Source of this article: Investment View Health

Recently,StairMed, a frontier technology company focusing on the R&D of the underlying technology for the new generation of brain-computer interfaces, recently announced the completion of its Series A financing round worth hundreds of millions of RMB, jointly led by OrbiMed and Yuanhe Origin., with Qifeng Capital serving as the exclusive financial advisor. This round of financing will continue to be used for system development and team expansion, maintaining the company's leading position in the implantable brain-computer interface field. StairMed previously received an angel round of financing worth tens of millions of yuan from Yuanla Capital.

StairMed was co-founded in 2021 by several top scientists in the fields of brain-computer interface and neuroscience. The company also announced,The team achieved record-breaking results in various animal experiments, with its ultra-flexible electrode technology enabling the first long-term in vivo implantation in awake macaques.Meanwhile, the company's clinical research trials for a variety of neurological diseases are proceeding rapidly.

As a pioneer in the new generation of implantable brain-computer interfaces, StairMed divides the realization of brain-computer interfaces into three main stages: the development of high-throughput ultra-flexible neural electrodes, full-system development (implant devices, signal acquisition and decoding, intelligent terminals, etc.), and the conduct of large animal trials and clinical research.

StairMed has innovated in materials science and processing technology to reduce electrode sizes to an entirely new level, creating a unique series of high-throughput ultra-flexible micro-nano electrodes. At the same time, they have developed wireless micro-implants that can be embedded under the skin. To safely and efficiently implant electrodes deep into the brain, StairMed has developed China's first flexible electrode implantation surgical robot system. StairMed has named its self-developed implantation surgery robot AUFEIS. A series of products will be suitable for both scientific research and medical applications. In German, AUFEIS means "ice on the river," and StairMed will use AUFEIS to continuously explore the depths of the iceberg of brain science.

With industry-leading ultra-flexible electrodes, miniature implants, and implantation surgical robots, StairMed continues to advance brain-computer interface research in animal experiments. Its scientific research product series has been fully validated in various animal experiments and can well meet the needs of related scientific research. Currently, StairMed's ultra-flexible neural electrode technology has achieved long-term implantation and stable recording in a variety of different types of animals, completing the world's highest density, largest range, highest channel count, and longest duration of stable in vivo neural signal acquisition (related experimental results have been published in Nature Biomedical Engineering (2022)). At the same time, StairMed has improved the system’s bidirectional sensitivity to the level of individual neurons, achieving fine stimulation control with neuronal resolution.

StairMed is actively promoting the implementation of multiple investigator-initiated clinical trials based on mature animal experiments.This year, StairMed launched a clinical trial on the safety and efficacy of flexible micro-nano electrodes in extracorporeal (intraoperative) EEG monitoring, marking a critical phase in the application and transformation of China's implantable brain-computer interface technology. StairMed is committed to applying cutting-edge brain-computer interface technology to the treatment of various diseases and functional reconstruction, providing comprehensive system solutions for patients in need of motor function restoration and precise deep brain stimulation, and assisting clinical experts in related disease fields to better serve patients and explore new treatment methods.

StairMed believes: "The vigorous development of an industry or ecosystem can never be achieved by a single team alone. In addition to the accumulation of upstream technology platforms, significant efforts from downstream application ends are also required for joint creation and co-development. Therefore, since its establishment, StairMed has aimed not only to provide solutions but also to promote the development and exchange within the industry and ecosystem, facilitating rapid industrial growth through collaborative progress." StairMed will continue to offer more powerful brain-computer interface tools to various research teams and clinical research institutions while continuously building the "OPENSTAIRS" ecosystem. The "OPENSTAIRS" ecosystem highly integrates basic scientific research, product technology development, and clinical applications, providing infrastructure for a broader range of products and applications. StairMed will always maintain an open attitude, collaborating with numerous experts, researchers, entrepreneurs, and various professionals in the fields of neuroscience and brain-computer interfaces to jointly create the future of the industry."

Dr. David Wang, Partner of OrbiMed:As one of the most important strategic disciplines in the coming decades, brain science is bound to bring tremendous translational opportunities based on breakthroughs in fundamental science, benefiting a large number of patients with neurological disorders in the medical field. Built on globally leading original technology, and led by a top-tier team of scientists and seasoned entrepreneurs, StairMed is rapidly pushing the boundaries of technological frontiers. We look forward to StairMed advancing swiftly in both research and clinical products, soon benefiting scientists and patients worldwide, serving as a stepping stone for human progress and evolution.

Fei Jianjiang, Managing Partner of Yuanhe Origin：BCI is currently an effective bridge linking the human brain with external devices. Based on multidisciplinary underlying technologies such as neurobiology, nanomaterials, microelectronics, and chip manufacturing, it has gradually broken through major key technologies like high throughput, signal analysis, scientific research, and intractable brain diseases. As a typical field combining IT and BT, BCI has been one of the key focuses of Yuanhe Origin over the past two years. The team at StairMed consists of top experts in brain-computer interfaces and neuroscience. The team has accumulated years of theoretical research and practical experience in ultra-flexible electrodes, implants, and full system development. Yuanhe Origin is delighted to join hands with an excellent team like StairMed to contribute to human health and a better life.

Yihan Ding, Partner of Source Capital：Yuanla Capital focuses on original innovation and cutting-edge technology, continuously investing in and incubating startups with tremendous potential. Implantable brain-computer interfaces integrate various frontier technologies such as new materials, semiconductors, robotics, and brain science, and their disruptive strategic value has become a must-contend area in international science. We are delighted to have accompanied StairMed from the angel round, through its establishment and growth. Yuanla Capital remains optimistic about the company's innovative breakthroughs across all aspects of brain-computer interface technology and looks forward to even greater surprises from its products.

It is foreseeable that the development of underlying technology platforms represented by StairMed will bring new momentum to the brain-computer interface field in China. Let us look forward to more breakthroughs from StairMed. It is also hoped that, driven by high-quality companies like StairMed, China's brain-computer interface industry will flourish.

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