CITIC Xiangya Reproductive and Genetic Specialty Hospital

Reproductive and Genetic Hospital of CITIC-Xiangya is a large-scale modern reproductive and genetic specialty hospital with a mixed ownership system, jointly established by CITIC Group, Central South University, and Professor Lu Guangxiu's research team. It is the first specialty hospital in China to obtain approval from the Ministry of Health to comprehensively perform human assisted reproductive technologies (including human sperm banks) and the nation’s first tertiary-level reproductive and genetic specialty hospital. In 2017, it was awarded the title of National Advanced Collective of Health and Health System and won the first Hunan Innovation Award.
CITIC-Xiangya is the National Sperm Bank Technical Guidance Center, the National Human Sperm Bank Training Base, the National Demonstration Center for Gene Testing Technology Application, the clinical unit of the National Health Commission Key Laboratory of Human Stem Cells and Reproductive Engineering, the chairman unit of the Hunan Reproductive Medicine Branch, the Hunan Provincial Reproductive and Genetic Clinical Medical Research Center, the Hunan Provincial Key Clinical Discipline of Reproductive Health and Infertility, the Hunan Provincial Key Specialty of Medical Genetics, and the collaborative research and development center of the Hunan Provincial Postdoctoral Research Mobile Station.
In 2024, the hospital performed 36,710 assisted reproductive cycles. By the end of December 2024, a cumulative total of 240,000 healthy babies had been born through the hospital's assisted reproductive services. In August 2017, the British journal Nature reported that the hospital's 2016 assisted reproductive treatment cycles were equivalent to one-fourth of the US's total annual cycles. It has been ranked among the top five in the Fudan version of the "National Reproductive Medicine Specialty Ranking" for four consecutive years. The research projects 'Human In Vitro Fertilization, Embryo, Donated Embryo and Gamete Intrafallopian Transfer' and 'Key Technologies of Human Assisted Reproductive Technology and Sperm Banking with Their Applications in Reproductive Health' were awarded the Second Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award in 1989 and 2009 respectively.
Relying on the Ministry of Health Key Laboratory of Reproduction and Stem Cell Engineering, the hospital has five doctoral degree-granting programs: genetics, developmental biology, reproductive medicine, stem cell and regenerative medicine, and bioethics.
By the end of December 2023, 1038 papers had been published in renowned domestic and international journals, including 541 SCI-indexed papers;19 invention patents, 199 utility model patents, and 3 software copyrights had been authorized; and 312 national, provincial, ministerial, and municipal scientific research projects had been undertaken, with a total research funding of approximately 170 million yuan.

Remarkable Achievements

(1) Establishment of a human cryopreserved sperm bank (1981);
(2) Birth of a baby conceived through artificial insemination with cryopreserved semen (1983);
(3) Birth of a baby conceived through donated embryo transfer (1988);
(4) Establishment of a cryopreserved embryo bank (1989);
(5) Birth of a normal baby after treatment with abnormal sperm separation techniques (1991);
(6) Establishment of an animal model for intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) (1994);
(7) Birth of nuclear transfer mice (1996);
(8) Birth of a baby conceived through in-vitro fertilization (IVF) with embryos cryopreserved using ultra-rapid freezing (2000);
(9) Achievement of human nuclear transfer blastocysts (1999);
(10) Establishment of an animal model for preimplantation genetic diagnosis (PGD) (1990);
(11) Birth of a baby who had been prenatally diagnosed and excluded for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (2005);
(12) Birth of the PGD/PGS test-tube baby using whole genome sequencing technology (2012);
(13) Birth of a "cancer-free baby" (2015);
(14) Birth of a baby who had been screened using MicroSeq to exclude balanced chromosomal translocation (2016);
(15) Birth of Hunan's first micro-TESE IVF baby (2018);
(16) Birth of Hunan's first β-thalassemia HLA+PGD IVF baby; birth of China's first "cancer-free baby" blocking the susceptibility gene mutation of breast cancer or ovarian cancer (2019).

 

Research Strength
The hospital has outstanding research capabilities. Relying on the National Health Commission's Key Laboratory of Reproduction and Stem Cell Engineering, it has five doctoral degree-granting programs: genetics, developmental biology, reproductive medicine, stem cell and regenerative medicine, and bioethics. To date, it has cultivated 22 postdoctoral fellows, 154 doctoral students (including those currently enrolled), and 354 master's students (including those currently enrolled). In 2021, the hospital's research investment was 45.7 million yuan, accounting for 3.45% of the hospital's total revenue. By the end of September 2022, the hospital had 108 researchers. 1005 papers had been published in renowned domestic and international journals, including 432 SCI papers; 10 invention patents, 150 utility model patents, and 3 software copyrights had been authorized; and 259 national, provincial, ministerial, and municipal scientific research projects had been undertaken, with a total research funding of approximately 148 million yuan.
The hospital is currently constructing a technology innovation center with a total construction area of over 2,500 square meters. This will effectively integrate and rationally allocate the hospital's clinical and research resources. It will focus on solving key technologies and major clinical problems in the fields of reproductive medicine and medical genetics, while also taking into account teaching, training, and clinical trials, to enhance the hospital's reputation and core competitiveness. The goal is to become a leading domestic and internationally influential technology innovation center, clinical research center, and talent training center in the field of reproductive genetics within 3-5 years.

Hospital Achievements

Public Welfare Undertakings
From 2007 to 2017, the hospital invested a total of 1.2 million yuan to establish one CITIC Xiangya Hope Primary School and five CITIC Xiangya Hope Hospitals in Long Hui County, Shaoyang City; Cili County, Zhangjiajie City; Tong Dao County, Huaihua City; and Zhongfang County, Huaihua City, promoting the development of local education and medical services;
In 2008, following the major earthquake in Wenchuan, Sichuan Province, the hospital extended a helping hand to the people in the disaster area, donating 500,000 yuan to help them rebuild their homes, receiving high praise from all sectors of society;
In 2014, on the occasion of the centennial anniversary of Xiangya Medical College, Central South University, Professor Lu Guangxiu donated 10 million yuan to the university to restore the "Lu Huilin Education Fund," supporting the school's discipline construction and talent cultivation;
Approved by the Hunan Provincial Civil Affairs Department, the hospital established the "CITIC Xiangya Love Assisted Pregnancy Poverty Alleviation Fund" in 2015 with self-raised funds of 4 million yuan, to help low-income, impoverished, and special family planning infertile families. From August 2015 to the end of 2023, the foundation has carried out 20 love assisted pregnancy projects, providing more than 11.8 million yuan worth of assistance to more than 2,000 patients. In June 2015, it cooperated with the China Women's Development Foundation to establish the "China Women's Development Foundation Family Reproductive Health Care Plan". As one of the cooperating units of the China Women's Development Foundation, the foundation has guided 745 patients in applying for love assisted pregnancy, with a total of 7,186,936 yuan in material and financial assistance.
The hospital was therefore awarded the "Excellent Project Hospital of the Family Reproductive Health Care Plan" by the China Women's Development Foundation.

 
Social Evaluation and Social Benefits
In October 2013, in the overall ranking list of the "Top 100 Competitive Private Hospitals in China" in 2012, jointly released by the Hong Kong Allieper Hospital Management Research Center and the Hong Kong Hospital Observer magazine, our hospital jumped into the top twelve private hospitals in China.
On August 24, 2015, People's Daily published an article titled "Breaking Free from Traditional System Constraints, Technological Innovation Stimulates Vitality - Hunan CITIC Xiangya Hospital Explores New Models of Socially-Run Hospitals", incorporating the hospital's model into its internal reference materials.
On April 24, 2016, China Education News published an article titled "A Model of Industry-Academia-Research Integration Emerging from Test Tubes - A Record of the Industry-Academia-Research Integration Model of CITIC Xiangya Reproductive and Genetic Specialty Hospital", providing a full-page introduction to the hospital's industry-academia-research development model and achievements.
Ranked second in the 2017 China Hospital Specialty Reputation Ranking
Specialty Alliance: Signed agreements with more than 60 hospitals, serving over 1200 patients annually, covering provinces and cities including Hunan, Guizhou, Hubei, Jiangxi, Yunnan, Guangdong, and Guangxi.
Cooperative Hospitals: Shanghai cooperation projects are officially operational, and letters of intent have been signed with Shijiazhuang, Haikou, and other cities.
In August 2019, Professor Lu Guangxiu led a team to conduct an inspection and exchange visit to some hospitals and research institutions in Kyrgyzstan, Turkey, and Russia along the Belt and Road, aiming to jointly build medical cooperation and benefit people along the route under the vision of "joint construction, sharing, and win-win" of the Belt and Road Initiative.
In August 2019, Mr. Graham Stuart, UK Minister for Investment at the Department for International Trade, visited Hunan and met with Professor Lu Guangxiu; the Minister and Ms. He Songya, British Consul-General in Guangzhou, discussed potential future cooperation.

Currently, CITIC Xiangya has relocated to the Lugu General Hospital in Changsha High-tech Zone. The general hospital has a total construction area of approximately 90,000 square meters, including 60,000 square meters above ground and 30,000 square meters underground. It mainly comprises a comprehensive office building, an outpatient building, and an inpatient building, with a total investment of approximately 600 million yuan (excluding land acquisition and medical equipment). Our hospital will adhere to the principle of "benefiting all mankind with advanced science and technology", continuously increasing investment, introducing talents, technologies, and equipment, bringing good news to infertile patients at home and abroad, and contributing to the cause of promoting better prenatal and postnatal care for all mankind.

Hospital Qualifications