COCHE signs MoUs at expo

The Hong Kong Centre for Cerebro-cardiovascular Health Engineering (COCHE) is working to build links between government, economics, industry, research and academia, forging partnerships to advance scientific research and integrating the scientific innovation potential of the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, said Kannie Wai Yan Chan, director of the center.

Through partnerships and cooperation, the center seeks to strengthen new quality productive forces in healthcare and empower the sustainable development and commercialization of China's healthcare industry, she said.

"COCHE has been deeply engaged in the field of cardio-cerebral and cerebrovascular disease as well as AI for a long time, becoming an international leader in the field," Chan said.

For instance, Chan said COCHE has optimized the technical means of monitoring, detecting and preventing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases in the early stage in terms of safety, accuracy, cost and operational efficiency. "This is a significant step forward in giving patients the ability to manage their own cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health through a range of convenient methods, including self-monitoring."

During the recently concluded 7th China International Import Expo, COCHE officially signed a memorandum of understanding with Fudan University School of Management. Both parties will collaborate on the full life cycle of scientific and technological innovation enterprises incubated by medical sci-tech platforms in both the Chinese mainland and Hong Kong, as well as internationally.

The cooperation aims to achieve cross-disciplinary collaboration between scientists and commercial elites, and to jointly explore the establishment of an international sci-tech management incubation practice ecosystem between Shanghai and Hong Kong, encompassing "industry, academia, research, finance and application".

Lu Xiongwen, dean of the School of Management at Fudan University, noted cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health is a professional field that urgently needs breakthroughs, and the cooperation will not only promote exchanges in the field, but also "build a window and a connection point to help Shanghai and Hong Kong form a new dual city effect in the field of medical science and technology innovation".

Solina Ngai, executive director of COCHE, said that the core purpose of this cooperation is to incubate science and technology enterprises and promote the commercialization of scientific research results.

"We pay attention to the exchange and cooperation of the Shanghai-Hong Kong Science and Technology Innovation Center. Through incubating enterprises, promoting the transformation of scientific research results and strengthening talent training and cross-field cooperation, we are confident in contributing to solving global problems such as cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases," she added.

As an organization focused on engineering research for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health, COCHE focuses its research and development on providing key technical support for early monitoring and diagnosis of potential acute cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, said William Zhang, head of Business Development at COCHE.

Currently, COCHE has 17 research projects and 68 patents, incubated 13 biotechnology companies specializing in different subfields such as cardiovascular ultrasound and cerebrovascular imaging, and has collaborated with top international institutions such as the Karolinska Institute in Sweden and the University of Oxford in England.

Looking ahead, COCHE will continue to utilize technological innovation to improve global health, deepen land-sea cooperation, globalize innovative products and technologies, and help jointly create a healthy China and a better future, Zhang added.

During the expo, COCHE also signed an MoU on strategic cooperation with Shanghai's Renji Hospital. With a focus on early screening, monitoring and diagnosis of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, the two parties will jointly explore innovation in medical research and clinical practice, innovative medical hubs, and joint scientific research projects including international multi-center clinical research.

In addition, the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive's 2024 Policy Address called for the development of Hong Kong as an international hub for medical innovation and the enhancement of in-depth cooperation with the Yangtze River Delta and other inland regions.