributing member of the Hangzhou OMAHA Alliance and an enterprise supported by Alibaba Cloud’s Healthcare Industry Cloud program.
Team Background
Jiang Jiang’s team currently consists of nine members, including backend development specialists and radiologists with 17 years of experience in the healthcare industry.
Financing Overview
“Yingda Technology currently has only small-scale individual seed investment and has not yet formally commenced fundraising. The company plans to officially launch its angel round in August. ‘We still hope to connect with investors specializing in the internet healthcare sector, so that they can provide guidance to our team. We aim to leverage external resources to strengthen talent acquisition, build an innovative legal team, and enhance corporate management,’ said Jiang Jiang.”
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