Global Cardiovascular Conference 2025

On 15 May 2025, the Global Cardiovascular Conference 2025 was held at the Conference Center of Zhongguancun Exhibition Center in Beijing.

Hosted by HeartFuture and SYU MedTech, co-organized by Zhongguancun Lianxin Biomedical Industry Alliance and Medtec China, and supported by TusStar and Zhongguancun Science Park CGT Industry Incubation Center, the event gathered more than 600 professionals from clinical practice, scientific research, industry and investment sectors. Participants engaged in in-depth discussions on cardiovascular technology innovation, medicine-engineering integration, research translation and enterprise growth pathways.

During the conference, the 2025 Annual White Paper on Global Cardiovascular Innovation was released. Three annual awards were unveiled: the Global Cardiovascular Technology Innovation Award, the Global Cardiovascular Clinical Application Award, and the Global Cardiovascular International Cooperation Award. These awards systematically showcased the latest advances in technological evolution and collaborative ecosystems within the cardiovascular device sector.

High-Level Opening: Resonance Across Government, Industry, Research and Clinical Sectors

The opening ceremony was moderated by Zhao Qing, Founder of SYU MedTech and Editor-in-Chief of HeartFuture.

Lin Hang, Deputy District Chief of Haidian District, delivered an address noting that cardiovascular medical technology is one of the strategically prioritized areas supported by Haidian. Through institutional innovation and scenario opening, Haidian will facilitate more cardiovascular devices originating from Haidian to reach national markets.

Liu Hui, Director of the Beijing Medical and Health Technology Development Center, pointed out that Beijing will further strengthen its policy support framework featuring clinical-driven and industry-collaborated development, to deliver efficient services for independent innovation and research translation in cardiovascular fields.

White Paper Launch and Award Announcement: Concentrated Release of Innovation Momentum in the Cardiovascular Industry

The conference officially launched the 2025 Annual White Paper on Global Cardiovascular Innovation. Starting from the classification system of cardiovascular medical devices, the white paper systematically maps the latest development landscape of global and Chinese markets. Centered on technology roadmaps, key product categories and representative enterprises, it depicts the evolutionary trend of the cardiovascular device industry shifting from discrete product breakthroughs to systematic optimization.

Meanwhile, Zhao Qing introduced the overseas content under the SYU ecosystem, presenting China’s latest medical technology achievements to a global audience.

The subsequent award ceremony for the Global Cardiovascular Innovation Awards stood as the highlight of the session. Three annual awards were set to recognize outstanding enterprises and institutions with remarkable progress in key technological breakthroughs, real-world clinical adoption and international collaboration.

Recipients of the 2025 Global Cardiovascular Technology Innovation Award (10 enterprises): Amaranth Medical, PamMedical, Acutus Medical, Wushuang Medical, Yuanxin Technology, Zhenyi Medical, EndoHeart Medical, NewMed Medical, Saihe Medical, E-heart Medical.

Recipients of the 2025 Global Cardiovascular Clinical Application Award (7 enterprises): Lifetech Scientific, Boston Scientific, Puchuang Medical, Wuyou Tiaodong, Weiqiang Medical, Sinomax Medical, De Novo EP.

Recipients of the 2025 Global Cardiovascular International Cooperation Award (4 entities): Venus MedTech, Peijia Medical, Biotronik Yiju, The Cardiovascular Hospital of Xiamen University.

These three awards illustrated multi-layered innovation pathways for cardiovascular devices, ranging from novel procedural techniques and product commercialization to domestic R&D and international collaboration.

In-depth Insights from Clinical Experts: Medicine-Engineering Translation Emerges as a Core Consensus

The thematic session was moderated by Liu Lijun, Assistant General Manager of China Technology Exchange. Leading specialists from top hospitals shared insights on core topics including the evolution of cardiovascular treatment strategies, device innovation, translation mechanisms and collaborative frameworks.

Yu Yang, Director of the Science and Technology Department and Deputy Director of the Research Translation Office at Beijing Anzhen Hospital, presented The Medicine-Engineering Integration Journey of a Cardiac Surgeon. Drawing on over a decade of practice, Professor Yu shared his experience advancing device development and industrial translation rooted in unmet clinical needs. He remarked that China remains in a catch-up phase for original cardiovascular drugs and devices, yet demand-oriented medicine-engineering collaboration with deep clinician participation is reshaping this landscape.

He introduced multiple self-developed innovation projects led by his team: the world-first left ventricular assist device, AI-powered SYNTAX scoring system, vascular flow meter, next-generation cardiac stabilizer, myocardial perfusion and metabolism spatiotemporal imaging instrument, novel dual-network hydrogel microneedle external stent, and other high-value consumables for cardiac surgery. He emphasized that medical technology translation must balance innovation depth, implementation pathways and market mechanisms.

Wu Yongjian, Director of the Coronary Heart Disease Center and Deputy Director of the Structural Heart Disease Center at Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, delivered the speech Coronary Interventional Therapy: Paradigm Shifts and Innovation Models. He reviewed four decades of coronary intervention evolution from balloon angioplasty and bare metal stents to drug-eluting stents. Noting that the field has entered its fifth decade of global development, he argued China is poised to transition from a follower to a leader. He proposed that future coronary care should shift from revascularization to vascular repair, highlighting integrated innovation concepts including intervention without permanent implantation, full-lifecycle patient management, and synergies among devices, pharmaceuticals and artificial intelligence.

Guo Wei, Director of the Vascular Surgery Department at the First Medical Center of Chinese PLA General Hospital, gave a presentation titled Medicine-Engineering Integration: The Source of Innovation. From a systemic vascular clinical perspective, he elaborated on the minimally invasive transformation of vascular disease treatment and deep pathways for medicine-engineering collaboration. He stressed that commercially impactful innovation usually stems from precise identification of clinical pain points, and vascular medicine represents an underexplored value frontier. Professor Guo shared his team’s 20-year track record of iterative innovation starting from clinical challenges. Their series of devices, including covered stents and the Endopatch next-generation aortic dissection tear sealing system, have obtained international registration and been deployed clinically across more than 50 countries. He also noted that medicine-engineering translation relies not merely on clinician-originated ideas, but requires long-term engineering partnerships, theoretical foundations and data accumulation. Only with the integration of technology, products and clinical evidence can Chinese medical device innovation gain global recognition and discourse power.

Ouyang Chenxi, Chief Physician and Deputy Director of the Technology Achievement Transformation Office at Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, presented Development and Clinical Research of Novel Polyurethane Artificial Vessels. He introduced the polyurethane composite vascular graft developed by his team over 15 years, which completed the world’s first clinical use. As a vascular surgeon specializing in open surgery, Director Ouyang explained that despite rapid growth in endovascular intervention, more than half of aortic conditions still require open surgical approaches. Artificial vessels, as core tools, are in urgent need of material upgrades. Compared with polyester materials that have been in use for over 70 years, polyurethane delivers superior elasticity, hemocompatibility and tissue integration. It reduces intraoperative bleeding and streamlines surgical workflows. In the first-in-human trial at Fuwai Hospital, this novel graft shortened operative time, lowered complication rates and cut medical costs, while enabling complex procedures at grassroots hospitals. Director Ouyang highlighted that material innovation can optimize open surgery and extend to membrane materials, stent systems and other device modules, establishing a new technical baseline for aortic care.

Xu Liangyou, Director of the Administrative Office at The Cardiovascular Hospital of Xiamen University, spoke on Innovation-Driven Development toward Globalization. As the Fujian Branch of the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases and a National Regional Medical Center, the hospital performs over 6,000 PCI procedures annually and has built demonstration programs for valve intervention, surgical management of aortic dissection and clinical trials of Class III medical devices. Director Xu outlined the hospital’s international collaboration model for domestic devices, combining inbound clinical validation and outbound global expansion. Through BRICS talent programs, overseas proctoring, live surgical broadcasts and device training workshops, the hospital supports the global rollout of Chinese innovations and has established substantive partnerships with multiple countries. It has also built a collaborative platform integrating industry, academia, research, end users and investment funds together with government bodies and universities, fostering a cardiovascular industrial ecosystem and advancing the long-term vision of “Xiamen Heart Valley”.

Panel 1: Does Engineering Reach for Clinical Needs, or Clinical Needs Reach for Engineering?

The conference hosted an in-depth panel discussion where industry experts shared reflections drawn from real-world practice.

The first panel was moderated by Sun Anqiang, Associate Professor and Doctoral Supervisor at the School of Biological Science and Medical Engineering, Beihang University. The discussion focused on medicine-engineering integration and research translation.

Panelists: Zhong Wei, Co-founder and Chief Scientist, EndoHeart Medical Liu Qing, Chairman and General Manager, Amaranth Medical Peng Huiqun, Founder and Chairman, Puchuang Medical Liao Haiyan, Co-founder and General Manager, Wuyou Tiaodong Yin Jie, Founder, Acutus Medical Xi Yanbin, Partner, Beijing Healthcare Fund, Cowin Capital

Trade-offs in Technology Development: Core Technology for Independent R&D, Moderate Collaboration for Peripheral Components

Zhong Wei stated that EndoHeart Medical’s product strategy has always rejected copycat development, insisting core competitiveness must be retained in-house. For example, the coating formulation of its drug-coated balloon is fully self-developed with proprietary manufacturing processes, while balloon substrates are manufactured by qualified contract manufacturers. This model balances cost control and technical moat building.

Liu Qing emphasized end-to-end control for Amaranth Medical’s 3D-printed biodegradable stents. Core materials, printing processes and even printing equipment are developed internally, while the company also licenses and translates patented outputs from clinical and research teams.

Peng Huiqun argued innovative medical enterprises must master core production technologies. During the pandemic, Puchuang Medical achieved domestic localization of core balloon manufacturing technologies. Its co-development framework with leading institutions including Zhongshan Hospital enhances clinical suitability and facilitates product adoption.

Translation and Adoption at Hospitals: From Co-creation to Clinical Deployment

A shared challenge for all panelists is overcoming clinicians’ established procedural habits and driving adoption of new solutions.

Peng Huiqun emphasized that involving clinicians in product development at the preclinical animal study stage is critical for successful adoption. Early co-creation builds clinician buy-in and simplifies procedural training.

Liao Haiyan noted that Wuyou Tiaodong’s VSD device follows a highly original technical route, which demands deep clinician engagement during procedural development. She added that the biggest barrier to scaling an innovative device after regulatory approval is often not technology itself, but building a viable commercialization framework covering policy, reimbursement and distribution.

Yin Jie offered perspectives from cardiac electrophysiology: greater innovation tends to make clinicians more cautious. For this reason, Acutus Medical designed its pulsed-field ablation catheters to preserve familiar operator workflows, while introducing disruptive upgrades in materials, electrode design and safety algorithms. Minimizing operational changes accelerates clinical adoption, which forms the core principle guiding their design.

Medicine-Engineering Collaboration: Clinical Co-creation Mechanisms within R&D Pipelines

Zhong Wei shared EndoHeart Medical’s close collaboration with Professor Pan Xiangbin’s team at Fuwai Hospital on mitral transcatheter replacement products. Professor Pan proposed replacing DSA fluoroscopy with pure ultrasound guidance for intervention. This approach improves intraoperative safety and lowers operating room requirements, laying the groundwork for widespread clinical rollout.

Liu Qing cited Amaranth’s CO₂ injection syringe as an example. Continuous communication with frontline clinicians such as Professor Guo Wei enabled the team to identify genuine unmet needs for incremental innovation and rapidly translate them into products. Joint project applications and co-authored publications have helped Amaranth maintain structured, stable partnerships with medical institutions.

Liao Haiyan pointed out that structural heart devices are inherently complex with variable procedures, requiring clinician input throughout animal study design and iterative device feedback from early-stage development. She also stressed that divergent terminology and mindsets between engineering and clinical teams make effective communication frameworks indispensable for enterprises.

From R&D to Market Launch: The Hardest Barriers Lie Beyond Laboratories

When asked about the most challenging development stage, the founders offered distinct viewpoints:

Liu Qing recounted the regulatory journey for biodegradable stents and carbon dioxide angiography injectors. He stressed that innovation must align with regulatory compliance. For first-in-class or domestically pioneering products, compliance work demands substantial extra time and resources. For instance, additional animal studies and material toxicology validation were completed for its biodegradable peripheral stent to demonstrate regulatory conformity.

Peng Huiqun acknowledged that clinical trials are complex yet manageable. A more formidable challenge is integration into reimbursement schemes, especially for innovative procedures without established coding pathways, where health economic evidence is required to justify clinical value and payment eligibility.

Yin Jie warned that catastrophic risks can arise from minor flaws in engineering workflows. During Acutus Medical’s development, recurring issues stemmed from omitted documentation and skipped process steps at the system integration phase. These problems often emerge during regulatory review and may delay or derail entire projects.

Investor Perspective: A Definitive Five-Year Window of Opportunity

As the sole investor representative, Xi Yanbin categorized portfolio companies into two developmental stages.

Early-stage firms face the primary risk of selecting the wrong market niche. Entering segments with stagnant demand makes follow-on financing extremely difficult. Beyond capital provision, investors play a key role helping enterprises validate directions and establish sustainable platforms.

Mid-to-late-stage enterprises are navigating industry consolidation. They must adapt capacity layouts, shifting volume-based procurement policies and evolving reimbursement models to survive and gain market leadership. He commented that only enterprises that remain competitive over the next two years can capture growth in the subsequent cycle.

He proposed that China’s cardiovascular device sector is entering a transition period from market participant to rule-maker. Companies with original technologies, mature compliance systems and validated clinical deployment strategies will become the most sought-after assets for capital, policymakers and supply chains over the next five years.

Panel 2: Navigating Industry Cycles — How Do Cardiovascular Enterprises Evolve?

The second panel was moderated by Fang Chao, Partner at Powerlinks. The discussion explored growth strategies for cardiovascular enterprises amid tightened capital markets and intense competition.

This panel focused on commercial growth pathways for cardiovascular innovators. Moderated by Mr. Fang Chao, it brought together six industry representatives: Ma Liqiao, Executive Director and Vice President, Venus MedTech Lian Jia, CEO, PamMedical Wen Xiantao, VP of Regulatory Affairs, Shanghai NewMed / General Manager, Chengdu NewMed Heng Liang, Executive Director and Vice President, Sinomax Medical Zou Peng, Marketing Lead, Saihe Medical Wang Zaicun, Chief Analyst, Medical Devices and Services, CITIC Securities

Discussions covered choices between original innovation and product portfolio building, regulatory strategies, market education and capital partnership frameworks, illustrating multi-dimensional responses from Chinese cardiovascular device enterprises amid industry transformation.

Product Strategy: Breakthrough Blockbusters or Portfolio Development?

Lian Jia shared that PamMedical has centered its strategy on unmet clinical needs since founding. The company dedicated a decade to developing the globally pioneering PADN technology for pulmonary hypertension treatment. Rooted in original innovation within this niche, the technology has secured regulatory approvals across China, the United States, Europe and other regions. Building on this breakthrough, PamMedical continues to expand its product portfolio targeting pulmonary hypertension, heart failure and chronic disease management.

Zou Peng noted that launching the first domestically developed product is a critical milestone for startups to build market recognition. Using Saihe Medical’s domestic first coronary shockwave balloon as an example, he explained that first-mover advantage accelerates market entry and clinician endorsement, laying a foundation for long-term solution development and brand building.

Wang Zaicun offered brokerage insights: enterprises may start with a flagship product, yet sustainable growth requires a synergistic, scalable portfolio. “A single product can secure market entry, while a portfolio sustains long-term success.” Within cardiovascular care, building full product lines aligned with channels, departments and clinician ecosystems is essential for stable growth and risk resilience.

Regulatory Strategy: Prioritize Planning, for Time Is the Costliest Resource

Wen Xiantao shared regulatory experience from NewMed Medical, emphasizing that regulatory teams must engage intensively from project initiation and oversee the full development lifecycle. She stated that the biggest burden for startups is not regulatory fees, but costly delays spanning one or two years. Regulatory programs should aim to establish correct designs from the outset rather than remediate defects after development.

Ma Liqiao drew on Venus MedTech’s regulatory experience and pointed out that innovative devices often lack clear regulatory benchmarks. He advised companies to define target markets (domestic or overseas) at the earliest planning stage to avoid resource waste caused by mid-strategy shifts.

Both panelists agreed that compliance systems and technical validation should be deeply integrated, and proactive planning represents the most effective approach to overcoming regulatory barriers.

Market Education: Logic for Adoption of Novel Procedures

Heng Liang introduced Sinomax Medical’s proprietary msRDN system, the world’s first Chinese-origin device combining renal nerve mapping and selective ablation for hypertension treatment, which creates a new procedural paradigm for device-based hypertension management. As RDN products gain approvals worldwide, this therapy has emerged as the third pillar of hypertension intervention. Despite more than a decade of clinical evidence supporting RDN, it remains an emerging clinical modality. To accelerate adoption, Sinomax Medical rolled out a full-lifecycle expert co-development program spanning preclinical research, regulatory submission and commercial launch. Multi-center live surgical broadcasts and real-world outcome follow-up systems have systematically raised clinical awareness.

Lian Jia explained that the novelty and disruptive nature of PADN created initial clinician adoption barriers. PamMedical promoted recognition through real-world studies, high-impact international publications and overseas multi-center training programs, establishing a synchronized global footprint alongside domestic commercialization.

Capital Collaboration: Balancing Strategic Positioning and Financing Timing

Ma Liqiao commented that misalignment of objectives is the leading source of friction between enterprises and investors. Companies must clarify financing purposes and capital requirements before fundraising, instead of being driven passively by investor timelines.

From a secondary market perspective, Wang Zaicun argued that enterprises need both flagship products and discipline to seize high-valuation financing windows. He recommended dual-track management of industrial and capital objectives: raise capital boldly when windows open, and translate innovations decisively once products mature.

A Starting Point for Consensus, and Confidence for Global Expansion

As a vital platform connecting upstream and downstream industry stakeholders, bridging technology and clinical practice, and linking domestic development with global markets, the Global Cardiovascular Conference not only released the industry white paper but also honored institutions excelling in technological innovation, clinical practice and internationalization.

More importantly, keynote speeches and panel discussions fostered collective reflection on core questions: how to implement medicine-engineering collaboration, how original technologies can break through bottlenecks, and how Chinese innovations can go global.

The cardiovascular industry stands on the eve of profound transformation. Normalized volume-based procurement, tightened regulatory standards and elevated technical requirements present challenges, yet also create pressure to translate innovations into practical, globally competitive solutions. As demonstrated by this conference, sustainable, globally competitive Chinese solutions can only be built by centering clinical value, maintaining long-term commitment and advancing collaborative innovation within this highly specialized, global sector.

This conference marks merely a starting point. It is anticipated that more original cardiovascular technologies developed in China will light up their positions on the global map in the years ahead!