In an effort to develop Taiwan's high-value and digital medical device industry through the application of digital technologies and bioengineering, thereby advancing the technology upgrade and transformation of the medical device industry, the Industrial Development Administration (IDA), Ministry of Economic Affairs, commissioned the Metal Industries Research & Development Centre (MIRDC) to hold a conference presenting the results of 2024 Digital Medical Device Development Plan at Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center on December 6, 2024. MIRDC’s implementation of IDA’s Digital Medical Device Development Plan leverages advantages of industry, government, academia, research, and medicine in resource integration, technology upgrade, regulatory reinforcement, talent cultivation, and global promotion to assist in the product upgrade of 10 manufacturers, thereby successfully advancing the domestic medical device industry and accelerating the development of smart healthcare in Taiwan.
This conference gathered 10 examples of successful manufacturers, including Merry Electronics/aiFree Interactive Technology Co., Ltd., Marketech International Corp./Biomedica Corporation Co., Ltd., Diamond Biotechnology, Insigiht Genomics Inc., TaiHao Medical Inc., SyncVision Technology, Hung Chun Bio-s Co., Ltd., and Singular Wings Medical. The companies exhibited various smart medical devices and achievements such as wearable rhythmic auditory/vibration stimulation devices for muscle strength and gait rehabilitation systems for stroke patients, development of BRCA nucleic acid detection reagents and analysis systems, development plan for long-acting poly-D, L-lactic acid (PDLLA) skin implants, intelligent prediction of breast cancer risk based on BRCA gene sequencing, development of computed-tomography cardiac coronary artery calcification grading and auxiliary diagnostic systems, development plan of a precision digital heart and lung stethoscope for mobile medicine, development and application plan of highly flexible spinal plates, and development plan of an electrocardiogram analysis platform. The exhibited technologies enhance product competitiveness as well as strengthen the domestic medical device market’s ability to enter markets and expand market share.
Yung-Hsiang Lai, President of MIRDC, stated that the conference featured the sharing of knowledge related to the development of high-value and digital medical devices within the clinical sector, the establishment of which often requires cooperation between medical institutes, academia, industry, and other parties. This cooperation not only promotes the exchange of knowledge but also enables the integration of resources from all parties to jointly promote the advancement of digital medical technology. In the future, MIRDC will further deepen its cooperation with both government and industry, expand additional application scenarios for smart medical care and digital medical devices, and strive to elevate the overall standard of domestic medical services.