In order to build an ecosystem of medical devices, explore the frontiers, form a professional platform for communication, and seek solutions, the 2019 Global Device Week (hereinafter referred to as GDW 2019) was held in Suzhou Industrial Park from September 5th to 7th, 2019. During the GDW 2019, three theme forums and nearly 20 sub-forums were held. Theme forums include 2019 China Medical Device Summit Forum (hereinafter referred to as Device China 2019), 2019 China International Medical Device Innovation Forum (hereinafter referred to as CMIF 2019), and 2019 China Medical Device Translation Medicine and Innovation Service Forum (hereinafter referred to as TMIS 2019).

GDW 2019 aims to conduct in-depth research in the transformation of fruits in Chinese hospitals, research institutes, and enterprise R&D departments, integrate the production, study and research, and deeply explore the significance of capitalizing research results by innovative supplier, making them as an accelerator to enhance the innovation in medical devices in China.

Professor Lu Yao, the doctoral supervisor in the School of Data and Computer Science of Sun Yat-sen University, and the Chairman of PVmed, was invited to attend GDW 2019 and delivered topic speeches about 'Medical AI and Its Clinical Application' in CMIF 2019 Forum on the morning of September 5th, and Device China 2019 Forum on the morning of September 6th.

Professor Lu highlighted: Radiotherapy, which has been rapidly developing in only decades, has become the main method to treat malignant tumors with its prominent role in therapy. However, it is investigated that the rate of radiotherapy adoption in China is far lower than the recommended one by WHO.

In China, the shortage of 'hard power' (the lack of accelerators, doctors and physicists) or “soft power” (top medical institute relies heavily on experts, it is time-consuming and inefficient when planning the treatment manually, doctors in primary hospitals are inexperienced, and patients crowd into top hospitals) leads to slow radiotherapy plan in practice and relatively low adoption rate.

All-process aided services can be achieved with AI from precise contouring of target volumes and OARs to radiotherapy plan and quality assessment, motion monitoring and tracking, image-guided adaptive radiotherapy, radiotherapy efficacy and radioactive damage prediction. PVmed has developed more efficient technologies based on accumulated data for years to benefit AI-aided treatment.

Not a few companies have claimed to be able to delineate targeted volumes in “AI + Radiotherapy”. In fact, four parts should be included in target contouring which are GTV, CTV, OARs and lymph nodes, and it is definitely not easy to cover them precisely. However, PVmed is the only enterprise that can complete the job in the whole world.

As for CTV only, the contouring is too subjective since different doctors with different criteria or even the same doctor might have different results in the same time. In response to this dilemma, PVmed has developed an adaptive software, the Intelligent Radiotherapy Contouring Solution (IRCS), which sets different probability criteria for doctors based on international clinical practice guidelines and years of data accumulation.

PVmed, unlike other companies, concentrates on the most complicated contouring of nasopharyngeal carcinoma instead of beginning from the “simplified entry”. After the deployment in the hospital and highly recognition from doctors, PVmed migrates contouring technologies to the research of other tumor types. With rapid progress made in the first half of 2019, we have completed R&D of automatic contouring in cervical, esophageal, rectal and lung cancer.

PVmed now focuses on the treatment, but it has equipped with technologies required in the whole radiotherapy. We hope that AI, as a hub, can get through the entire process from screening to diagnosis, treatment and follow-up. It is bright and clear for us to be data-oriented, by connecting upstream-downstream industrial chain and covering medical “ecosphere”, so as to build an intelligent diagnosis and treatment system.

GDW 2019 has further stimulated the innovation of enterprises and medical personnel, strengthened joints between innovation with clinical application and capital, promoting the industry of medical equipments from “Made in China” to “Wisdom in China”.

It is worth mentioning that the R&D philosophy in PVmed has coincided with it since the establishment. PVmed will forge ahead and make a contribution to Chinese wisdom in the coming years.