Professor Wang Bangmao of Tianjin Medical University General Hospital: "Gastric Bypass Stent System" is worth the wait as an innovative technology

Many people think that obesity is simply a cosmetic concern and has nothing to do with illnesses. However, this statement is usually not supported in the medical field. Professor Wang Bangmao, director of the Gastroenterology Department of Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, as an expert in the treatment of obesity and gastrointestinal diseases, is very insightful in this.

With a Doctor of Medicine degree, Professor Wang is a chief physician, Level-2 Professor (Professors in China fall into 4 levels) and doctoral supervisor. He is now director of the Gastroenterology Department of Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, director of the Tianjin Institute of Digestive Diseases, director of the Tianjin Key Laboratory of Digestive Diseases, director of the Digestive Disease Quality Control Center of Tianjin Health and Family Planning Commission, chairman of the Digestive Endoscopy Society of Tianjin Medical Association, vice president of the Tianjin Physician Association, vice president of the Tian Anti-cancer Association, head of the Gastroenterology Project for the National and Tianjin Key Clinical Specialty Construction Programs, a core member of the Chinese Society of Gastroenterology, a core member of the Endoscopy Doctors Association, a core member of the Society of Digestive Diseases of Chinese Medical Association (CMA), deputy leader of the Esophagology Prevention and Treatment Group of Chinese Medical Association, a core member of the Digestive Disease Branch of ARATS, a core member of the Digestive Endoscopy Branch of CMA and head of the Gastropathy Prevention and Treatment Cooperative Group of CMA. At the same time, he is also an editorial board member of the Chinese Journal of Digestive Endoscopy, Chinese Journal of Digestion, Chinese Journal of Pancreatology, and Chinese Journal of Internal Medicine.

Professor Wang has extensive academic achievements and clinical experience in endoscopic diagnosis and treatment of obesity, digestive disorders and other diseases. Recently, professor Wang had a productive discussion with numerous experts from Grade-3 and Class-A hospitals in China on current weight loss technologies. During an exclusive interview, he also expressed his unique opinion on the innovative weight loss technology "Gastric Bypass Stent System" developed by Tongee, a research-based medical enterprise in China.

How does the technology work? How is it different from the current methods for weight loss? What are its application prospects? We may find the answers to these questions in the interview.

There are numerous methods for weight loss in China, but gaps in the field of endoscopic weight loss need to be filled.

"The rapid development of the economy has led to great changes in people's lifestyles and diets over the past 20 to 30 years in China. In the past, most people used to bike or walk to work, but now they drive. Our material life has been greatly enriched, which has also brought many problems, that is, the prevalence of obesity has increased rapidly in China and so is the proportion of people suffering from diabetes. Obesity has become a very important social concern, as well as a substantial medical problem that deserves our undivided attention."

As Professor Wang mentioned, there are too many obese individuals in China in recent years. According to the latest Report on Chinese Residents' Chronic Diseases and Nutrition (2020), the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Chinese adult residents exceeded 50%. There is a growing demand for weight loss among Chinese residents as the number of obese individuals increases.

According to Professor Wang, there are many methods for weight loss in China, such as diet control and exercise, but all of them have their own disadvantages. The two methods mentioned are generally easy to implement, but no significant weight loss outcome can be achieved. Although weight loss by medication causes little physical damage to the human body, this method has many side effects. On the other hand, bariatric surgery (e.g. conventional surgical procedures) damages the physiological structure of the human body.

"Therefore, I think we are still in lack of good weight loss products so far."

"Gastric Bypass Stent System", a highly anticipated innovative weight loss technology

As an innovative technology developed by Tongee, the "Gastric Bypass Stent System" has recently gained increasing attention in the scientific community. Clinical trials of the device have been initiated under the guidance of Professor Wang in the Gastroenterology Department of Tianjin Medical University General Hospital and have attracted wide attention in the medical field.

Professor Wang told the interviewer that the "Gastric Bypass Stent System" is a weight loss technology that utilizes gastroscopic implantation. "It can be implanted in the duodenum and upper jejunum through a gastroscope. Then, 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. After the implantation of the device, the patient can enjoy food with reduced food absorption. Meanwhile, food-induced pancreatic stimulation and secretion is significantly reduced. Therefore, it can be used to treat obesity and type 2 diabetes without affecting the life and work of the patient. I really hope that such product can be marketed early to bring benefits to China’s vast number of patients with obesity," Professor Wang said.;

It should be noted that in addition to the good treatment efficacy this device is expected to have in obesity, Professor Wang is also optimistic about the application of this technology in metabolic diseases such as diabetes and fatty liver disease. "It is known that obesity and diabetes are often related. Especially type 2 diabetes mellitus is closely related to obesity, hypertension, and aging. Therefore, diabetes often occurs alongside obesity. At present, there is no particularly good solution for diabetes in China. Diabetes is usually controlled through diet and drugs, but there are still many problems to be solved. As far as we know, after the Gastric Bypass Stent is implanted in the duodenum and upper jejunum, the chyme from the stomach passes through the chamber of the sleeve without contacting the mucosa of the duodenum and upper jejunum, thereby preventing some endocrine and metabolic processes to occur in the pancreas. This process involves some complex regulatory mechanisms, which are hard to understand, so I will not talk about them. However, there is no doubt that this type of technology will have a very good therapeutic efficacy on diabetes, especially type 2 diabetes, according to the existing international information I have obtained."

Based on the results of the clinical trial led by Professor Wang, significant weight loss can be achieved three months after the subjects are implanted with the "Gastric Bypass Stent System" developed by Tongee, along with improved blood glucose parameters. These findings are consistent with professor Wang’s expectation on the application of the technology in the treatment of metabolic diseases. Professor Wang said that this technology is less invasive, easier to operate, does not damage the human body structure, and can be explanted and implanted for several times, and that it is expected to fill the gap in the field of endoscopic treatment of obesity and metabolic diseases and become a new supplementary therapy worthy of our attention and wait.

At the end of the interview, when the interviewer asked "after it is marketed, are you willing to actively promote the new technology?", Professor Wang told the interviewer that "we all have the responsibility and obligation to promote new and advanced techniques to patients. In my opinion, regardless of whether we are experts or inexperienced physicians, each of us has the responsibility to keep up with new technologies, take better care of patients, and put patients' interests first. We should realistically recommend the latest, most effective, and safest clinical technologies and drugs, examinations, and treatments to patients, and truthfully introduce products that are truly helpful to patients. In my opinion, the best way to judge whether a technology is good or bad is to subject it to clinical trials, and those that can bring welfare and benefits to patients are good and worthy of promotion. The 'Gastric Bypass Stent System' is currently undergoing clinical trials in China. After it is officially marketed, I am willing to recommend it to patients."

Long-term researches and clinical trials are essential to the invention of an advanced technology. The "Gastric Bypass Stent System" developed by Tongee has entered the Special Approval Procedure on China's Innovative Medical Devices after reviewed by the Center for Medical Device Evaluation of NMPA in August 2020. At present, the "Gastric Bypass Stent System" has obtained more than 20 domestic and international patents and the clinical trials of which have been initiated in several Grade-3 and Class-A hospitals in China. If the technology can be marketed and applied clinically in the future, it will bring hope to billions of obese and metabolic patients in China and usher in a new era of endoscopic interventional treatments for metabolic diseases. We are looking forward to that day!