The 2021 National Academic Conference of Minimally Invasive Endoscopic Weight Loss Procedures successfully ended, and the innovative weight loss technology developed by Tongee attracts much attention

The rapid development of the economy has resulted in great changes in people's lifestyle. Excessive intake of a high-fat diet and significant reduction in physical activity have made obesity a widespread and inevitable issue facing mankind [1]. Obesity does not only affect a person’s physical appearance and bring inconvenience to life, but it also easily leads to various complications and accelerates aging and death. Therefore, medical interventions and treatments are needed when necessary. The 2021 National Academic Conference of Minimally Invasive Endoscopic Weight Loss Procedures was officially held in Zunyi, Guizhou on April 17. It was co-sponsored by the National Clinical Research Center for Digestive Diseases, China Quality Association for Pharmaceuticals, and other authoritative institutions.

At present, the understanding and treatment of obesity in China are still in their infancy, and from a medical perspective its treatment only involves surgical gastrectomy and dietary intervention and lacks of a multidisciplinary treatment approach. Furthermore, endoscopic weight loss procedures have rarely been used in China [2]. Therefore, this conference was held to mainly discuss topics related to endoscopic weight loss procedures. Experts in the field of weight loss from Grade-3 and Class-A hospitals of various cities and provinces participated in the conference. Tongee, as a national innovative enterprise focusing on the R&D and clinical research of noninvasive implantation products for metabolic diseases, was the only enterprise invited to participate in the conference. As an innovative technology, its "Gastric Bypass Stent System" for the treatment of obesity via endoscopic implantation fills the gap in endoscopic weight loss procedures. Moreover, the "Gastric Bypass Stent System" was successfully implanted in the first subject of the clinical trial at the Beijing Friendship Hospital Affiliated to the Capital Medical University. Tongee had a lively offline and online discussion with other participating experts on the clinical efficacy of the "Gastric Bypass Stent System" in weight loss and the prospects for endoscopic technology in human weight loss.

After the opening of the conference, a multi-center launching ceremony for the "Clinical Study of the Implantation of Gastric Bypass Stent System in Obese Patients" was held in multiple Grade-3 and Class-A hospitals in Beijing, Nanjing, Tianjin, Xi'an, Shenyang, and Hohhot under the lead of President Zhang Shutian from the Beijing Friendship Hospital Affiliated to the Capital Medical University. President Zhang said that the new technology represented by "Gastric Bypass Stent System" is an unexplored area in current medical treatment. Its future application across the country will have a far-reaching significance in treating obesity and metabolic diseases, reducing the incidences of obesity, type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver and hypertension, decreasing the cost of national health insurance, and promoting the health of Chinese people.

As a new approach to reduce weight, the "Gastric Bypass Stent System" can be implanted through a painless endoscopic procedure for improving the conditions of patients with obesity, type 2 diabetes, and non-alcoholic fatty liver. This technology exhibits promising prospects for a wide range of clinical application. Dr. Li got a doctorate in Materials Science from Zhejiang University. He has been engaged in biomedical materials research for 12 years with extensive experience in leading national projects. At present, Dr. Li works as a researcher in the R&D department of Tongee. As an invited speaker by president Zhang Shutian, he gave a systematic and comprehensive introduction to the "Gastric Bypass Stent System". This device is developed according to the mechanism of Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB). It is implanted in the duodenum and upper jejunum through a gastroscope with minimally invasive intervention and can be explanted. After implantation, the chyme from the stomach passes through the chamber of the sleeve, while bile and pancreatic juice are isolated by the sleeve. Thus, bile and pancreatic juice converge together with the chyme at the remote of the jejunum, which reduces the digestion and absorption of food. Therefore, it can be used to control metabolic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.;

During the conference, experts from national Grade-3 and Class-A hospitals in the field of metabolic diseases, including Zhang Shutian, Zou Xiaoping, Zhang Nengwei, Wang Bangmao, Li Peng, Su Bingzhong, Lian Dongbo, Chen Xin, Hou Yeting, and Zhou Lin, had in-depth discussions on the clinical trials of the "Gastric Bypass Stent System" conducted in various hospitals, in the hopes of further exploring the clinical application of the device and improving endoscopic weight loss procedures and the treatment of metabolic diseases in China. In addition to the experts present at the venue, over 30 professionals also participated in the online discussion. Regarding the requests for participating in the clinical trial by other hospitals, Mr. Zuo Yuxing, the chairman and CEO of Tongee, responded that Tongee will continue to support the academic research of various hospitals in the exploration of causes of metabolic diseases, so as to bring benefits to the patients.

In addition, another key agenda of the conference involves the discussion on the Guidelines for Endoscopic Weight Loss Procedures (2021 Edition). It is worth mentioning that the clinical trials of "Gastric Bypass Stent System" developed by Tongee have been conducted. The device is expected to substantially improve the weight loss experience of people with obesity and its practical application and efficacy deserves further attention.

According to the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) report, OECD countries spend about 8.4% of their total health budget on treating obesity-related diseases per year. [3] Various health problems caused by obesity are not be underestimated worldwide at present. Under this circumstance, there is an urgent need to explore more advanced and efficient endoscopic weight loss technologies. Regarding the "Gastric Bypass Stent System" introduced by Tongee at the conference, we believe that it is undoubtedly a world-class technological innovation in the field of endoscopic weight loss procedures, which will enable China to take the lead in the field. The wide application of this technology is expected to ushering in a new era in which metabolic diseases can be treated, thereby improving social productivity, reducing national medical insurance expenditure and relieving national economic burden.

References:

Peking Union Medical College Hospital, Zhu Huijuan, Pan Hui, Shi Yifan. Comprehensive treatment for obesity, Literature website or source, 2021

2021 National Academic Conference of Minimally Invasive Endoscopic Weight Loss Procedures [EB/OL].

The Heavy Burden of Obesity [R] Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development