Our Leadership

"Dear colleagues and parents:

 

I am Dr. Sun Yuan, Director of Beijing Jingdu Children's Hospital and Head of the Hematology-Oncology Department. Over the past decade, our hospital has pioneered innovations in hematologic diseases, establishing one of China’s leading centers for childhood blood disorders.

 

Under the guidance of Professor Wu Minyuan and myself, our department has built a comprehensive treatment system featuring:

 

- 4 specialized wards** (leukemia, solid tumors, transplantation, and VIP care)

 

- 2 transplant units with 19 ISO Class 5 cleanrooms

 

- 200 beds  and dedicated laboratories/PICC clinics

 

Our clinical milestones speak to transformative progress:

 

Leukemia cure rates surged from  60% to  80% (reaching 90% for specific subtypes)

 

800+ annual transplants** (matched sibling, unrelated cord blood, haploidentical)

 

Breakthroughs in rescuing high-risk cases like hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH)

 

Beyond medical excellence, we champion **whole-cycle care** – integrating psychological support, social assistance (charity funds/volunteers), and rehabilitation to help children reintegrate into society.

 

Yet challenges persist: early diagnosis remains difficult, and financial burdens strain families. Moving forward, we will:

 

1. Deepen research collaborations to accelerate novel therapies

 

2. Strengthen early screening programs

 

3. Optimize all-inclusive care  from treatment to recovery for ages 0-18

 

In this shared battle for our children’s future, let us light their path with hope. Thank you."

 

Diagnostic and Disease

Malignant hematology conference: Childhood acute and chronic leukemia, lymphoma, myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).

 

Anemia: Nutritional anemia, hemolytic anemia (autoimmune hemolytic anemia, hereditary metabolic hemolytic anemia).

 

Coagulation Disorders: Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP), hemophilia, Henoch-Schönlein purpura.

 

Bone Marrow Failure Diseases: Aplastic anemia (congenital, acquired), congenital neutropenia.

 

EB Virus-Related Diseases: Infectious mononucleosis (IM), chronic active EBV infection (CAEBV), EBV-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (EBV-HLH).

 

Inherited Metabolic hematological agents: Thalassemia, congenital dyserythropoietic anemia (CDA).

 

Other Diseases: Langerhans cell histiocytosis (LCH), subacute necrotizing lymphadenitis, Kawasaki disease, etc.

 

Why Jingdu Children’s?

Department Positioning: A nationally renowned pediatric hematologic emergencies and treatment unit.

 

Core Technologies:

 

Diagnosis and treatment of refractory/relapsed leukemia and infant leukemia:

 

Refractory/relapsed leukemia re-induction remission rate >95% (domestically leading).

 

Long-term survival rate for infant leukemia ≈70% (comparable to international advanced levels).

 

Development of the "Jingdu Characteristic Treatment Protocol," including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, CAR-T therapy, and molecular targeted therapy.

 

Application of bispecific antibody blinatumomab in pediatric B-ALL ranks among the top in China.

 

Founded in 2015, primary care children's hospital is one of China's largest non-public tertiary pediatric specialized hospitals and the only private tertiary children's hospital in Beijing.

 

Our Leadership

The Hemangioma Interventional Therapy Department of Jingdu Children's Hospital is a key specialty developed by the hospital, dedicated to providing professional, precise and efficient diagnosis and treatment services for children with various abdominal hemangioma and vascular malformations.

 

Led by Director Shen Gang, a leading figure in the field, the department boasts an expert team with profound professional knowledge and rich clinical experience. Director Shen, the founder of China's first hemangioma and interventional vascular center, holds important positions such as Chairman of the Pediatric Interventional Committee of the National Health Commission's Capacity Building and Continuing Education Center. With nearly 30 years of experience, he has performed or participated in over 50,000 interventional surgeries and receives more than 6,000 outpatient visits annually. The team excels in the diagnosis and minimally invasive treatment of aggressive spinal hemangioma, arteriovenous malformations, lymphatic malformations and venous malformations, and has extensive experience in comprehensive treatment of superficial masses and minimally invasive interventional combined with surgical repair of complex vascular malformations.

 

Equipped with cutting-edge medical equipment such as large C-arm DSA machines that provide clear and precise vascular imaging for interventional procedures, the department adopts diverse advanced treatment methods. For atypical hemangioma in liver, it uses a combination of interventional therapy, local sclerotherapy, oral medication and laser therapy. For vascular malformations like venous and arteriovenous malformations, it applies interventional therapy combined with surgical repair. It also specializes in laser treatment for capillary malformations, minimally invasive treatment for pyogenic granulomas, and comprehensive treatment for neurofibromatosis. With remarkable achievements in treating various pediatric atypical hemangioma radiology and vascular malformations, the department has helped numerous children recover their health, earning wide acclaim.

 

In the field of pediatric hematology, haploidentical stem cell transplant transplantation (haplo-HSCT)—where parents or relatives with only 50% HLA compatibility serve as donors—has emerged as a "lifeline" for children lacking fully matched donors. Professor Sun Yuan, Director of the Hematology and Oncology Center at Beijing Jingdu Children’s Hospital, has pioneered this technology in China, elevating its safety and efficacy to international standards while establishing groundbreaking "Chinese protocols" that have reignited hope for countless families.

 

I. Technological Innovations: From High Risk to High Survival Rates

 

1. Optimized Conditioning Regimens: Reducing Toxicity, Enhancing Safety

Traditional haplo-HSCT required high-intensity chemotherapy to eliminate the recipient’s immune system, often leading to severe infections, organ damage, or even death. Professor Sun’s team developed a stratified conditioning strategy tailored to pediatric physiology:

 

Low-risk patients: A fludarabine + cyclophosphamide backbone combined with low-dose total body irradiation (2–4 Gy) to eradicate malignant cells while protecting vital organs.

 

High-risk/relapsed patients: Introduction of cladribine to enhance anti-leukemic effects, alongside umbilical cord blood-derived mesenchymal stem cells to mitigate graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) risks.

 

This approach reduced transplantation-related mortality from 30% to below 8%, aligning with outcomes from leading global centers.

 

2. T-Cell Modulation: Balancing Anti-Tumor Immunity and Tolerance

Professor Sun recognized GVHD prevention as critical to success. Her team pioneered TCRαβ+/CD45RA+ cell depletion technology, selectively removing GVHD-triggering T-cell subsets while preserving anti-tumor and anti-infection immunity:

 

Acute GVHD incidence dropped from 40–60% to 15%.

 

Chronic GVHD rates fell to 7%, far below the 20% reported in international studies.

 

Immune recovery accelerated, with T-cell counts reaching safe levels by postoperative day 50.

II. Therapeutic Breakthroughs: From Survival to Functional Cure

1. Malignant Blood Disorders: Hope for Refractory Cases

For children with chemotherapy-resistant acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Professor Sun’s team combined haplo-HSCT with sequential CAR-T therapy:

 

Donor stem cell infusion post-conditioning harnessed graft-versus-leukemia (GVL) effects to eliminate residual disease.

 

CD19 CAR-T cells administered three months post-transplant consolidated efficacy.

 

This strategy achieved a 58% 5-year disease-free survival rate, a 20% improvement over transplantation alone .

 

2. Non-Malignant Diseases: Curing Genetic Defects

In hereditary immune disorders like XIAP-associated hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH), Professor Sun’s insights include:

 

Donor selection: Maternal donors yielded higher survival rates (82% vs. 65% for paternal donors), likely due to maternal microchimerism-induced immune tolerance.

 

Cord blood augmentation: Co-infusion of autologous cord blood elevated 5-year survival rates from 40% to 75% in XIAP-deficient patients .

 

III. Professor Sun Yuan’s Legacy: Reshaping Global Pediatric Transplantation

1. Standardizing Protocols: From Case Studies to National Guidelines

Professor Sun spearheaded critical national guidelines:

 

The Clinical Guidelines for Pediatric Cord Blood Transplantation specify a minimum cord blood cell dose of 3.0×10⁷/kg for haplo-HSCT, with cyclosporine + short-course methotrexate as first-line GVHD prophylaxis.

 

Dynamic chimerism monitoring: Weekly assessment of donor-recipient cell ratios post-transplant reduced rejection risks by 60% through timely immunosuppressant adjustments.

 

2. Milestones in Cord Blood Utilization

As China’s pioneer in autologous cord blood transplantation, Professor Sun achieved historic milestones:

 

First autologous cord blood transplant for severe aplastic anemia (2009): The patient exhibited normal hematopoietic function at 10-year follow-up.

 

Neuroblastoma paradigm shift (2016): Autologous cord blood combined with chemotherapy improved 3-year survival in advanced cases from 20% to 65%.

 

Family cord blood banking validation: Sibling haplo-HSCT using cord blood reduced GVHD incidence to 18% and costs by 40%.

 

3. Systemic Innovations: Democratizing Access

Professor Sun established a three-tiered treatment network across China:

 

High-risk screening: Neonatal genetic testing identifies potential transplant candidates.

 

Rapid referral: A 72-hour green channel connects regional hospitals to transplant centers.

 

Postoperative telemedicine: Remote monitoring of 12,000+ patients reduced complication detection time to 48 hours.

 

IV. Future Horizons: Precision Medicine and Beyond

Professor Sun’s team is advancing three frontiers:

 

1. AI-driven donor selection: An HLA epitope-matching algorithm to reduce GVHD risk by 30%.

 

2. Gene-edited transplants: CRISPR-mediated knockout of GVHD-associated genes (e.g., CD40L) in donor cells while preserving anti-tumor function.

 

3. Metabolomics-guided care: Plasma metabolite analysis (e.g., kynurenine/tryptophan ratio) predicts infection risks and personalizes immunosuppression.

 

Conclusion: Compassion as the Core of Innovation

Over two decades, Professor Sun Yuan has transformed haplo-HSCT in China: her protocols elevated 5-year survival rates from <30% to 68% while cutting costs to one-third of Western expenses. Her 11 autologous cord blood cases achieved 100% long-term survival, cementing cord blood’s role as a "life-saving seed." As she declared at the International Cord Blood Congress: "Our goal is not just survival—it is enabling children to run, learn, and live fully." This ethos embodies the fusion of scientific rigor and humanitarian care.

 

(Note: All data cited are derived from publicly available medical literature and institutional reports. Treatment plans must be tailored to individual clinical evaluations.)

 

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1 The Arduous Crossing of the Gate Between Life and Death

In May 2025, in the cardiac surgery operating room of the First Hospital of Jilin University, under the shadowless lamp, 3-year-old girl Ningning lay quietly on the operating table. She was diagnosed with complex congenital heart disease - Tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) at birth. Her young life had been threatened by numerous hypoxic episodes: she needed to squat down to rest after walking a few meters, and her lips turned purple when she cried, as if being choked by an invisible hand. At this moment, the cardiac surgery team was performing a radical operation on her. The operation took only 3.5 hours. Three hours after the operation, Ningning regained consciousness and was weaned off the ventilator. On the third day after the operation, she was discharged home with a smile of recovery.

 

Ningning's story is not an isolated case but a microcosm of a century of medical progress. Going back to 1944, when Dr. Blalock from Johns Hopkins Hospital in the United States performed the first subclavian artery-pulmonary artery shunt for a TOF child, the simple surgical conditions were alarming - without special instruments, he used tweezers bought from a jewelry store to complete the vascular anastomosis. The moment when 11-month-old baby girl Eileen Saxon's lip color changed from cyanosis to red after the operation marked the beginning of a new era in the surgical treatment of congenital heart disease.

 

As the most common cyanotic congenital heart disease, Tetralogy of Fallot accounts for about 10% of all congenital heart diseases, with approximately 70,000 newborns worldwide suffering from it each year. In developing countries, limited by medical resources, many children still face the predicament of delayed diagnosis and insufficient treatment. Today, with the advancement of surgical techniques and perioperative management, the mortality rate of TOF radical surgery has dropped from over 30% in the early days to about 1%, and the 20-year survival rate of patients is as high as 87%. This path from despair to hope is paved with the crystallization of medical wisdom and illuminates the way forward.

 

2 Understanding This "Special Heart"

Tetralogy of Fallot is not a simple single defect but a set of complex cardiac malformations systematically described by French doctor Étienne Fallot in 1888, including four key features:

 

• Right ventricular outflow tract obstruction: Stenosis of the pulmonary valve or subvalvular muscle tissue, like a "malfunctioning valve"

 

• Ventricular septal defect: An abnormal channel between the left and right ventricles

 

• Overriding aorta: The aorta "straddles" both the left and right ventricles

 

• Right ventricular hypertrophy: Abnormal thickening of the right heart muscle

 

This special structure causes a large amount of hypoxic venous blood to mix into the systemic circulation, leading to characteristic manifestations in children: cyanosis of the skin and mucous membranes, shortness of breath after activity, stunted growth and development, and the typical "squatting phenomenon" - improving hypoxia by increasing venous return through squatting. Without timely treatment, 25% to 35% of children with severe TOF die within 1 year, 50% die within 3 years, and 90% die before the age of 10. The main causes of death include chronic hypoxia-induced heart failure, brain abscess, or infective endocarditis.

 

Knowledge Extension: Why are TOF children prone to brain abscess?

 

Long-term hypoxia increases blood viscosity, making it easy for bacteria to colonize in microthrombi; at the same time, venous blood enters the systemic circulation directly without being filtered by the lungs, allowing bacteria to reach the brain directly. In the case of a TOF child with a brain abscess reported by Sichuan 363 Hospital in 2025, the child's life was successfully saved through multidisciplinary collaboration (cardiac surgery + neurosurgery + anesthesiology) to complete a high-difficulty minimally invasive puncture.

 

3 The Evolutionary History of Surgery from Despair to Hope

 

3.1 The Era of Palliative Surgery (1944-1954)

The Blalock-Taussig shunt, as the initial life-saving surgery, establishes a "bypass channel" between the subclavian artery and the pulmonary artery to increase pulmonary blood flow and improve hypoxia. Although it is only a transitional treatment, it buys valuable time for radical surgery. Later, surgeries such as the Glenn procedure (superior vena cava-right pulmonary artery anastomosis) and the Waterston procedure (ascending aorta-right pulmonary artery anastomosis) jointly formed the early palliative treatment system for TOF.

 

3.2 The Dawn of Radical Surgery (1955-1980)

In 1954, Dr. C. Walton Lillehei from the University of Minnesota performed the world's first radical TOF surgery using the "cross-circulation" technique - connecting the child to his father through a tube, with the father providing cardiopulmonary bypass support. Although this pioneering surgery could not be popularized due to ethical controversies, it laid the foundation for modern cardiopulmonary bypass technology. In the 1970s, with the maturity of deep hypothermia and circulatory arrest technology, radical surgery gradually developed towards younger ages, making surgery in infancy possible.

 

3.3 The Valve Protection Revolution (21st Century to Present)

In traditional radical surgery, to relieve right ventricular outflow tract obstruction, it is often necessary to incise the annulus and implant a large patch (transannular patch), leading to severe pulmonary valve regurgitation - the right ventricle bears long-term volume overload, eventually causing progressive ventricular dilation, arrhythmia, and even sudden death. Faced with this dilemma, the team led by Chinese scholar Professor Wu Zhongshi proposed the "pulmonary valve protection strategy":

 

• Dredge the outflow tract through the right atrium-tricuspid valve orifice

 

• Sharply resect muscle tissue instead of blindly incising

 

• Choose individualized plans according to annulus development:

 

◦ Simple commissurotomy (annulus diameter ≥ 60% of expected)

 

◦ Balloon annuloplasty (new technology in 2014)

 

◦ Limited single-flap widening (annulus Z-value ≤ -4)

 

 

 

This strategy enabled 74% of patients to avoid transannular patches, reducing the perioperative mortality rate to 1.1% and significantly lowering the risk of long-term pulmonary regurgitation. At the same time, "valve-sparing repair (PV-SR) technology" has emerged internationally. A 2019-2023 analysis of 115 humanitarian aid children at Geneva University Hospital found that when the pulmonary valve annulus diameter ≥ 0.855 cm and Z-value ≥ -2.65, the success rate of PV-SR is significantly improved.

 

4 Individualized Treatment: The Art of Balance

 

4.1 The "Crossroads" of Surgical Decision-Making

The current TOF treatment has formed a multi-dimensional decision-making system:

 

• Conservative treatment

 

◦ First aid for hypoxic episodes: chest-knee position → oxygen inhalation → propranolol/morphine → sodium bicarbonate to correct acidosis

 

◦ Preparation for elective surgery: maintain hydration, prevent infection, correct anemia

 

• Staged surgery vs. one-stage radical surgery

 

◦ Staged strategy: critically ill infants first undergo palliative shunt (such as modified Blalock procedure), followed by radical surgery 3-5 years later

 

◦ Trend of one-stage radical surgery: with technological progress, more centers tend to perform early radical surgery (optimal age 6-12 months)

 

• Philosophy of valve management

 

◦ Radical approach: completely resect obstructive tissue to ensure patency, accepting pulmonary regurgitation

 

◦ Conservative approach: carefully dissect to preserve valve function, tolerating mild residual obstruction

 

International differences: Europe and the United States emphasize early radical surgery, Japan tends to delay surgery; China innovatively combines balloon dilation with conservative incision to explore a "third path"

 

4.2 The Specter of Postoperative Complications

Even if the surgery is successful, some patients still face long-term challenges:

 

• Pulmonary valve regurgitation: with an incidence rate of up to 42%, it is the primary reason for reintervention

 

• Right ventricular outflow tract aneurysm: related to excessive resection of muscle bundles

 

• Left pulmonary artery stenosis: postoperative restenosis is like an "invisible killer", and traditional open-chest repair is highly traumatic

 

• Prosthetic valve endocarditis (PVE): A 2025 report from Iran described a fatal case of sudden PVE 10 years after TOF surgery. Routine blood culture was negative, and finally, 16S rRNA sequencing detected Streptococcus mitis (S. mitis), highlighting the value of molecular diagnosis in PVE

 

Faced with these challenges, minimally invasive technology brings hope. In early 2025, the team led by Fan Yue from Guangxi Ruikang Hospital successfully implanted a stent for a patient with left pulmonary artery stenosis after TOF surgery using intracardiac echocardiography (ICE) guidance:

 

1. Precise positioning: a microprobe reaches the right atrium to lock the stenotic segment

 

2. Real-time monitoring: monitor the entire process of balloon dilation and stent deployment

 

3. Immediate evaluation: confirm that the stent is well apposed and blood flow is accelerated

 

The application of the domestic Tingsheng Technology Sonic Eyes 10 catheter has achieved "zero radiation, low trauma" precise treatment, representing the rise of "Made in China" in the field of congenital heart disease.

 

5 The Light of Innovation: Five Cutting-Edge Breakthroughs

 

5.1 The Code of Valve Durability

A multicenter study published in July 2025 in Interdisciplinary CardioVascular and Thoracic Surgery revealed the long-term performance of artificial pulmonary valves:

 

• Bioprosthetic valves (BPV) have a median durability of 18.6 years

 

• Percutaneous valves (such as SAPIEN) have an average durability of only 9.4 years, with a reintervention risk 3.27 times that of bioprosthetic valves

 

• Unexpected finding: Edwards' new anti-calcification valve Inspiris Resilia performs poorly in the pulmonary position, with a significantly increased early degeneration rate within 7 years (HR=10.13)

 

The study also pointed out three major risk factors:

 

Age < 14 years (HR=5.37)

 

Valve size < 23 mm (HR=2.10)

 

Male patients (risk 1.98 times that of females)

 

This result provides high-level evidence for the selection of surgical timing for adolescent patients and also sounds an alarm for valve manufacturers - not all designs suitable for the aortic position are suitable for the low-pressure pulmonary artery system.

 

5.2 Molecular Diagnostics Rewrite Infection Outcomes

The mortality rate of Tetralogy of Fallot combined with prosthetic valve endocarditis is as high as 40%, and about 11% of cases have negative blood cultures, leading to delayed diagnosis. In the fatal case reported by the University of Tehran in 2025, the pathogen - Streptococcus mitis (S. mitis) - was identified through valve tissue 16S rRNA sequencing. This oral resident bacterium is inherently resistant to β-lactam antibiotics, and the conventional vancomycin + meropenem regimen is ineffective. This case suggests:

 

• Molecular diagnostic techniques (PCR/NGS) should be used as routine methods for PVE

 

• Prophylactic antibiotics before dental procedures are crucial for TOF patients

 

• DIC score ≥ 5 points requires active anticoagulant intervention

 

6 The Next Decade: Three Visionary Directions

 

6.1 The Dream of "Growth-Enabled" Valves

The biggest pain point of current artificial valves is the contradiction between "static design" and "dynamic growth". Due to physical development, child patients need multiple surgical replacements, with a reintervention rate of up to 41% in patients under 14 years old (only 7% in adults). Promising breakthrough directions in the next decade:

 

• Tissue-engineered valves: equipped with stem cell technology, with self-renewal and growth potential

 

• Degradable stent valves: after stent absorption, leaving functional valves wrapped in autologous tissue

 

• 4D printing technology: implanted to gradually expand according to a preset program

 

The Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital in Italy is carrying out the "Living Valve Project", expecting to achieve the ultimate goal of "one replacement for a lifetime" through 3D bioprinting combined with the patient's autologous cells.

 

6.2 The Leap from Treatment to Prevention

With the development of genetic technology, the prevention and treatment of TOF have been advanced:

 

• High-risk family screening: gene mutations such as NKX2-5 and GATA4 have been found to be related to TOF

 

• Fetal cardiac intervention: intrauterine balloon dilation to relieve pulmonary artery obstruction and promote pulmonary vascular development

 

• Epigenetic regulation: reducing right ventricular fibrosis through methylation modification

 

China's "14th Five-Year Plan" for birth defect prevention and control has listed the "congenital heart disease gene map" as a key project, with the expectation of completing 50,000 whole-genome sequencings by 2030.

 

6.3 The Integrated Revolution of Digital Healthcare

• AI surgical navigation: real-time quantification of resection range, balancing "obstruction relief" and "valve protection"

 

• Digital twin heart: individualized simulation of hemodynamics to predict long-term complications

 

• Global TOF registration system: integrating multi-center data to dynamically update treatment guidelines

 

Ethical challenge: How to choose when AI recommends conservative treatment but the family requests radical treatment? This suggests that technology needs to be combined with humanistic care.

 

7 Epilogue: The Never-Closing Path of Life

From Dr. Blalock's tweezers from the jewelry store in 1944 to today's nanoscale operations under ICE guidance; from a desperate mortality rate of 30% to a long-term survival rate of over 90% - the treatment history of Tetralogy of Fallot is an epic of the integration of medical technological breakthroughs and humanistic care.

 

When we see Ningning's smile after being discharged three days after the operation, or read about African children receiving PV-SR surgery through humanitarian aid, we deeply understand that every continuation of a heartbeat is the highest praise for life.

 

The future has arrived. With the joint efforts of global medical workers, "growth-enabled valves" will come true from dreams, gene editing technology is expected to rewrite the disease script, and digital healthcare will weave a borderless life protection network. As Professor Wu Zhongshi said: "What we repair is not just the heart, but also the life bound by the disease". This "path of life" opened with wisdom and compassion will never close.

 

For more information about cyanotic tetralogy of fallot and boot shaped heart tetralogy of fallot, please feel free to contact us!

 

Founded in 2015, beijing children's hospital is one of China's largest non-public tertiary pediatric specialized hospitals and the only private tertiary children's hospital in Beijing.