Academician Fan Guoqiang and Delegation Visit Wuwei Heavy Ion Center for Inspection and Exchange

Academician Fan Guoqiang and Delegation Visit Wuwei Heavy Ion Center for Inspection and Exchange

On September 27, Academician Fan Guoqiang of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and Dean of the College of Forestry at Henan Agricultural University, along with his delegation, visited Gansu Wuwei Cancer Hospital (Wuwei Academy of Medical Sciences, Wuwei Heavy Ion Center) for inspection and research. The delegation conducted an on‑site review of the center's heavy ion technology applications, clinical diagnosis and treatment, research innovation, and industrial integration development. Zhao Gang, Director‑General of the Global Innovation Center, and Zhang Xin, Chairman of Gansu Calendula Biotechnology Co., Ltd., accompanied the delegation throughout the visit.

During the inspection, Academician Fan Guoqiang and his delegation successively visited key areas including the heavy ion sand table model room, the central control room, the treatment hall, and the research platform. They gained a detailed understanding of the research and development history of the domestically produced carbon‑ion therapy system, its equipment operating principles, clinical application outcomes, and research planning. The delegation spoke highly of the major achievements of China's heavy ion equipment in breaking foreign technological barriers, achieving complete independent controllability, and successfully implementing clinical applications. They also engaged in in‑depth exchanges with our hospital's clinical and research staff on topics including scientific and technological innovation, translation of research outcomes, and public‑benefit services.

As the birthplace of domestically produced heavy ion technology and an industry benchmark, the Wuwei Heavy Ion Center has long established international credibility through solid clinical data. The center has independently developed nine leading diagnostic and treatment technologies, both domestically and internationally, and is the only institution in the world to have two heavy ion therapy systems in clinical operation. Its pioneering techniques — including organ‑tumor spacer implantation radiotherapy and dual Bragg peak lattice radiotherapy — have precisely addressed the treatment challenges of complex and refractory tumors. To date, the center has completed more than 3,100 heavy ion treatments, covering all provinces across China and attracting patients from countries including Belgium, Australia, South Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam, Singapore, Canada, Jordan, Serbia, and Russia.

During the symposium, the two sides engaged in in‑depth discussions on key areas including heavy ion breeding, standardized cultivation of desert‑grown Chinese medicinal herbs, research and development of anticancer drugs, development of desert cistanche products, and the construction of industry‑university‑research innovation platforms. They identified cooperation focal points and reached consensus on technological breakthroughs, project collaboration, translation of research outcomes, and industrial development — establishing a new collaborative platform for our hospital's integrated development of "heavy ion + characteristic industries."

This academician delegation's visit and engagement represents an important opportunity for the center to deepen industry‑university‑research integration and empower local industrial upgrading. In recent years, the center has adhered to the development philosophy of "clinical quality improvement, research empowerment, and industrial extension," actively promoting the extension of cutting‑edge heavy ion technology from clinical medicine into fields such as modern agriculture, biomedicine, and specialty wellness — effectively opening up a coordinated development pathway linking clinical, research, and industrial sectors.

Going forward, the Wuwei Heavy Ion Center will take this exchange as an opportunity to continue deepening cooperation with academician teams and innovative enterprises, refine the industry‑university‑research collaborative innovation mechanism, and actively explore new models of diversified integrated development such as "heavy ion + agriculture," "heavy ion + medicine," and "heavy ion + wellness." It will accelerate the translation of scientific and technological achievements into practical applications, continuously activate local resource advantages, and empower and enhance the high‑quality development of regional medical and health initiatives and characteristic industries.

Writer: Duan Shengyu

First Review: Duan Shengyu

Second Review: Guo Yishan

Third Review: Cai Qinghua