After eight years of war, Mindray Medical has finally lit up the medical imaging technology tree.
On November 10, Mindray released the Kunlun Resona A20, the first ultra-high-end ultrasound system made in China, which not only broke the strict barriers to foreign investment in the field of medical imaging, but also filled the gap of domestic ultra-high-end ultrasound productsIn addition, it is the first in the industry to commercialize adaptive beamsynthesis, and the first to realize super-resolution contrast imaging technology out of the laboratory.
Medical imaging has always had strict barriers to foreign investment. In the field of soft mirrors, Japanese mirror bodies and most of the parts are hand-assembled and produced in Japan to ensure that the technology is not leaked, and the upstream material chain is also established in a closed loop, and information is not leakedIn the field of ultrasound, the core technology of imaging has long been mastered by foreign-funded enterprises, and the existing technical barriers are mainly reflected in software and complex functions.
Mindray A20 fills the gap of domestic ultra-high-end in the field of ultrasound, and has achieved all-round breakthroughs in all key aspects of imaging technology, and has achieved innovative breakthroughs in the industry in three aspects: acoustic and electric data, imaging algorithms, and system computing power.
As soon as the A20 was launched, it immediately caught up with the forefront of the AI era, reflecting Mindray's forward-looking technology.
The steady Mindray is also the advanced Mindray, let's take a look at the thrill of a technology company's upward climb.
See never-before-seen
Traditionally, ultrasound is only a diagnostic imaging tool and a proprietary device of the imaging department.
However, under the general trend of multidisciplinary joint diagnosis and treatment of modern medicine, ultrasound technology has long been on the front line of clinical practice.
It is not only the "third eye" of surgeons and the "stethoscope" of physicians, but also can be directly applied to disease monitoring, intervention or surgical visualization guidance.
A20 has been on the market for 8 years from pre-research to launch, overcoming countless technical difficulties, and is the culmination of the rise of domestic medical imaging.
As an "eye", one of the core needs to be met by ultrasound images must be "image clarity".
At present, the development of medical imaging has entered the era of digital intelligence, and the ultimate ultrasound image is of great significance for doctors to capture the subtle clues of diseases.
A20 is equipped with the industry's first new ultrasound technology platform - "Wuji" acoustic intelligence platform, which helps doctors capture subtle clues of diseases with AI technology and extreme imaging.
The ultimate image resolution can make the A20 see unprecedented, and the dimensionality brought by clinical diagnosis and treatment is epoch-making.
Acoustics and electricity data
The probe is the core component of ultrasound diagnostic equipment, is the cornerstone of the collection of high-quality acoustic and electrical data, directly determines the image performance, and domestic enterprises have achieved independent control on the probe with high sensitivity and high bandwidth.
Relying on the stepless platform, Mindray's R&D team has created a new probe technology matrix, the AFM moment energy probe, which includes three major technologies: matrix flying blade, acoustic pressurization, and broadband spread spectrum.
Matrix Flying Blade Technique: Either for superficial knuckles only 0The display of the 2mm width trolley also brings the ultimate image presentation for the thyroid gland and breast.
Acoustic pressurization technology: It can increase the electro-acoustic conversion efficiency by 50%, improve the transmission energy conversion efficiency, improve the receiving sensitivity, and the image has a higher signal-to-noise ratio and penetration.
Broadband spread-spectrum technology: From the micron size of the arteriole intima, subcutaneous hair follicles and dermal layers, to the deep arterial veins of the lower limbs, the same probe can solve more clinical problems.
Imaging algorithms
On the infinite platform algorithm, Mindray accomplishes an impossible task.
Adaptive beamforming algorithms have long been unable to be commercialized. The computing power required by the adaptive beamforming algorithm is 430,000 times, the computing and data transmission load makes it impossible to commercialize, even if Nvidia's leather clothes are yellow, you have to shake your head.
Mindray's first Free Beam adaptive beamforming technology reduces the amount of computation through ingenious adaptive algorithm reconstruction on the premise of ensuring algorithm performance, and greatly improves the data bandwidth and computing power of the system with a hyper-parallel computing architectureCommercialized adaptive beamforming in ultrasound diagnostic equipment for the first time.
So far, the traditional problem that the main lobe and side lobes are difficult to optimize synchronously has been solved, not only to improve the image resolution, but also to enhance the imaging in a variety of imaging methods.
System computing power
The ultra-parallel computing architecture is the hardware infrastructure of the Wuji platform, which completely undertakes the operation and processing of all digital domains with super computing power and ultra-wide data bandwidth, including:Computationally intensive adaptive beamforming algorithm.
Imaging techniques
Following the ZST Domain Optical Platform, Mindray has adopted the AIT Infinite PlatformOnce again, the imaging platform technology of the ultrasound industry has been pushed to a new levelA wide range of innovative imaging tools for precision diagnosis and clinical scholarship.
Sharp Pupil Imaging: It has independent transmission and reception links, independent beamforming and image processing links, and realizes dual real-time imaging with global accuracy and local fineness, helping to clinically identify cystic solid tissues and enhance the display of lesion calcifications or stones.
UMA ultra-fine pure blood flow: Taking renal blood circulation as an example, conventional color Doppler can see grade III blood vessels, and ultra-micro pure blood flow breaks through the limitations of traditional technology and can see grade IV blood vessels.
Microscopy: A20 supports ultra-high frame rate acquisition, high-performance computing and imaging capabilities, and presents the morphological characteristics of tissue and lesion microcirculation at the micron spatial scale, realizing clinical applications from animals to humansThe world's first microscopy imaging technology that can be used for in-machine imaging of the human body.
Viscoelastography: Shear wave elastography technology was once monopolized by overseas giants, and the breakthrough of A20 has gone further. In the stage of liver fibrosis, STE shear wave elastography can effectively stage liver fibrosis non-invasively and conveniently. However, human tissues are not standard elastomers, and when inflammation occurs in the liver, viscoelastography and quantitative analysis tools can be used to further explore the association between liver fibrosis and inflammation. Viscoelastic function complements shear wave elastographyIt can help the clinical more comprehensive exploration of imaging diagnosis and quantitative analysis of liver, breast and other organ-related diseases.
Multiparametric Combined Diagnosis: As early as 2015, Professor Paul Sidhu, then President of the European Super League, proposed the concept of multiparametric ultrasound, but it has not been widely used due to the lack of effective tools to combine multiple parameters with imaging analysis in real time. A20 returns to the clinical needs of actual diagnosis and treatmentAchieve multiple ultrasound imaging in the same sectionThe simultaneous real-time combined imaging and quantitative analysis have truly realized the transformation of imaging diagnostics from subjective qualitative to objective quantitative.
The high-end market has made a comprehensive breakthrough
As an ultra-high-end blockbuster new product that has been sharpened for eight years, the impact of A20 will be far-reaching, and we can take a high look at Mindray's breakthrough in the global high-end market.
With the help of A20, Mindray will make every effort to hit the high-end ultrasound market in China.
According to Frost & Sullivan, in 2020, the proportion of domestic enterprises in the low-end ultrasound market has reached 70%, basically completing import substitution, but the localization rate of the mid-to-high-end ultrasound market is still at a low level, especially 90% of the high-end market is still monopolized by import enterprises.
In addition, according to the medical recruitment data of Toubao, in 2022, among the top 10 ** merchants of China's mid-end desktop color ultrasound and basic desktop color ultrasound, local companies will occupy them respectively. 5% of the market share, and in the top 10 in the field of high-end desktop color ultrasound, foreign brands occupy 8, with a cumulative market share of 867%。
The ultrasound market is undergoing structural changes. The function of low-end color ultrasound can gradually not meet the clinical needs, and the downstream application is not as extensive as that of mid-to-high-end equipment, so mid-to-high-end equipment is gradually replacing low-end color ultrasound. According to Frost & Sullivan's estimates, the proportion of demand for low-end ultrasound equipment has declined rapidly, from 56% in 2017 to 35% in 2020. During the same period, the demand for mid-to-high-end equipment increased rapidly, from 44% in 2017 to 65% in 2020.
Mindray is reaping this structural increment, accelerating high-end breakthroughs in traditional ultrasound departments and emerging clinical departments in hospitals, and the proportion of high-end ultrasound in domestic ultrasound revenue has increased year after year, and the proportion of high-end ultrasound in domestic ultrasound revenue has exceeded half. With the listing of A20, the company's ultrasound business will continue to move towards a new stage of comprehensive high-end customer breakthrough.
Medical equipment exports Data**: Straight Flush iFind, Yuekai ** Research InstituteThe A20 will help Mindray accelerate its breakthrough in overseas high-end customer base.
According to the statistics of the Guangdong Kai** Research Institute, the advantageous products of domestic medical equipment exports are concentrated in the fields of color ultrasound, CT and monitors, and the export amount will reach 107461 in 2022$700,000, $65,677$640,000, $57,079$920,000, with a compound growth rate of . 15%。
Among them, the export market of color ultrasound is the largest and fastest-growing, and the A20 will accelerate Mindray's breakthrough in top overseas clinical institutions and research institutes.
In the first three quarters of this year, Mindray's overseas medical imaging production line exceeded 150 blank high-end customers, and more than 50 of the blank high-end customers that have broken through have achieved repurchase, and the proportion of mid-range and high-end models in overseas ultrasound revenue exceeded half for the first time.
This prospect is sustainable.
The A20 shows off Mindray's technological muscles, and we can expect more super blockbusters to be born in the three major production lines.
The advent of the A20 not only represents a breakthrough in medical imaging technology, but also represents a comprehensive multidisciplinary breakthrough in AI algorithms, biomedical engineering, machinery, electronic information, and materials science.
In the fields of life information and support and in vitro diagnostics, it is completely predictable that Mindray will launch the same level of black technology in the future.
In the domestic TOP10 pharmaceutical market value list, Mindray has reached the top, but on its own road to breakthrough, the climb has just begun. Mindray's business has more than 450 billion yuan of international accessible market space, and the company's international revenue in 2022 is about 11.7 billion yuan, corresponding to a low single-digit market share. With the continuous addition of high-end or ultra-high-end new products, the overseas market share will accelerate.
We will eventually have our own large multinational medical enterprise, which is expected to be the first to be born in the field of medical devices.