Thoughts of the combination of medicine and engineering and collaborative innovation on surgery in China

Abstract

The combination of medicine and engineering is a new interdisciplinary subject, which is a mode of cross integration and collaborative innovation between medical science and engineering. The combination and collaborative innovation of medicine and industry means more about the improvement, innovation and R&D of medical devices. However, the combination of traditional industry with biomedical engineering, modern medical imaging technology, electronic information technology and other high-tech in medical device industry is a reflection of the manufacturing industry and high-tech level of a country. The development mode of medical industry integration and collaborative innovation in China is mainly to merge medical colleges and universities with science and engineering colleges, promote the cross of different departments, and set up biomedical engineering specialty under the support of a series of relevant national policies, relying on large-scale comprehensive hospitals and research institutes, establish numerous research centers of translational medicine, thus achieving a series of achievements. Our team has made some explorations in the practice of the combination of medicine and engineering, including the utility model patent "reusable simple anal expander" and "incision protective cover of transanal multi-channel endoscopic surgery operation platform", which have been authorized by the State Intellectual Property Office, meanwhile the ultra-fine laparoscope, intragastric gasbag and other projects have been demonstrated by relevant research and development teams and are to be transformed into production. On January 10, 2020, with the approval of Guangdong Pharmaceutical Association, the Medical Innovation and Transformation Expert Committee of Guangdong Pharmaceutical Association was established jointly with the representatives of medical colleagues, scientific research institutions and enterprises, who are interested in the combination of medical industry and collaborative innovation. This Committee provides a platform for the exchange of medical colleagues, scientific research institutions and enterprises. We realize that clinical practice is the source of the combination of medical workers and collaborative innovation, and clinicians are the driving force of the combination of medical workers and collaborative innovation. At present, the main problems faced by the development of medical industry integration in China are as follows: insufficient integration of medical industry integration disciplines in the basic research stage; less interaction of clinical application needs in the application research stage; difficult transformation of scientific research achievements; the unconnected whole chain of "production, learning, research and application". If we can increase the investment in scientific research and policy incentives, strengthen the communication and interaction with enterprises, pay more attentions to the social and economic benefits of the promotion of achievements, open the whole process of the combination of medicine and industry, and improve the evaluation mechanism of the innovation ability of such combination, combination of medicine and engineering and collaborative innovation in China will enter the golden period of rapid development.