GE Healthcare China unveils first cyclotrons

Cutting-edge project at Chengdu Tianfu International Bio-Town

GE Healthcare China, a subsidiary of the United States-based medical technology company GE Healthcare, unveiled its first batch of cyclotrons at Chengdu Tianfu International Bio-Town in Chengdu city, capital of Sichuan province, on Dec 1.

A kind of particle accelerator, the cyclotron is a key component in the integrated precision diagnosis and treatment solutions associated with nuclear medicine. It utilizes chemical synthesis instrumentation and computer software to form GE Healthcare's One MI molecular imaging integrated clinical and research solution.

As a global leader in precision medicine innovation, GE Healthcare, independent from the Fortune Global 500 company GE, went public on NASDAQ in January. Its business scope covers medical imaging, ultrasonics, life care and diagnostic drugs.

"The unveiling of the first cyclotron marks the efficient implementation and remarkable achievements of GE Healthcare China's key project," said a representative of Chengdu Tianfu International Bio-Town. "It will attract more upstream and downstream companies and precision medicine partners of GE Healthcare into the area, help build a strong supply chain and industrial cluster for precision medicine in Chengdu, and attract more globally renowned enterprises to gather here."

Expanding investment

In recent years, GE Healthcare has accelerated its development in China's western region. The company signed an agreement in October 2022 to base the high-energy industrial project in the Chengdu Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone, and the project was launched in May at Chengdu Tianfu International Bio-Town.

The first phase focuses on the production and manufacturing of key equipment for nuclear medicine molecular imaging and boosts the innovative development of the precision medicine industry chain with nuclear medicine imaging equipment at its core.

Nuclear medicine is an emerging discipline that plays a key role in precision medicine in the modern era. The cyclotron forms a complete closed-loop nuclear medicine ecosystem, from isotope production, drug synthesis and image data acquisition to drug application and supporting isotopes. It can predict the molecular state of diseases at an earlier and more precise stage, enabling clinical practitioners to detect lesions at an earlier stage and develop personalized diagnosis and treatment plans. It also assists in clinical research to overcome major diseases in neurology, oncology, cardiology and other fields.

Chen Heqiang, vice-president of GE Healthcare China, said the company attaches great importance to the opportunity for development in western China and for enhancing cooperation in medical technology innovation, high-end equipment manufacturing and modern services.

"Our aim is to promote the innovative development of high-end equipment in nuclear medicine and the precision medical industrial and supply chains, support the 'Healthy Sichuan Action Strategy', and respond rapidly to the demand for nuclear medicine technology and equipment in the new medical infrastructure," Chen said.

Relying on the advantages of Chengdu as a node city with a precision medical industry ecosystem under the Belt and Road Initiative, GE Healthcare China will join with partners to build innovation centers, introduce multiple upstream and downstream enterprises to create industrial clusters, establish a reliable, secure and resilient local supply chain system, drive the high-quality development of medical equipment and bolster the development of the high-end medical device industry.

Accelerating sub-sectors

Focusing on the development of the innovative pharmaceutical and high-end medical device industry, Chengdu has attracted more than 130,000 talents and built a full-chain system covering basic research, drug design, pre-clinical development, clinical trials and industrial production. Chengdu has competitive strengths in the fields of in vitro diagnostics reagents, implantable intervention devices and intelligent diagnostic and treatment equipment, and as a hub city, it boasts major transportation infrastructure such as two 4F-level international airports and the China-Europe Railway Express services.

The Chengdu high-tech zone has achieved rapid development in the biopharmaceutical industry and gathered more than 3,000 biopharmaceutical companies and nearly 160 functional platforms of the entire lifecycle industry chain, including the National Industrial Innovation Center of Precision Medicine. The biopharmaceutical industry in the zone has maintained a growth rate of 20 percent for five consecutive years, and the industry's scale exceeded 120 billion yuan ($16.78 billion) in 2022.

Chengdu Tianfu International Bio-Town is a collaboration of the Chengdu high-tech zone and Shuangliu district. Adhering to the concept of building industrial clusters and strengthening industry chains, it continuously promotes optimal development of industries such as high-performance medical devices. The bio-town has established sectors in modern biotechnology medicine, innovative chemical medicine, high-performance medical devices, professional outsourcing services and health services, and attracted a group of leading companies, including China National Pharmaceutical Group Corp, GE Healthcare, Thermo Fisher Scientific and Fresenius Vamed.

"In recent years, Chengdu Tianfu International Bio-Town has maintained rapid growth in its industrial development and nurtured a number of heavyweight innovative drugs and medical devices, such as West-Vac BioPharma's COVID-19 vaccine. Qitan Tech's first domestic nanopore gene sequencer was also developed here," said an official of the Chengdu high-tech zone.

In its next phase, the high-tech zone will construct an industrial ecosystem covering key enterprises, public platforms, intermediaries, investment funds and leading talents.

The zone will strive to create a cluster of key projects with a focus on sectors such as innovative drugs and high-end medical device research and production while continuing to maintain comprehensive competitiveness among national pharmaceutical and medical device industry parks.

wangjinhui@chinadaily.com.cn