Recently, Roche Diagnostics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “Roche Diagnostics China”) and Department of Clinical Laboratory, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology (hereinafter referred to as “Tongji Hospital”), have signed a memorandum of understanding to advance collaboration in AI and digital health transformation. The event featured a roundtable discussion on the digital transformation of laboratory medicine and the application of AI technology in clinical laboratories, laying a solid foundation for upcoming collaboration and offering valuable insights for the industry to drive digital and intelligent transformation through hospital-industry partnerships. Moritz Hartmann, Global Head of Roche Information Solutions, and Wu Jianhong, Member of the Party Committee and Vice President of Tongji Hospital, witnessed the milestone.
Caption: Driving Digital Transformation: Integrating Clinical Workflows to Empower Intelligent Healthcare
China’s healthcare sector is at a pivotal point in its transition from “informatization” to “intelligence”. With in vitro diagnostics evolving rapidly, clinical demand for standardized, intelligent and highly interpretable AI tools is intensifying. Overcoming fragmented medical information while improving diagnostic efficiency and patient safety has become a critical challenge for the development of high-quality healthcare.
As one of China’s premier comprehensive hospitals, Tongji Hospital has built extensive digital infrastructure and gained deep expertise in smart healthcare. The hospital has developed an integrated intelligent service system spanning the full clinical workflow, including the “Ji Doctor” (济大夫) outpatient and emergency AI agent and the “Mulan” (木兰) large model for oncology diagnostics. These initiatives have delivered tangible results in smart hospital operations and digital laboratory medicine, positioning Tongji Hospital as a regional benchmark for digital healthcare innovation.
Wu Jianhong, Member of the Party Committee and Vice President of Tongji Hospital, said: “Digital transformation is a key driver of high-quality healthcare. Tongji Hospital has long invested in digital infrastructure and built deep expertise in smart hospital development and AI applications. Our collaboration with Roche Diagnostics China will leverage our respective strengths to explore innovative digital models, optimize workflows, boost efficiency, and set industry benchmarks, contributing to the ‘Healthy China’ initiative.”
Cheng Liming, Director of the Clinical Laboratory at Tongji Hospital, outlined the department’s digital infrastructure and shared her expectation for the partnership. She noted: “The digital transformation of laboratory medicine is fundamentally about shifting laboratories from ‘data producers’ to ‘clinical value deliverers. Tongji Hospital’s laboratory department has already explored frontier applications such as AI-driven image recognition. Through this collaboration, we aim to further harness AI algorithms to unlock the underlying value of massive laboratory data, enabling test results to move beyond ‘single metrics’ toward ‘multidimensional clinical insights’, and helping establish a leading model for intelligent laboratory medicine.”
Strategic Collaboration: Launching Hospital-Enterprise Co-Creation to Drive High-Quality Healthcare Development
China’s healthcare sector is entering a critical phase of high-quality transformation. Driven by the “Healthy China 2030” and Digital China initiatives, the industry is shifting from scale-driven growth to value creation. Hospital-industry collaboration has emerged as a key pathway to address industry pain points and accelerate digital health upgrading. The strategic partnership between Tongji Hospital and Roche Diagnostics China directly addresses these core needs. By focusing on laboratory digitization and intelligent transformation, the collaboration seeks to pioneer new models for healthcare digitalization.
Roche Diagnostics has maintained a long-term presence in China, building end-to-end local capabilities and evolving from an “equipment supplier” into a “co-creator of a digital health ecosystem.” Based on hospitals’ clinical and information system needs, Roche Diagnostics China leverages its advanced technology platforms to drive smart healthcare implementation. The partnership will co-develop multidisciplinary AI knowledge bases for the clinical laboratory and translate them into practical applications. Building on this foundation, the collaboration will integrate Tongji Hospital’s existing digital systems with clinical practice models and industry consensus standards. Jeffrey Chin, Vice President of Core Lab Department, Roche Diagnostics China, said: “Roche Diagnostics is committed to aligning laboratory innovation with clinical needs. This collaboration represents a strategic effort to harness our platforms and partner with leading hospitals in co-innovation. We will fully leverage our research and technology resources to achieve the deep integration of ‘industry, academia, research, and medicine’ to drive new momentum for the sustainable development of China’s healthcare sector.”
Ye Qing, Deputy Director of Information Management Department at Tongji Hospital, said: “The deep integration of AI is energizing the next era of smart healthcare. Tongji Hospital has already established an AI capability matrix of ‘one agent, four models,’ covering the entire clinical care pathway. Through this collaboration, we look forward to leveraging the hospital’s strong digital infrastructure and computing capabilities to further advance smart healthcare toward end-to-end intelligent transformation.
Leveraging globally leading digital technologies and innovation platforms, Roche Diagnostics China has accumulated extensive experience in applying AI to laboratory medicine, enabling precise insights into the core needs of Chinese patients and strong technical and resource support for the collaboration. Louisa Shen, Vice President of Strategy, Partnering & Digital Department, Roche Diagnostics China, said: “Roche Diagnostics China is committed to using digital technologies to address real clinical challenges. We have established a comprehensive digital portfolio across five major applications. Building on these capabilities, our collaboration with Tongji Hospital will focus on strategic alignment. By integrating our digital vision with Tongji Hospital’s roadmap, we aim to pioneer a new paradigm of digital healthcare through hospital-industry synergy.”
Shaping the Future: Deepening Local Ecosystems to Support ‘Healthy China 2030’
The collaboration marks a new stage in the partnership between Roche Diagnostics China and Tongji Hospital in digital healthcare. This model of hospital-enterprise co-innovation not only accelerates the translation of advanced technologies to frontline clinical practice, but also provides a practical sample for the healthcare industry to explore digital and intelligent transformation.
Richard Yiu, General Manager of Roche Diagnostics China, expressed strong confidence in the partnership: “Roche Diagnostics China is committed to empowering the transformation of China’s healthcare industry through intelligent solutions. This strategic collaboration marks a new start in deepening our digital footprint in China. By combining global advanced experiences with local needs, we aim to help Tongji Hospital establish a digital healthcare benchmark, benefit more patients across China, and contribute to the broader vision of Healthy China 2030.”