Iriya Micro Signal: yigoonet
Recently, the leader of domestic high-end ophthalmic equipment, Micro Vision, has received strategic investment from the industry leader Aier Ophthalmology, which is a new round of strategic investment obtained by Micro Vision after completing more than 100 million yuan of B round financing at the beginning of this year. At the same time, the first product of visual micro-imaging beyond importation, "True Blood Flow", swept the frequency OCT and settled in Hainan Boao Lecheng Aier Ophthalmology, and settled in China's only "medical special zone" Boao Lecheng International Medical Tourism Pilot Zone. After this round of strategic investment, Vision Micro Imaging will carry out a number of in-depth cooperation with Aier to face the world and work together to create an "Ophthalmic Tesla".
Dr. Li Bing, CEO of Micro Imaging (middle), Yang Fei, Deputy Director of the International Strategic Development Center of Aier Eye Hospital Group (left), and Zhao Puning, President of Boao Lecheng Aier Eye Hospital (right), attended the launching ceremony
Founded in Silicon Valley in 2014 by three dr.s. studying in the United States, Micro Imaging has a world-class R&D team with more than 10 years of Silicon Valley engineering experience, semiconductor optics and high-end medical device development experience, and is committed to integrating cutting-edge optical design, image algorithms, artificial intelligence, cloud platforms and other cutting-edge technologies. The first self-developed OCT product is leading imported high-end products in imaging quality, breadth, depth, speed, blood flow algorithm, etc., creating a precedent for domestic high-end ophthalmic equipment to surpass imports.
Seemicro products have been highly recognized by Aier
Mr. Li Li, President of Aier Eye Hospital Group, pointed out that Vision Micro Imaging has a world-class R&D team from Silicon Valley, and OCT products have surpassed imported first-line manufacturers in all aspects, and truly made a high-end national brand, which represents the rise of China's advanced medical technology and began to lead the world.
It is understood that from the end of last year to the first half of this year, the imaging group experts of Aier Ophthalmology Organization conducted a comprehensive evaluation of all imported and domestic scanning OCT in a number of hospitals, and finally, all experts agreed that the performance and clinical effect of microscopic imaging far exceeded other brands.
"Shiwei OCT is superior to all imported and domestic similar products in terms of product performance, imaging quality, imaging range, imaging algorithm and quantitative accuracy, and far exceeds the current mainstream imported brand products." Professor Liu Hansheng, head of the Aier Ophthalmology Imaging Group, said after participating in the full assessment.
Aier Ophthalmology is the world's largest chain of ophthalmic medical groups, with more than 720 ophthalmic medical institutions, covering Asia, Europe and North America, 3 listed companies in Chinese mainland, Europe and Southeast Asia, with strong hospital scale strength and high-quality medical capabilities in China and even the world.
The overall scale of China's ophthalmology market is huge and growing rapidly, and in the ophthalmic market, the growth rate of ophthalmic instruments is ahead of ophthalmic medical treatment and ophthalmic medicine. According to the Frost & Sullivan report, the size of China's ophthalmic device market has increased from 11.1 billion yuan in 2014 to 26.7 billion yuan (RMB) in 2019, with a compound growth rate of 19.45%, and it is expected to reach 37.6 billion yuan in 2021. In the field of high-end ophthalmology equipment in China, micro-imaging has always been favored by the capital market, in addition to the previous Feitu Venture Capital, LANXESS Investment and Shaanxi Investment Yuhua, this time there are more industry leaders Aier Ophthalmology optimistic, which depends on the world-class R & D team of Shiwei, the strong product strength beyond imports and the leading position in this industry track.
Dr. Li Bing, CEO of Micro Imaging, said that the company's market share is constantly improving, with healthy cash flow and gross profit margin, has achieved profitability and sufficient existing funds; the active entry of Aier Medical's strategic investors has injected new momentum into the company's development, and the company will use the market position of the strategic investor industry leader and the broad resources in the industry to further expand the company's brand influence and improve the company's competitiveness in the industry market.
Mr. Li Li, President of Aier Eye Hospital Group, commented that compared with developed countries, China's medical device industry started late, but due to the state's encouragement of technological innovation, coupled with industrial policy leadership, domestic brands are developing by leaps and bounds in recent years. The strategic investment of Aier Ophthalmology in micro-imaging will increase the research and development of new technologies in the field of high-end ophthalmic equipment in China, the promotion of new products at home and abroad, and serve global users.
Dr. Li Bing, CEO of Microimage, took a group photo with Chen Bang, Chairman of Aier Ophthalmology, Professor Wang Ningli, Director of the Ophthalmology Center of Beijing Tongren Hospital, and other domestic ophthalmology colleagues
The first self-developed products have surpassed imports in an all-round way and have been widely praised by the market
OCT (Ophthalmic Optical Coherence Tomography Scanner) has always been the most advanced, complex and clinically valuable diagnostic tool in ophthalmology, and its status in ophthalmology is similar to that of PET-CT in imaging. In 2019, the first scanning OCT product of micro-imaging obtained a registration certificate, and compared with similar imported products, its core parameters were increased by 5-6 times, and it was comprehensively surpassed in scanning speed, penetration, imaging depth, imaging range and blood flow algorithm. After the certification, through continuous research and development and technical iteration, the technical advantages of the product to imported brands continue to expand.
MicroOCT ultra-deep imaging of cataracts and pathological myopia
However, performance parameters do not represent everything, and user recognition is the real product power. The national installed capacity of MicroOCT has approached 50 units, and most of the installed customers are leading ophthalmology centers in the country and regions, and with the comprehensive and leading product performance, the average winning bid price of the equipment far exceeds that of imported high-end OCT. In addition, nearly 400 ophthalmology units have used the equipment, and more than 80% of the Top30 ophthalmic centers have become the main machines of clinical and scientific research, and have been widely recognized and recommended by authoritative experts in ophthalmology. At present, Shiwei has published 25 SCI papers in cooperation with Beijing Tongren Hospital, Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Shanghai Fudan University Affiliated Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital, Wenzhou Medical University Affiliated Optometry Hospital, Henan Provincial Eye Research Institute, West China Hospital of Sichuan University, and the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhengzhou University, many of which are top papers with an impact factor of 5-11. Dr. Peng Xianzhao, the founder of the company, also cooperated with Professor Chen Youxin of Union Hospital to edit the first eye disease atlas based on domestic OCT. Shiwei OCT is a rare domestic high-end medical equipment that can comprehensively surpass the import giants in a certain track and be widely recognized by the market.
AI algorithm empowerment
Microscopic imaging has been making unremitting efforts on the road of AI technology to empower the research and development of ophthalmic equipment, and has taken the lead in integrating a large number of advanced AI-based algorithms into commercial OCT, including AI-based retinal three-dimensional recognition algorithm, AI-based anterior segment three-dimensional recognition algorithm, AI-based choroidal and choroidal vessel three-dimensional recognition algorithm, AI-based subretinal effusion three-dimensional recognition algorithm, etc.
The strong AI-driven attribute also made the micro-image in 2018 and 2019 selected as "China's Top 50 Medical Artificial Intelligence" by Internet Weekly for two consecutive years. In 2019, Shiwei OCT was certified by the national NMPA, and in 2021, it was identified as "internationally advanced" by the achievements of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and CCTV and Xinhua News Agency reported that Shiwei OCT products "new technologies lead the big health industry into the era of intelligence".
A world-class R&D team with experience in the development of semiconductor optics and high-end medical devices originating from Silicon Valley
The core technology of OPTIM surpassed imported OCT products, and its core technology originated from a world-class R&D team with more than 10 years of engineering experience in Silicon Valley, semiconductor optics and high-end medical equipment development experience.
Dr. Peng Xianzhao, the founder of microscopic imaging, received his Ph.D. degree in spectroscopy from Oregon State University in 2002, and has 19 years of experience in the research and development of optical systems in Silicon Valley, with more than 20 domestic and foreign patents. Co-founder Dr. Bing Li, who received his Ph.D. in image processing from the University of Virginia in 2007, is the former head of the algorithm team of a multinational company in Silicon Valley, has published 23 papers in international academic journals and conferences, has been cited more than 1,000 times, holds three U.S. patents, and published three sets of medical atlases and supporting software.
Led by the Silicon Valley entrepreneurial team, MicroImage has the inherent advantage of high-tech product research and development, and has also attracted high-end R&D talents from many famous schools at home and abroad. At present, the core R&D team of Shiwei is from internationally renowned universities, involving majors covering precision optics, electronics, precision machinery, medical image processing, algorithms and other fields.
According to the "law of two and eight", in order to create the world's most advanced products, the last 20% of product development is often the most difficult, but it is the most related to product success, and this part is often not solved by the number of R & D personnel. The world-class R&D team of Shiwei has this ability to overcome the last 20% of product research and development, so as to create OCT products that exceed imports, and replicate this successful experience to subsequent products.
OCT is just the starting point, and the ophthalmology full product line is being laid out
Supported by world-class R&D talents, Micro Imaging has been walking on the road of technological innovation without stopping. Taking the ophthalmic diagnostic product OCT as the starting point, at present, microscopic imaging is improving the products in various fields of ophthalmology, and continues to enrich the entire product line of ophthalmology, covering diseases such as fundus diseases, cataracts, glaucoma, refractive errors and so on.
According to Dr. Peng Xianzhao, the founder of micro-imaging, recently, micro-vision is stepping up the independent research and development of high-tech technologies such as biometrics and femtosecond lasers, and soon there will be more ophthalmic equipment in different segments to surpass imported technical standards to amaze the world again and again.
Biometrics: Optical biometrics are the gold standard for eye axis measurement and are widely used in cataract surgery and the prevention and control of myopia in adolescents. The scanning optical biometric instrument has a higher detection rate than the traditional optical biological measuring instrument, and is setting off a wave of equipment renewal. The scanning optical biometric instrument of the microscopic image has a signal-to-noise ratio and detection rate that far exceeds that of similar imported products, and will complete the certification in 2022 and once again achieve the surpassing of imported products.
Femtosecond laser: Femtosecond laser as a magical "scalpel" can achieve micron-level cutting accuracy, widely used in ophthalmology and high-end surgery such as myopia and cataracts, has a very high technical and productization threshold, is currently completely monopolized by imported products, microscopic imaging will rely on world-class R & D team and nano-precision semiconductor optical R & D experience, to create more than imported femtosecond laser surgery equipment, the product has completed the initial system and optical design.
In addition, based on core technologies such as advanced AI algorithms, high-performance computing, and precision optical imaging, the microscopic imaging team is developing diagnostic-grade artificial intelligence products that far exceed the recognition performance of fundus color photographs, including full-eye OCT products, ultra-wide angle fundus cameras, microscope OCT and other ophthalmic product lines, providing ophthalmologists with powerful diagnostic and treatment tools.
Global layout, hard power to create "ophthalmic Tesla"
In view of the broad overseas market prospects of ophthalmic medical equipment, while committed to the development of a full line of ophthalmology, micro-imaging is also actively laying out overseas markets, based on domestic and international, to provide advanced high-end ophthalmic equipment for global users.
At the 2019 Asia-Pacific Fundus Disease Annual Conference, the video microscopy OCT product became a major focus of the conference, and overseas experts commented that the product has surpassed the imported similar products. Microscopic imaging now has Silicon Valley R & D center, Shanghai R & D center, Luoyang manufacturing center, at present, microscopic imaging OCT products have passed the US FDA and EU CE type inspection. At present, the company will continue to expand the overseas elite talent team, further upgrade the Silicon Valley R&D center to the United States R & D operation center, and set up a new European R & D operation center in Germany.
SVision Research, Inc Silicon Valley R&D Center
With the advanced hardware created by the world-class R&D team, the world's leading AI algorithm empowerment and the brand tonality beyond imports, Micro Vision will continue to enhance these three hard powers, lay out the world and break into the core markets of Europe and the United States, and strive to become the global leader of high-end ophthalmic medical devices - "Ophthalmic Tesla".