On August 7, People’s Daily published an article titled Domestic Fully Magnetically Levitated VAD Serving Patients, commending CH Biomedical for breaking the international technological monopoly for developing a domestically produced, fully magnetically levitated VAD with independent intellectual property rights. The device is currently available in nearly 40 hospitals across China, enabling over 140 patients with advanced heart failure to embark on a “new life”. Going forward, CH Biomedical will continue innovating and refining its products to benefit an even larger group of heart failure patients.
Below is the original report:
“I’m in pretty good shape now and can even take part in some mild exercise,” said Ms. LI from Dongxihu District, Wuhan City, Hubei Province. A year ago, Ms. LI suffered fulminant myocarditis, which led to heart failure. After receiving a domestic developed, fully magnetically levitated VAD implant, she is now able to live a normal life.
Heart failure remains the greatest challenge in cardiovascular disease. According to medical research, the five-year mortality rate for heart failure is 50%, and once it progresses to the end stage, the one-year mortality rate soars to 50%. While heart transplantation is the first-line treatment for end-stage heart failure, donor hearts are extremely scarce. To address this shortage, scientists conceived the idea of the concept of a VAD. Clinical data show that VADs not only save lives but also significantly improve patients’ quality of life.
The blood pump is the core component of a VAD. It channels blood out of the heart, boosts the pressure, and directs it into the aorta, thereby partially or fully replacing the heart’s natural pumping function. After successive technological advancements, full magnetic levitation has become the mainstream technology for VADs worldwide. According to CHEN Chen, founder and CEO of CH Biomedical, compared with other approaches, the rotor of a fully magnetically levitated VAD is supported solely by magnetic levitation, enabling zero mechanical friction during rotation and preserving smooth blood flow without damaging blood cells, significantly reducing the risk of complications post-implantation.
However, fully magnetically levitated VAD technology was long dominated by foreign companies. Developing a domestically produced device with independent intellectual property became a long-held aspiration for CHEN Chen.
Reportedly, a fully magnetically levitated VAD is about the size of a ping-pong ball. The main challenge in developing such a device lies in reducing the size of the blood pump while ensuring stable performance. Additionally, manufacturing a VAD involves hundreds of individual processes, each requiring the highest quality standards. CHEN Chen explained that to perfect a component known as the “nose cone,” the team performed tens of thousands of precise polishing operations to to ensure an ultra-smooth surface and prevent dust from adhering, thus maintaining cleanliness. After more than a decade of research and development, the team solved a host of technical hurdles encompassing the entire product system.
The fully magnetically levitated VAD incorporates cutting-edge technologies from multiple disciplines. To this end, CH Biomedical formed a research team of over 200 members, covering areas such as medicine, physics, mechanical engineering, and electronics. By leveraging their diverse expertise and working closely together, they successfully overcame the many obstacles on the path to industrialization.
CH Biomedical’s breakthroughs were made possible through close collaboration among industry, academia, and research institutions. Since 2009, the company has partnered with universities and research institutes (e.g., Tsinghua University and Zhejiang University) with support from national key R&D programs and international cooperation projects funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology. In 2013, CH Biomedical teamed up with Fuwai Hospital under the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences to conduct animal experiments. In June 2017, Fuwai Hospital made history by successfully implanting a domestically developed fully magnetically levitated VAD in three critically ill patients, marking the product’s first clinical application.
It is reported that nearly 40 hospitals nationwide now offer domestically produced fully magnetically levitated VAD. “We are working on remote information management and the application of artificial intelligence to further improve the portability of external components and, in the long run, to enable implantable batteries,” CHEN said. “Meanwhile, we are optimizing our supply chain, refining manufacturing processes, and reducing costs so that more patients can benefit from our products.”
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