On November 15, 2022, Toumai^® Single-arm Laparoscopic Surgical Robot, co-developed by Zhongtao Zhang, President of Beijing Friendship Hospital, Capital Medical University ("Beijing Friendship Hospital") and Shanghai MicroPort MedBot (Group) Co., Ltd. ("MicroPort^® MedBot^®"), successfully completed the first laparoscopic renal cyst fenestration assisted with the single-arm surgical robot. The team led by Director Gangyue Hao of the Department of Urology performed the surgery. This is another significant breakthrough made by Beijing Friendship Hospital in the field of Urology after President Zhongtao Zhang and Director Wei Guo have successfully performed a dozen of surgeries assisted with Toumai^® Single-arm Laparoscopic Surgical Robot in the Department of General Surgery. The successful completion of this surgery has further verified the technology stability and safety of Toumai^® Single-arm Laparoscopic Surgical Robot and laid a solid clinical foundation for its routine application in urological surgeries.

The patient was a male aged 61 and was admitted for treatment of right renal cyst. Together completed by Director Gangyue Hao and Doctor Xi Zhu of the Urinary Center, and the OR team, the surgery went smoothly with almost no bleeding. On the one hand, Toumai^® Single-arm Laparoscopic Surgical Robot has the advantages of 3D high-resolution vision and flexible wrist featured by the multi-arm surgical robot. On the other hand, it further reduces the quantity and length of incision, and increases the convenience of sample access. Therefore the patient is able to recover faster with a smaller injury.

This clinical trial project of Toumai^® Single-arm Laparoscopic Surgical Robot has received strong support from hospital leaders and clinical directors at all levels of Beijing Friendship Hospital. Regardless of his busy schedule, President Zhongtao Zhang, the primary researcher of this subject, has participated in multiple clinical trainings for Toumai^® Single-arm Laparoscopic Surgical Robot with the team, and completed a dozen of animal experiments and practices, laying a solid foundation for its application in the surgery.

Shanghai MicroPort MedBot (Group) Co., Ltd. is one of the first companies that entered the field of laparoscopic surgical robots. As the first and only domestic four-armed laparoscopic robot approved for marketing by NMPA,Toumai^® has accomplished several first breakthroughs in complex surgical procedures in China, and has completed a total of nearly 400 robot-assisted clinical validation surgeries in urology, general surgery, gynecology and thoracic surgery in 13 provinces and 22 hospitals across China so far. The successful performance of this clinical trial may accelerate the substitution of foreign laparoscopic surgical robots, and provide more comprehensive and optimal treatment protocols for surgeons and patients.

President Zhongtao Zhang of Beijing Friendship Hospital has worked on the research of single-arm laparoscopic surgical robot for many years, and also presides over the National Key Research and Development Program subject of "Development and clinical application of single-port laparoscopic surgical robot system" of the "13^th Five-year Plan". President Zhang upholds the combination of research and clinical application, and is dedicated to promoting the sustainable development and breakthrough of domestic single-arm surgical robot technology in the wish of catching up with the international level. Since the completion of the first cholecystectomy with Toumai^® Laparoscopic Single-arm Surgical Robot on December 17, 2021, the team led by President Zhongtao Zhang and Director Wei Guo of the Department of General Surgery has completed a dozen of liver and gallbladder surgeries assisted with Toumai^® Single-arm Laparoscopic Surgical Robot in 2022, which has demonstrated the safety and effectiveness of the robot. The completion of the first urological surgery assisted with Toumai^® Single-arm Laparoscopic Surgical Robot by the team led by Director Gangyue Hao has further promoted the progress of this subject.

Mr. Yu Liu, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of the MicroPort^® MedBot^®, said, "The success of this surgery is not possible without the guidance of President Zhongtao Zhang, and the efforts of the urology surgery team led by Director Gangyue Hao. I would like to extend my appreciation for all of the resources and support provided by Beijing Friendship Hospital for this surgery. This is not only a clinical progress of historic significance for Toumai^® Single-arm Laparoscopic Surgical Robot, but also an advancement of the clinical application of domestic single-arm surgical robots in China. As another successful practice of the principle "Substitution of high-end imported medical devices with Chinese-developed products", it will further promote the realization of the original intention of "Make Surgery Easier, Safer and Less Invasive".