Breaking Boundaries and Driving Innovation: Revival and Transformation of Domestic Medical Devices – Highlights from the 12th China Medical Device Industry Conference

On the morning of September 19, 2023, the 12th China Medical Device Industry Conference (DeviceChina2023) kicked off in Suzhou Industrial Park.

 Opening Ceremony of the 12th China Medical Device Industry Conference

The guests attending the opening ceremony and the main forum included Ge Junbo, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Director of the Department of Cardiology at Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University; Yang Guangzhong, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and Dean of the Medical Robotics Institute at Shanghai Jiao Tong University; Wang Zhonglin, Foreign Member of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and Director of the Beijing Institute of Nanoenergy and Nanosystems, Chinese Academy of Sciences; Zhang Yuanting, Fellow of the International Academy of Medical and Biological Engineering, IEEE Fellow, and Chief Scientist at Honor; Wu Hong, Deputy Secretary of the Party Working Committee and Director of the Administrative Committee of Suzhou Industrial Park; Ni Qian, Member of the Party Working Committee and Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Suzhou Industrial Park; Pan Yu, Party Group Secretary and Director of the Science and Technology Innovation Committee of Suzhou Industrial Park; and Yin Jianguo, Chairman of Biobay.

The two-day conference, themed “Breaking Boundaries and Innovation: The Revival and Reshaping of Domestically Produced Medical Devices,” offers a multidimensional analysis of China’s current medical device industry by examining multiple subsectors, including medical equipment, high-value consumables, in vitro diagnostics, and health management.

The conference featured one main venue and 16 breakout sessions, with 112 thematic presentations. It invited 150 academicians, experts, industry leaders, and hospital specialists to engage in forward-looking exchanges and dialogues. Over 1,500 attendees participated in person, including government officials, university scholars, industry luminaries, corporate executives, and technology media journalists.

At the outset of the conference,Ni Qian, Member of the Party Working Committee and Deputy Director of the Administrative Committee of Suzhou Industrial ParkAddress. He stated that over the past two years, Suzhou Industrial Park has focused heavily on the medical device industry, establishing three key areas of strength: in vitro diagnostics (IVD), implantable and interventional devices, and imaging equipment. The park has gathered approximately 600 related enterprises, including seven listed companies, and has obtained more than 1,500 medical device registration certificates cumulatively, with multiple products being first-of-their-kind in China or filling domestic technological gaps. Moving forward, the park will implement the General Secretary’s directive on “scientific and technological innovation,” inviting more entrepreneurs, innovative enterprises, and venture capital to invest and establish businesses in the park, jointly contributing to the development of a world-class high-tech park characterized by openness and innovation.

Honorary Conference Chair, Professor Guang-Zhong Yang, Fellow of the Royal Academy of EngineeringDelivering the welcome address, he stated that the biomedical industry is a key sector for safeguarding public health, a strategic emerging industry of national importance, and a focal point of global competition in high-tech industries, with medical devices constituting an extremely critical component. Currently, China’s medical device industry is entering its most dynamic and rapidly evolving era of innovation. Achieving domestic substitution of medical devices in China and accelerating indigenous innovation in this field require continuous innovation and sustained efforts from every link in the industrial chain.

 Honorary Chair of the Conference: Yang Guangzhong, Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (UK)

The conference proceeded to the project signing ceremony at Suzhou BioBAY. A total of 24 companies signed agreements, all of which are dedicated to developing innovative medical devices and striving to overcome technological bottlenecks in critical equipment. The projects span various fields, including medical innovation platforms, imaging equipment, in vitro diagnostics, implantable and interventional devices, early cancer screening, and surgical robots.

 Project Signing Ceremony

The signed companies are as follows: Orient Pan-Vascular Medical Device Center, Shuimu Medical, Jinyi Medical, Suote Medical, Purui Medical, Haimai Medical, Synapse Medical, Puluo Medical, Shitong Medical, Chaoguangwei, Zhenmiaojing, Aishiya, Mairuike Medical, Ruita Medical, Weican Medical, Heartbeat Intelligence, Integ Bio, Maien Bio, Puwang Bio, Chenbian Nano, Fusheng Medical, Danbei Medicine, Aimaisi, and Qinglan Technology.

BioBAY will provide platforms and support for all resident medical device enterprises, driving the innovative development of the high-end medical device industry in Suzhou Industrial Park.

The third session of the conference was the launch event for new domestically produced medical devices, where the unveiling of eight new products collectively showcased the innovative strength of China’s medical device industry.

Specifically, these include Peijia Medical’s TaurusTrio transcatheter aortic valve system, Zhonghui Medical’s C-wave intravascular shockwave catheter system, Naton Technology Group’s joint replacement robot, Zhongtian Medical’s Tianyi self-rotating thrombectomy stent, Singleron Biotechnologies’ Singleron JavaTM automated single-cell sequencing library preparation platform, Pinfeng Medical’s smart laboratory total solution, Xingtong Medical’s Xiao’e SA-XT biosensor, and Weilin Optoelectronics’ flow cytometry array analyzer.

The opening ceremony concluded with the Academician Report Session, during which Academicians Ge Junbo, Zhuang Songlin, Wang Zhonglin, and Yang Guangzhong delivered presentations on the themes of “From Imitation to Innovation: The Path of Innovation in Chinese Cardiovascular Devices,” “Applications of Optical Technologies in Medicine,” “Applications of Micro/Nano Energy and Sensing Technologies Based on Nanogenerators in Healthcare,” and “Medical Robots: Machines and the Future,” respectively.

In addition, the conference featured 16 sub-forums focusing on specialized fields such as surgical robots, molecular diagnostics, biomaterials, health management, and digital health.

Concurrent with the opening ceremony, the conference also hosted a group media interview session for the “12th China Medical Device Industry Conference.” Leaders and guests participating in the interview included Yin Jianguo, Chairman of Biobay; Wei Xufeng, Chairman and General Manager of Suzhou Jinyi Medical; Xia Jie, Chairman of Suzhou Zhongtian Medical Technology Co., Ltd.; Qiu Xuefeng, Founder of Haimai Medical; Jiang Liwei, Founder of Xinjunte; and Sun Xiaolu, Partner at Proxima Ventures.

 From left to right: Jiang Liwei, Xia Jie, Yin Jianguo, Wei Xufeng, Qiu Xuefeng, Sun Xiaolu

Mr. Yin Jianguo first addressed“Conference Development History” and “Park Work Strategy”Two questions were addressed. He noted that BioBAY has a 16-year history, and DeviceChina has grown alongside BioBAY from its inception to its current stage as a teenager in the peak of its development. The focus has shifted from initial discussions on science, technology, and processes to showcasing the integration of an interactive ecosystem. The 16 sub-forums at this conference cover all segments of the upstream and downstream medical device industry chain, encompassing nearly every niche sector, thereby best illustrating the evolution of DeviceChina. In terms of strategy, we will continue to introduce top-tier products and entrepreneurs, while nurturing and building leading enterprises.

Ms. Xia Jie provided an interpretation for everyone“The Conference Theme ‘Breaking Boundaries and Innovation’ Represents the Current State of the Industry”She posits that corporate technological platforms form the foundation of innovation, while improvements in the living standards of the Chinese people and national policies serve as the driving forces behind it. These three factors have propelled the medical device industry into an era where innovation is most needed and can flourish most readily. At the core of this innovation lies the integration of medicine and engineering; the inspiration for innovation stems from physicians’ pursuit of solutions to clinical pain points, which is what we refer to as “breaking boundaries.”

Mr. Wei Xufeng then addressed“Overall Status of Post-Approval Promotion and Hospital Adoption of Domestically Produced Medical Devices,” “Products with Rapid Clinical Uptake and Superior Efficacy”He shared his views on two issues. He noted that in the past, China’s domestic medical device industry lagged behind, with most products being replicas of foreign counterparts; consequently, hospital adoption represented the most challenging hurdle in product commercialization. However, we have now transitioned from mere replication to independent innovation, and hospitals are naturally very welcoming toward independently innovative products. To achieve widespread and effective clinical application, products must be driven by value, which primarily encompasses three aspects: clinical value, cost-effectiveness, and technical service value. In the current environment, only truly outstanding and innovative companies will emerge as the industry shifts from a sales-driven model to a value-driven model.

In the subsequent Q&A session, Mr. Jiang Liwei, Mr. Sun Xiaolu, and Mr. Qiu Xuefeng respectively addressed"Challenges in the Technical Level and Adoption of Orthopedic Surgical Robots Domestic and Abroad," "The Macro Environment for Medical Devices and Investment Directions Within This Context," "Overseas Expansion and International Competitiveness of Domestically Produced Medical Devices"Provided relevant answers to deepen the public’s understanding of China’s domestic medical device industry.

The 12th China Medical Device Industry Conference Successfully Opens, Further Showcasing the Highlights and Outstanding Achievements of China’s Innovative Development in High-End Medical Devices. In the process of innovation within the medical device industry, the policy chain, talent chain, innovation chain, and industrial chain interact with and support one another. Looking ahead, BioBAY will seize the opportunity presented by the establishment of the National Biopharmaceutical Technology Innovation Center, focus on high-end medical devices, precisely strengthen and supplement the industrial chain, and accelerate the creation of a globally influential cluster for high-end medical devices.

Suzhou BioBAY is a high-tech platform for incubating and developing the biopharmaceutical industry in Suzhou Industrial Park. After more than ten years of dedicated cultivation, BioBAY has gathered over 620 innovative biopharmaceutical companies and nearly 35,000 high-level scientific and technological talents, forming three major industrial clusters focused on innovative drug R&D, high-end medical devices, and biotechnology, all while striving to build a world-class biopharmaceutical ecosystem.

Hosted by BioBAY, the China Medical Device Industry Conference (DeviceChina) is a premier conference that has focused on innovative development in the medical device industry since its inception. Since 2011, it has been successfully held for eleven consecutive sessions, attracting more than 5,000 renowned domestic and international medical device practitioners, medical experts, entrepreneurs, investors, and senior executives from multinational corporations, with its influence continuing to expand.