Hosted by the Department of International Cooperation of the Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China, the China Science and Technology Exchange Center, and the Chongqing Science and Technology Bureau , organized by ChongQing Medical University and Malaysia Mahkota Medical Center, and co-organized by the State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound in Medicine and Engineering and Chongqing Hi-Tech Incubation Center Co., Ltd (Chongqing Science and Technology Exchange Center), the International Training Workshop on Focused Ultrasound Therapy for Tumors was held at Mahkota Hospital, Malaysia, on 13 November. 25 clinicians from 11 countries will receive a 15-day training on the clinical application of focused ultrasound therapy. This is the first MOST training course for developing countries to be held offline outside of Malaysia since the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

Opening Ceremony

Liu Hua, First Researcher, Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China; Zhang Tianhang, Second Secretary, Chinese Embassy in Malaysia; Zha Li, Head of Science and Technology Cooperation Department, Chongqing Science and Technology Bureau; Tian Jie, Vice President of ChongQing Medical University; Wang Zhibiao, Director of State Key Laboratory of Ultrasound in Medicine and Engineering, ChongQing Medical University; Sevellaraja Supermaniam, Chairman of Main Committee of APAGE-OGSM-ISMIVS Conference for Minimally Invasive and Noninvasive Surgery(Malaysia), and Chin Wei Jia, President of Singapore HMI Group, attended the opening ceremony via online and offline. Clinicians came from 11 countries including Indonesia, Philippines, Egypt, Ethiopia, Singapore, Malaysia, Germany, Thailand, Nepal, Tanzania and Mexico.

Tian Jie, Vice President of ChongQing Medical University

Wang Zhibiao, Chairman of Chongqing Haifu Medical technology Co., Ltd(left)

Zhang Lian, Director of Chongqing Haifu Hospital (right)

In his speech at the opening ceremony, Dr. Sevellaraja said that focused ultrasound therapy for tumors offers female patients with uterine fibroids and adenomyosis more options, and expressed his wishes that this workshop would benefit more patients.

Dr.Sevellaraja

According to researcher Liu Hua, focused ultrasound ablation therapy is an innovative technique, and a revolutionary one that leads medical treatment from "invasive" to "minimally invasive" and then to "noninvasive". It is also an open technique. The international training workshop is in line with the strategy of building an innovative country, and has explored a road of science and technology foreign aid from “Made in China to “Created in China”.

Liu Hua, First Researcher, Department of International Cooperation, Ministry of Science and Technology of the People's Republic of China

Director Zha li mentioned in her speech that bringing benefits to people and improving people’s lives had always been Chongqing’s leading direction of technological innovation, and international exchange and cooperation had been an important starting point for scientific and technological innovation. Chongqing has integrated more actively into global innovation and technology network, and strengthened assistance to developing countries to achieve common development.  

Zha Li, Head of S&T Cooperation Department, Chongqing Science and Technology Bureau

Focused ultrasound ablation therapy entails no incision. A focused ultrasound beam is directed towards the target lesion in the patient’s body. At the focus of the beam, temperature generated is high enough to cause lesion ablation. At present, as representative of minimally-invasive and noninvasive surgery, focused ultrasound ablation therapy is considered as one of the major frontier issues of global science and technology and the inevitable direction of human medical development in the future. Focused ultrasound therapy is not only a new therapy for tumor, but will also develop into a new field and a new industry that involves the treatment of malignant tumors, benign tumors and non-tumor diseases. Focused ultrasound ablation therapy equipment with completely independent intellectual property rights developed by the "Haifu Team" led by Professor Wang Zhibiao has been exported to 29 countries and regions including Germany, the United Kingdom, Italy, Russia, and Japan.

Since 2012, with the support of the Ministry of Science and Technology, ChongQing Medical University has held 8 training workshop on focused ultrasound ablation therapy in China, Egypt, South Africa, and Malaysia. A total of 174 well-known clinicians from more than 40 countries participated. It promotes not only the development of non-invasive techniques in the treatment of tumors, but also the exchanges and cooperation of medical technology among developing countries. During the workshop, The Asia-Pacific Association for Gynecologic Endoscopy and Minimally Invasive Therapy(APAGE), the Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Malaysia(OGSM) and the International Society of Minimally Invasive and Virtual Surgery(ISMIVS) also held the Conference for Minimally Invasive and Noninvasive Surgery(Malaysia) concurrently, where experts from China, the United Kingdom, Spain, South Korea, Egypt and other countries jointly discussed the development and current status of minimally invasive and noninvasive medicine represented by focused ultrasound.