This news is groundbreaking! A Chinese-American scientist, Ruike Renee Zhao, and her team at Stanford University have invented a "milli-spinner thrombectomy" that can boost the success rate of removing the most difficult blood clots from 11% to 90%! This isn't incremental improvement; it's a disruptive breakthrough! It's crucial to understand that every minute, a stroke destroys 1.9 million brain cells, and this technology could profoundly change the fate of millions of patients. On June 4, the top-tier journal Nature published this significant research that could rewrite medical history.
Ruike Renee Zhao, born in Xi'an in 1990, is already an Assistant Professor in Mechanical Engineering at Stanford University at just 33 years old. Her combination of intelligence and talent makes her a real-life "genius physician" from a CEO drama – she's been named one of MIT Technology Review's "35 Innovators Under 35," a Kavli Fellow of the National Academy of Sciences, and holds numerous top academic awards.
Most importantly, she possesses a scientific intuition that allows her to "turn the impossible into possible" – this time, the thrombus removal technology was "accidentally" discovered from her research on origami robots. Indeed, the greatest discoveries often stem from the keenest insights!
How ineffective is current thrombus treatment?
In a word – dismal! Existing techniques have an initial success rate of only 50% and a complete failure rate of 15%. For the most stubborn fibrin-rich thrombi? The success rate is a mere 11%. It's like trying to crack a walnut with a hammer – either it doesn't break, or it shatters into many pieces.
What exactly is a thrombus?
Simply put, a thrombus is a "blockage of debris" in a blood vessel. It's mainly composed of fibrin strands, which tangle up red blood cells and other components, forming a blockage. If it blocks a cerebral blood vessel, it's a stroke; if it blocks a coronary artery, it's a heart attack; if it blocks a pulmonary vessel, it's a pulmonary embolism.
What is Ruike Zhao's "milli-spinner"?
It's a rotating hollow tube with fins and slits. But its brilliance lies in this – it doesn't violently break down the clot. Instead, like molding a cotton ball, it uses compression and shear forces to "knead" the thrombus into a small sphere. Imagine taking a tangled ball of yarn and, with a few turns in your hand, it transforms into a compact, tight ball.
Is this "kneading" process scientific? Why don't traditional methods work?
Absolutely scientific! Traditional methods tear and cut fibrin strands, which can easily produce fragments that then travel elsewhere and form new blockages. Zhao Ruike's method is "gentle yet firm" – through the compression and shear forces generated by rotation, it rolls the fibrin strands into a dense sphere, reducing its volume by 95%! Red blood cells are released back into circulation, and the fibrin ball is extracted intact.
Are the results really that revolutionary?
The data doesn't lie – the effect for most cases is more than double that of existing technologies, and for the hardest-to-treat clots, the success rate jumps directly from 11% to 90%. In the words of a collaborator on Ruike Zhao's team: this is a game-changing, massive-scale technology that will significantly improve our ability to save patients.
How was this technology discovered? Was it truly a "pleasant surprise"?
This is the beauty of science! Ruike Zhao was originally researching the propulsion mechanism of origami robots when she unexpectedly discovered that a rotating structure could generate local suction. When she tested this device on a thrombus, the thrombus surprisingly turned from red to white and dramatically shrank in volume. Her exact words were, "It felt like magic." She then, with her acute scientific intuition, immediately realized this could be a major discovery.
Why can origami art inspire medical technology?
Ruike Zhao has a classic theory: although we have bones, much of the human body is actually based on soft systems. Biomedical devices need to be compatible with these systems. She seeks inspiration from nature and traditional art because "nature has already optimized." The flexibility and deformability of origami fit perfectly with the characteristics of the human vascular system.
Can this technology only treat stroke?
Far from it! Myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism, peripheral vascular disease... wherever blood clots are found, it can be used. The team is even researching using it to remove kidney stone fragments. One trick, many uses!
How safe is it? Are there any side effects?
This is precisely the core advantage of this technology – it does not destroy the fibrin structure, avoiding the risk of secondary embolism caused by fragment shedding. Moreover, it's simple to operate, reaching the lesion through a catheter, making it a minimally invasive treatment.
When will it be available?
The team has established a company for commercialization, and clinical trials are about to begin. According to the US FDA approval process, it could optimistically be available within 3-5 years. However, considering this is a "game-changing" level of technology, approval might proceed via a fast track.
What does this technology mean for us?
China is a major stroke nation, with over 2 million new stroke patients annually. If this technology becomes widespread, it will not only save countless lives but also empower China and Chinese-American scientists in the international medical device field. Ruike Zhao has proven with her capabilities that Chinese individuals can not only excel in basic science but also develop world-changing, cutting-edge technologies!
The core scientific value of this technology lies in the first-ever achievement of "non-destructive compression" of thrombi, solving medical challenges through mechanical principles rather than violent cutting, thus opening up a whole new direction for mechanical thrombectomy.
Sometimes, technological progress is truly magical – a young Chinese-American woman scientist, with keen scientific intuition and interdisciplinary thinking, drew inspiration from origami art and unexpectedly discovered a medical technology that could save millions of lives.
True innovation isn't about running faster on known paths, but about bravely turning into unexplored territory. Ruike Zhao and her team have achieved this. Now, it remains to be seen whether this technology can truly enter hospitals and bring new hope to patients racing against time.
References:
Chang, Y., Wu, S., Li, Q., et al. Milli-spinner thrombectomy.Nature642, 336–342 (2025). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-025-09049-0
Stanford University. "Stanford Scientists Develop Game-Changing New Way To Treat Stroke." June 13, 2025.
Fox News. "Stanford researchers develop 'game-changing' stroke treatment that doubles effectiveness." June 16, 2025.