【New Breakthrough】Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital Receives Approval for Leading Scientist Project
【New Breakthrough】Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital Receives Approval for Leading Scientist Project of Gansu Province
Recently, the research team led by Professor Ye Yancheng from Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital (Wuwei Academy of Medical Sciences), together with Chief Physician Li Xiaojun, physics postgraduate Lu Xiaoli, and specially appointed researcher Professor Zhang Hong, successfully received approval for the Leading Scientist Project of Gansu Province, based on their research achievements in carbon ion precision therapy for radioresistant tumors. This is the first Leading Scientist Project ever approved in Wuwei City. It not only represents an authoritative recognition of the hospital's research capabilities but also marks a transformative leap for Wuwei from "following" to "leading" in the field of advanced precision tumor therapy.
The Leading Scientist Project of Gansu Province is a provincial key scientific and technological research initiative, focusing on forward-looking, strategic major scientific issues and targeting critical industrial chains and core technologies. The project operates under a leading scientist responsibility system, granting the research team decision-making authority over technical approaches, control over fund utilization, and the ability to coordinate resource allocation. It aims to drive technological innovation and the translation of research outcomes, providing scientific and technological support for high-quality regional development.
Landmark Approval: Developing a "Chinese Solution" for Radioresistant Tumor Therapy
The Leading Scientist Project represents a top-tier research initiative focused on forward-looking, strategic medical challenges and embodies the highest standards of scientific research in the field. The project approved for our hospital centers on the application fundamentals and technical research of carbon ion precision therapy for radioresistant tumors. Leveraging the hospital's profound clinical experience and research strengths, it will conduct comprehensive, in-depth research targeting four refractory, radioresistant tumor types: high-grade glioma, adenoid cystic carcinoma of the head and neck, pancreatic cancer, and chordoma.
The project will fully leverage the unique physical and biological advantages of carbon ion radiotherapy, advancing efforts across multiple fronts, including the fundamentals of clinical application, optimization of treatment protocols, and elucidation of biological mechanisms. It aims to overcome current treatment bottlenecks, refine the theoretical framework of tumor radiotherapy, and establish a carbon ion precision therapy standard system with Chinese characteristics that is internationally leading. Ultimately, the project seeks to provide a replicable and scalable "Chinese solution" for the global treatment of radioresistant tumors.
Solid Backbone: 30 Research Platforms Strengthen the Foundation for Innovation
Technological innovation cannot be achieved without the strong support of top-tier research platforms. As the clinical application base for China's first heavy ion therapy system with complete independent intellectual property rights, the Wuwei Heavy Ion Center of Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital has been continuously advancing its research platform development for many years. To date, it has established 30 high-level research platforms at the national, provincial, and municipal levels, forming a full-chain research and innovation ecosystem.
The center has successively established interdisciplinary collaborative platforms, including the CAS Key Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Biology and Biomedicine, the Sydney University Biomedical Data Analysis and Visualization Laboratory, and the Shanghai Jiao Tong University Translational Medicine Multimodal Imaging Laboratory. At the same time, it has set up specialized research hubs such as the Joint Laboratory of Heavy Ion Radiation Physics and Application, the Key Laboratory of Gastrointestinal Diseases of Gansu Province, and the Gansu Branch Center of the National Engineering Research Center for Biochips (Beijing). These platforms enable deep integration of multidisciplinary and cross‑disciplinary research resources.
Under the unified coordination and management of the Wuwei Academy of Medical Sciences, all major research platforms collaborate efficiently, focusing on fundamental medical research and tackling major clinical challenges. Each core research platform leverages its unique strengths:
● Medical Translation Center: Dedicated to the localization and innovation of diagnostic and treatment equipment, developing supporting devices such as the 360° radiotherapy chair and bladder volume measurer, while building a "Heavy Ion+" industrial cluster.
● Biochip Center: Establishes a high‑precision genetic testing platform, providing core data support for precise tumor subtyping and personalized treatment.
● Cell / Animal / Organoid Laboratory: Conducts tumor mechanism research and therapeutic efficacy validation, enabling pre‑treatment prediction of individualized patient responses.
Cell Laboratory
Animal Laboratory
Organoid Laboratory
● Biospecimen Bank: Stores over 50 types of tumor biological samples and clinical data, providing valuable resource support for research and innovation.
From basic research to clinical translation, and from technology development to outcome dissemination, the 30 research platforms are interconnected, forming a complete research and innovation closed‑loop system that serves as the core engine for the hospital's breakthroughs in heavy ion medical technology.
Cutting-Edge Breakthroughs: 9 Globally Leading Technologies Tackle Challenging Cancer Treatments
Leveraging its comprehensive research platforms and extensive clinical experience, the hospital has overcome numerous technical barriers and successfully developed nine globally leading carbon ion therapy technologies, setting new benchmarks in the field and establishing a solid foundation for the implementation of the Leading Scientist Project:
- Synchronous clinical application of two heavy ion therapy systems;
- Extensive clinical experience with single‑fraction same‑day treatment protocols;
- Precision radiotherapy under ventilator control / high‑frequency oscillatory ventilation control;
- Pioneering heavy ion therapy for bladder cancer with precise bladder capacity management;
- Original single‑fraction precision radiotherapy using organ‑tumor spacer implantation;
- Successful heavy ion treatments for cardiac tumors in multiple cases;
- Original integrated model of heavy ion therapy combined with whole‑life‑cycle physical and mental health management;
- Original "dual Bragg peak lattice radiotherapy" technology;
- Multimodal image‑guided adaptive radiotherapy, achieving dynamic precision throughout the entire treatment course.
Precision Heavy Ion Therapy Under High-Frequency Oscillatory Ventilation Control
Bladder Cancer Treatment Under Precise Bladder Capacity Management
Single-Session Heavy Ion Therapy Using Surgically Implanted Spacers Between Organs and Tumors
Unlike conventional radiotherapy, carbon ion therapy leverages the unique physical properties of the Bragg peak. After entering the human body, its energy is precisely focused on the tumor site, maximizing the destruction of cancer cells while providing the greatest possible protection to normal tissues. Due to its high linear energy transfer (LET) characteristics, its biological effectiveness is 2–3 times that of conventional radiotherapy. It can directly induce double-strand breaks in the DNA of cancer cells, achieving effective killing even against hypoxic, radioresistant tumor cells that are insensitive to conventional radiation, thereby thoroughly overcoming the bottleneck in the treatment of radioresistant tumors.
Remarkable Clinical Outcomes: 2,800 Domestic and International Patients Witness the Healing Power
Through years of clinical practice, the dual centers in Wuwei and Lanzhou have demonstrated the outstanding efficacy of domestically produced carbon ion technology with tangible treatment outcomes. To date, the hospital has provided precise carbon ion therapy to over 2,800 domestic and international patients, covering all provinces and municipalities across China as well as countries such as Belgium, South Korea, and Australia. The range of treatable tumor types has expanded to more than 50, with local control rates exceeding 95% for certain tumor types. Both clinical efficacy and patient survival rates have reached internationally advanced levels.
For clinically refractory tumors, the hospital has achieved impressive results: In patients with inoperable locally advanced pancreatic cancer, carbon ion therapy extended survival by 8 months compared to conventional radiotherapy, with the 1‑year local control rate increasing by over 40%. In patients with high‑grade glioma, the median survival was extended to nearly 30 months, with both survival rate and progression‑free survival rate significantly improved.
At the same time, the hospital is focusing on international cutting‑edge developments, conducting seven high‑level clinical studies on early‑ and intermediate‑stage liver cancer, esophageal cancer, breast cancer, and other tumor types. Patients enrolled in these studies benefit from zero out‑of‑pocket costs for heavy ion therapy, ensuring that this advanced medical technology reaches a broader patient population. In the research domain, the hospital has published nine professional monographs on heavy ion therapy, establishing a comprehensive diagnostic and treatment knowledge system and filling multiple gaps in the standardization of heavy ion medicine in China.
A Promising Future: Making China's Heavy Ion Technology a Global Leader
From the clinical implementation of the first domestically produced heavy ion system to the successful approval of the Leading Scientist Project, from the full establishment of 30 research platforms to the application of nine globally leading technologies, Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital has remained committed to its mission of "gathering world‑leading technologies to benefit cancer patients." Driven by technological innovation, the hospital is advancing the field of oncology medicine and striving to build a premier cancer medical hub in Western China.
Moving forward, the hospital will take the Leading Scientist Project as an opportunity to further deepen research on carbon ion therapy for radioresistant tumors, integrate cutting‑edge achievements in global particle therapy, cell therapy, and immunotherapy, continuously optimize treatment protocols, and refine technical standards. The hospital is fully committed to becoming a world‑renowned destination for cancer patients, giving domestically produced heavy ion technology a true global voice and bringing renewed hope to more cancer patients worldwide!
Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital (Wuwei Institute of Medical Sciences)
（甘）医广【2025】第11-14-387号