Xijian Technology (Tianjin) Co., Ltd., located in TFI Xiqing Park, is expected to be officially put into operation at the end of May. At present, the team is testing the production and delivery processes such as assembly equipment and quality inspection. As the first national production base set up by Beijing Xijian Technology Co., Ltd., this also means that the world's first portable skeletal muscle structure + mechanical properties fusion imager developed by the Biomaterials and Soft Materials Mechanics Laboratory of Tsinghua University in the field of human soft tissue mechanics characterization will truly enter the industrialization stage, and can provide more accurate support for the orthopedics, rehabilitation and sports industries in mainland China in the future.
Promote the mature technology that has been precipitated in the laboratory for more than 10 years to clinical trials, and then gradually realize commercial application, leading this original innovation (Note: original innovation, which means unprecedented major scientific discoveries, technological inventions, principle-based leading technologies and other innovative achievements. Original innovation means that in terms of research and development, especially in the field of basic research and high-tech research to achieve unique discoveries or inventions) to achieve industrialization of the "backbone", is the protagonist of our interview today - Zhang Pengfei, CEO of Xijian Technology (Tianjin) Co., Ltd.
(Note: Q - Xiqing Rong Media, A - Zhang Pengfei)
Q
Hello, Mr. Zhang, what is the current progress of the Tianjin project?
A
At present, the demand for equipment production has been scheduled for July. In order to put it into production smoothly at the end of the month, the team is hurrying to make the final sprint. At the same time, in terms of machining, mold production, plastic shell manufacturing, etc., we have also found a very good partner in Tianjin.
Q
In September last year, when you came to Tianjin to inspect the production and market base, you quickly decided to settle in TFI Xiqingyuan, what attracted you the most here?
A
First of all, in terms of location, TFI Xiqingyuan is 10 minutes away from the South Railway Station, and our Beijing company is in Zhongguancun, which is particularly convenient all the way. TFI Xiqing Park is an innovative highland for the transformation of science and technology innovation in Tianjin, and we are very optimistic about this advantage, and the park has also given us certain discounts in the rent of the venue. Now we are starting to prepare to apply for the "West Wing Golden Seed" program, hoping to fully empower the development of enterprises with the good policies of TFI Xiqingyuan in the future.
Q
The core technology of Xijian technology products is the quantitative in vivo detection of skeletal muscle structure and mechanical properties, what real changes will this technology bring to patients in orthopedic applications?
A
Our technology is mainly oriented to the three major fields of orthopedics, rehabilitation and sports, and is currently cooperating with authoritative medical institutions and experts such as the National Clinical Research Center for Orthopedics and Sports Rehabilitation, the General Hospital of the People's Liberation Army, and the Third Hospital of Peking University. Taking arthritis as we all know, there are more than 100 million osteoarthritis patients in mainland China, and most of them are joint inflammation caused by long-term imbalance of muscle strength. However, at present, orthopedics can only diagnose through limited means such as CT and MRI, and only a small number of serious patients with structural damage have been diagnosed, while most patients who have not yet been structurally damaged but have developed muscle imbalance problems are often delayed. Our products will accurately test the muscle mechanics, so as to detect problems early, and direct these patients to the rehabilitation department for rehabilitation training for muscle imbalance.
Also during the rehabilitation process, doctors can also give quantitative treatment guidance through our imager and follow up the degree of recovery in real time. For example, the main part of shoulder and neck pain - trapezius muscle, the normal mechanical value is 2 to 4Kpa; There is some soreness, almost 6 to 10Kpa, which can be solved with manual massage; When it reaches more than 10Kpa, it is necessary to do some equipment physiotherapy or even minimally invasive treatment to loosen the tense muscles. In this process, there may be cases where patients stop treatment early because the pain and soreness disappear but do not fully return to the healthy value, so our technology can allow patients to adhere to the treatment through data visualization and minimize the failure of rehabilitation treatment due to subjective reasons.
Q
Xijian Technology's products have indeed brought "good news" to orthopedic and rehabilitation patients. Compared with similar products, what are the advantages of Xijian Technology?
A
In the past, there were some products for muscle mechanics quantification, but Xijian Technology is currently more in line with the needs of patients and the market in terms of technical route, applicability and cost control.
From the perspective of the underlying technology, the Laboratory of Biomaterials and Soft Materials Mechanics of Tsinghua University has done more than 10 years of technical iteration of medical-engineering intersection based on the quantitative clinical needs of soft tissue mechanics, and has accumulated very rich scientific research results, and more than 160 SCI papers on soft tissue mechanics related research topics have been published in top journals, clarifying the application prospects of technology in clinical practice.
From the perspective of applicability, orthopedics, rehabilitation, and sports have a clear demand for muscle quantification, and more than 100 million people need to receive rehabilitation treatment in mainland China every year. Based on the medical and market needs, our technology establishes a quantitative platform for soft tissue mechanics based on the anisotropy of muscle, the complex mechanical relationship between muscle fibers and skin layers, and realizes accurate detection.
From the perspective of cost, we have "beaten" the price, and the guide price of the main model can be well accepted by clinical departments, which is more conducive to widespread promotion and use.
(The first one on the left is Zhang Pengfei)
Q
From the establishment of Beijing Xijian Technology Co., Ltd. in October 2021 to start the productization and development of scientific research results, to the immediate large-scale mass production, it has only been more than two years, from your own experience, what are the key points?
A
I graduated from mechatronics, which belongs to the category of large manufacturing industry, and medical devices also belong to large manufacturing, so I have a certain understanding of the entire medical device from the supply chain to the product design end. In terms of experience, I have been involved in the investment and incubation of early-stage medical device projects for three years, and I have a certain understanding of the whole life cycle management of medical devices, including how to obtain certificates for registration and clinical promotion. Another point is that for early-stage start-ups, financing is a relatively core and difficult link, thanks to the resources and experience accumulated during investment incubation, I am relatively familiar with investors, with the continuous efforts of our entire team, our company has completed three rounds of financing in the past two years, these funds have helped us in the early stage of entrepreneurship from product development to clinical indication iteration, to personnel team recruitment are relatively smooth, accelerating the product landing, maturity, and listing.
Q
Now that Tianjin Xijian is about to be put into production, what are your plans for future development?
A
This year is our sales warm-up year, it is expected that this year's shipments can exceed 100 units, driven by the channel system and market awareness, next year will be the year of sales explosion, and the revenue is expected to exceed 100 million yuan in 3 years. At the same time, we are preparing to release a white paper on clinical cases jointly developed with authoritative experts. In addition, we will also seek cooperation with universities and hospitals in Tianjin to better serve patients in Beijing, Tianjin, Hebei and the whole country with advanced medical technology.