Medtronic and The First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University Enter Strategic Collaboration to Advance Innovation in Aortic Disease

China Finance and Economics News, November 7th: Yesterday, Medtronic and the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University held a strategic cooperation signing ceremony themed "Harmonious Coexistence, Medical Engineering Blooming" at the 8th China International Import Expo.

Marks the full launch of in-depth cooperation between the two parties in multiple fields such as the integration of medical and engineering innovation, discipline construction upgrades, and international academic exchanges.

Tang Weidong, Member of the Party Leadership Group and Deputy Director of the Chongqing Municipal Commission of Commerce, Xie Chunying, Second-level Inspector of the Chongqing Municipal Health Commission, Jorie Soskin (Song Zhaorui), Vice President and Global General Manager of Medtronic's Structural Heart Business, attended the signing ceremony.

In the future, the cooperation will systematically advance in three major directions: the co-construction of a medical-engineering transformation and innovation center, joint scientific research and discipline development, and the establishment of an international exchange platform. With clinical needs as the guide, the two parties will rely on Medtronic's R&D capabilities and the clinical resources of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University to jointly carry out the research and development of products related to aortic diseases and technical optimization. This will push innovative achievements from the laboratory to clinical practice, allowing patients to benefit earlier from safer and more effective treatment solutions.

In terms of scientific research collaboration, both parties will continuously enhance the hospital's research capabilities and academic influence in the field of vascular surgery through jointly applying for national-level research projects and funds, as well as co-building laboratories. In addition, the cooperation will also support the hospital’s experts in participating in high-level international academic exchanges, promoting China's innovative technologies and clinical achievements onto the global stage, allowing more patients to benefit from cutting-edge treatment concepts and technical results worldwide.

"We look forward to leveraging the hospital's clinical resources, research capabilities, and clinical insights, combined with Medtronic's engineering technology, product development, and commercialization expertise, to jointly incubate more innovative achievements driven by clinical needs in China in areas such as high-end medical devices, precision diagnosis and treatment, and intelligent health management. We aim to promote these innovations nationwide in China and ultimately benefit patients globally," said Professor Bai Dingqun, Party Committee Member and Vice President of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University.

In terms of discipline development, both parties will jointly apply for national and provincial-level scientific research projects in the future, refining research directions with greater industry influence; through project collaboration and international academic exchanges, they will cultivate a group of young doctors with both scientific research capabilities and international perspectives. At the same time, the company will also provide professional engineering transformation support for scientific research results, helping technologies achieve rapid implementation, and ultimately promoting the systematic and international development of the discipline.

Fang Huang, Vice President of Medtronic's Structural Heart Disease, Aortic and Peripheral Vascular Health Business in China, stated that she looks forward to combining Medtronic’s technological expertise in the field of aortic diseases with the clinical strengths of the First Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University. Together, they aim to create an "from clinic to market" innovation loop, supporting China’s healthcare system in achieving a leap from catching up, running neck-and-neck, to taking the lead in the research and development of high-end medical devices and their clinical applications. "In the future, we also hope to promote high-quality innovative achievements produced through this collaboration globally, bringing new treatment hopes to aortic disease patients worldwide."