Hospital boosts cooperation with universities for innovation

The Shanghai 7th People's Hospital has teamed up with leading universities to boost medical and technical integration, speed up the development of products and technologies benefiting clinical practice, and enhance medical outcomes.

It reached an agreement with Suzhou University of Science and Technology and the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology to carry out cooperation on digital and intelligent medicine research, and medical optical technology and equipment development. They will jointly promote the connection of medicine and modern engineering technology and boosting the transformation of medical research into products and services benefiting patients.

The first batch of projects such as big data and artificial intelligence-based TCM research, AI-based clinical forecast models for health management of breast cancer patients and intelligent acupoint-guiding robot have been signed under the cooperation.

As the only city-level TCM and Western medicine integrated facility in Pudong, the hospital said it had been devoted to an innovative route through the combination of Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. Innovation on medical, technical and industrial integration is one of its key focuses.

So far, the hospital has made plans on medical equipment, research, medicine, intelligence, rehabilitation and care by targeting artificial intelligence, new medicine development, and clinical research.

"Medical and engineering integration and medical and industrial integration is the new trend for medical development," said Dr Yu Baoqing, president of the hospital. "Innovative technologies like new biomaterials and artificial intelligence are bringing great changes for disease treatment and rehabilitation. As a regional medical center in Pudong, we have good access to research institutes, universities, and innovative enterprises in the area. We will keep building and providing various platforms for cooperation and scientific innovation."

Zhu Wei, vice director of the Pudong New Area Health Commission, said the authority would further introduce favorable policies and provide support to encourage medical and technical connections and help break the barriers between doctors and scientists to better connect clinical demand and the frontiers of scientific development.