A rehabilitation device is seen at the Lanting campus of Shaoxing Second Hospital. [Photo/Tide News]

Ouyang Hongwei, a member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and director of Liangzhu Laboratory, has been focusing on ways to speed up the real-world application of medical innovations.

Ouyang is currently preparing to apply for international standards for medical silk-based materials, one of the major regenerative medicine projects advanced by Liangzhu Laboratory last year.

He said silk is natural, safe, and highly compatible with human tissue, and could help replace some existing synthetic medical materials, potentially enabling China to lead the next generation of bioactive medical devices.

This year, Ouyang has been paying close attention to expanding application scenarios in the healthcare sector and promoting faster adoption of innovative medical products.

Drawing on domestic and international experience, he added that the value of a new technology can only be fully realized once it enters the market and becomes widely accessible.

He cited penicillin as an example, noting that when it was first introduced, it was more expensive than gold, but eventually became a commonly used clinical medicine.

Ouyang said that once innovative technologies move through this cycle, healthcare services can become more accessible and beneficial to the public.