China actively addresses global health challenges through innovation

BEIJING, April 30 (Xinhua) -- A surgical robot capable of peeling a raw quail egg made a splash at the recently concluded 2024 Zhongguancun Forum in Beijing.

"It is a robot for single-port endoscopic surgery, and it can be used for urological and gynecological operations," said Hu Shiyou, an employee of Beijing Surgerii Robotics Co., Ltd., the robot's developer.

Increasingly digitized operating rooms, as well as the application of surgical robots and artificial intelligence (AI) systems, contribute to improving surgical precision, according to Zhang Qiang, chairman and co-chief executive officer of Shanghai United Imaging Healthcare Co., Ltd.

"Based on the innovative technology, we are exploring the establishment of a new ecosystem covering disease prevention, diagnosis, treatment and recovery stages," Zhang said.

Barry Marshall, Nobel laureate in physiology or medicine and a foreign academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering, emphasized the importance of basic research in the development of medical science and technology, which promotes medical technology innovation.

Take the development of thoracic surgery as an example. There have been two major breakthroughs in the field over the past century -- a lung cancer patient who was cured through surgery in the 1930s, and the use of a thoracoscope in the early 1990s, according to Wang Jun, head of Peking University People's Hospital.

"Today, nearly 90 percent of lung cancer operations in China can be conducted by thoracoscope," said Wang, adding that the hospital is cooperating with experts in the AI field to assist in surgery.

Chen Jiachang, vice minister of science and technology, noted that promoting innovative research and development, including basic research, can lead to more efficient and accurate treatment methods, more convenient and intelligent health management solutions, and the accelerated development of drugs and vaccines.

In recent years, the world has faced health challenges. Liang Wannian, dean of the Institute for Healthy China at Tsinghua University, said that it is vital to deal with the threat of infectious diseases, chronic diseases and aging issues, and enhance our capabilities to prevent future epidemics or pandemics.

"I could say that the health system in China is very good and the science is good," Marshall said in a recent interview with Xinhua. "When I talk to medical scientists in China, everybody is thinking about the same problems in cancer, infectious disease, epidemiology, viruses, and trying to innovate."

"I can see how quickly China has improved, and the top universities in China are really world-class. We have to emphasize the top universities, hospitals and institutions need to keep a high scientific standard," he added.

Yu Yingjie, a member of the Standing Committee of the Communist Party of China Beijing Municipal Committee, said that a number of biopharmaceutical companies are developing at rapid speeds in Beijing's Changping District and Yizhuang area.

"Researchers at top universities and institutions are now concentrating on technology transfers," Yu said.

He noted that Beijing will coordinate with partners around the world to put forward new technologies, products and innovative modes in life and health fields to benefit more people.