New Progress in Precision "Quality" Therapy! HeYou Proton and Heavy Ion Center Successfully Topped Out

On the morning of May 27, the topping-out ceremony for the HeYou Proton and Heavy Ion Center project was held, marking a breakthrough in the construction phase of the project!

Deng Canrong, Second-Level Inspector of the Foshan Municipal People's Government Office; Lian Lingdong, Secretary of the Party Leadership Group of the Foshan Municipal Health Bureau; Gao Huadong, Member of the Standing Committee of the Shunde District Committee and Director of the Organization Department; Wang Dehua, Deputy Secretary of the Beijiao Town Party Committee and Town Mayor; He Wenli, Director of the Shunde District Health Bureau; Zhao Jun, Executive President of Midea Holdings; Li Li, Director of the HeYou Management Committee; Liu Xiaofang, Deputy Director of the Management Committee and President of the Hospital, along with other leaders of the Management Committee; She Zhibin, Deputy General Manager of China Construction Eighth Engineering Division Corp., Ltd. Shanghai Company; Fu Hailong, Party Branch Secretary and General Manager of the South China Branch of China Construction Eighth Engineering Division Corp., Ltd. Shanghai Company, as well as key project leaders and representatives from various participating units, attended the event.

The project is expected to be completed and commence clinical trials in 2026. Upon completion, HeYou is anticipated to become a medical institution possessing both proton and heavy ion radiotherapy technologies, which will significantly enhance the precision of cancer treatment in the South China region.

The HeYou Hospital project (hereinafter referred to as “HeYou”) originates from the philanthropic aspiration of Midea founder He Xiangjian to “benefit the hometown and give back to society.” Located in Beijiao Town, Shunde District, Foshan City, Guangdong Province, at the core of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area's Foshan Sanlong Bay High-end Innovation Cluster, it is a key construction project of Guangdong Province. The Proton and Heavy Ion Center is a vital component of HeYou. The project has a total construction area of 16,829.03 square meters, a building height of 17.2 meters, three floors above ground and one floor underground, primarily housing proton and heavy ion treatment rooms, office spaces, and supporting equipment rooms.

The total budget for the HeYou Proton and Heavy Ion Center project exceeds RMB 2 billion. It will be equipped with an integrated proton and heavy ion system, capable of delivering both heavy ion beams, primarily carbon ions, and proton beams. The facility will simultaneously construct one proton treatment room equipped with a 360° rotating gantry and two heavy ion treatment rooms equipped with three different beam angles, with one treatment room reserved for future technological upgrades.

Gao Huadong, Member of the Standing Committee of the Shunde District Committee and Director of the Organization Department, delivering a speech

In his speech, Gao Huadong, Member of the Standing Committee of the Shunde District Committee and Director of the Organization Department, stated that as a key provincial construction project, the HeYou Hospital project has attracted widespread attention from all sectors of society. Relevant leaders from the city and district have conducted multiple on-site inspections and guidance, and the People's Congress and Political Consultative Conference have conducted field research. From project initiation to topping out, it embodies the immense effort and dedication of leaders and staff at all levels. The successful topping out of the main structure of the Proton and Heavy Ion Center marks a new milestone in the project's progress. As the first medical project in the Foshan region to simultaneously possess proton and heavy ion tumor radiotherapy technologies, HeYou Hospital will play a leading and driving role in the development of regional medical and health services in the future. It will positively promote the improvement of urban supporting functions in Shunde District and the creation of a medical and health highland. Moving forward, it is hoped that the HeYou Hospital project will take the topping out of the Proton and Heavy Ion Center's main structure as a new starting point, focus on strengthening project management, improve construction quality, pay attention to every detail, and ensure the project advances with high standards and high efficiency, benefiting the people at an early date.

Constructed by China Construction Eighth Engineering Division Corp., Ltd., the HeYou Proton and Heavy Ion Center officially commenced construction on May 10, 2022, fully emerged from the ground level on April 7 this year, and completed the structural topping out of the PT area on May 18. The project demands extremely high installation precision, embedding precision, and equipment radiation protection, presenting immense construction difficulty. Throughout the construction process, multiple technological innovations were employed to solve construction challenges—achieving zero cracking in thick and large walls and slabs; achieving “super-flat” floors with an overall floor level deviation of less than 10 mm; and achieving “precise” embedding of embedded parts and pipelines, with the verticality of 2000×800mm steel plates being less than 1 mm.

Cui Can, Chief Engineer of the HeYou project from the project's general construction contractor, China Construction Eighth Engineering Division Corp., Ltd. Shanghai Company, introduced that the equipment area of the project uses large-volume shielding concrete and heavy concrete. The maximum thickness of the shielding walls is 4.7 meters, and the thickest floor slab reaches 4.2 meters. Ordinary building construction roof slabs are only about 10 cm thick, but the wall and floor slab thickness of this project is higher than a standard floor, illustrating the immense construction difficulty. Before construction, a combination of new technologies such as visual models, robots, and VR was used to overcome various challenges encountered during construction, ensuring high-quality construction.

She Zhibin, Deputy General Manager of China Construction Eighth Engineering Division Corp., Ltd. Shanghai Company, delivering a speech

She Zhibin, Deputy General Manager of China Construction Eighth Engineering Division Corp., Ltd. Shanghai Company, stated that the topping out of the main structure marks a new phase in the project's construction. The project team will redouble their efforts, strictly control project quality and progress, and build the project to high standards, laying a solid foundation for the early operation of the Proton and Heavy Ion Center. The company will also complete various construction tasks with high quality by strengthening top-level guidance, promoting management improvement, consolidating quality requirements, and ensuring stable operation, making the HeYou Proton and Heavy Ion Center project a benchmark project and a high-quality engineering feat, contributing to the medical cause of Guangdong Province!

Proton and heavy ion therapy is currently regarded as the world's most advanced tumor radiotherapy technology. Compared to conventional radiotherapy methods, proton and heavy ion radiotherapy is known as a “cancer-fighting weapon” due to its advantages such as mild toxic side effects, a wide range of indications, and high tumor control rates. While performing “targeted blasting” of tumors, proton and heavy ion therapy can significantly reduce unnecessary irradiation to normal tissues and organs surrounding the tumor, minimizing damage to healthy tissues, thereby improving treatment outcomes and reducing toxic side effects. The precision of proton and heavy ion therapy reaches the sub-millimeter level, with errors controllable within 1 mm, allowing for precise targeting and elimination of cancer cells.

“The HeYou Proton and Heavy Ion Center has introduced Hitachi equipment, configured with a proton rotating gantry and multi-angle heavy ion therapy equipment. In terms of radiation type and treatment beam angle, it will be one of the most comprehensive technical configurations globally, both currently and for a considerable period after its completion.” said Lu Jiade, Vice President of HeYou Hospital and Director of the Comprehensive Cancer Center and Proton and Heavy Ion Center.

Lu Jiade, Vice President of HeYou Hospital, delivering a speech

Having first-class hardware equipment is only the first step; talent is another key element. “Equipment is the foundation, but more important is the team of experts who can skillfully use the equipment to benefit patients.” Lu Jiade is the Chief Scientist of the Ministry of Science and Technology's Key R&D Program, former Executive Vice President of Shanghai Proton and Heavy Ion Hospital, and a Professor of Clinical Oncology at Fudan University, with many years of experience in tumor radiotherapy and management operations.

Since April last year, HeYou has launched a global overseas talent recruitment initiative, focusing on recruiting international hospital talent. Currently, the leaders of the medical expert team, physics expert team, and therapist team for the HeYou Proton and Heavy Ion Center have been progressively confirmed and are in place, with recruitment for key team members ongoing. In the future, the medical team will develop personalized treatment plans for each patient admitted for proton and heavy ion therapy.

Rendering of the HeYou Proton and Heavy Ion Center

Upon completion, the HeYou Proton and Heavy Ion project will drive the rapid development of tumor treatment technology in the Greater Bay Area and even the South China region, further enhancing Guangdong's clinical research and scientific research capabilities in tumor radiotherapy, and driving the overall improvement of medical standards and the development of related industries in the Greater Bay Area.