Hong Kong Stock Concept Tracker: First Human Trial of Brain-Computer Interface Set for This Year, Marking a Critical Milestone (Including Related Stocks)

Intelligent Finance APP learned that recently, Musk said at the Viva Tech Summit held in Paris, France, that Neuralink, a brain-computer interface company, would perform implant surgeries for paralyzed patients this year. Musk did not specify the details of the experiment, only indicating that the first human trial might take place later this year.

On May 25th, Neuralink announced that its first human clinical trial had received FDA approval. Neuralink adopts an invasive approach, using a neurosurgical robot to implant flexible electrodes into the cerebral cortex, which cannot be removed once implanted. In addition to Neuralink, several other brain-computer interface companies, such as Precision Neuroscience, also plan to apply for human clinical trials in 2023-2024. Although there is still a long way to go from the first clinical trial to product launch and large-scale clinical application, a crucial step has been taken on this long journey.

In terms of application, current technologies such as drugs and surgery lack sufficient therapeutic effects for patients with central nervous system damage caused by stroke, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), etc. These patients often remain in a state of paralysis or other dysfunctions for a long time, leading to poor quality of life. The breakthrough in brain-computer interface technology goes beyond the scope of traditional tissue repair, achieving functional substitution through human-machine interaction, which is revolutionary in significance and has achieved breakthroughs in some individual cases.

From past cases, at the opening ceremony of the 2014 Brazil World Cup, a young man with high-level paralysis wore mechanical assistance and used a brain-computer interface to kick the first ball, demonstrating the most intuitive clinical value of the brain-computer interface to the world—providing assistive tools for movement disorders. Currently, there are 12 million new stroke patients globally each year, of which about 40% have moderate functional impairments, indicating a broad demand for future medical applications of brain-computer interfaces.

In terms of domestic policy, China launched its "Brain Project" as early as the 13th Five-Year Plan period, and during the 14th Five-Year Plan, proposed the "One Body, Two Wings" plan, which focuses on supporting the research and development of brain-inspired computing and brain-computer fusion computing. In the field of brain-computer interfaces, domestic research teams have progressed from gradual followers to becoming leaders, achieving breakthroughs in areas such as dedicated brain-computer interface chips, deep brain stimulation, steady-state visual evoked potential brain-computer interfaces, and brainwave music brain-computer interface systems. Compared to overseas efforts, China has advantages in the approval process for experimental animals and clinical resource support.

Huaxin Securities pointed out that there is still a long way to explore for invasive brain-computer interfaces from clinical trials to final market launch. Many issues such as the safety, stability, and reliability of devices and surgeries need to be addressed. However, there is an urgent demand for brain-computer interface technology in medical applications to restore functions for large populations of stroke-paralyzed individuals, Parkinson's disease patients, and ALS patients. The market has broad prospects.

According to statistics from the China Research Institute of Industry, the current market size of brain-computer interfaces in China is about one billion yuan, which is less than one-tenth of the global market size. It is expected that by 2040, the market size of brain-computer interfaces in China will reach 125 billion yuan, with an average annual compound growth rate of 26%.

Looking ahead, East Money Securities stated that brain-computer interface is expected to become the next-generation human-computer interaction technology. Moreover, with the continuous development of the metaverse and ongoing exploration in brain science, brain-computer interface will become the next entry point to the metaverse following VR/AR.

Related Concept Stocks:

HeartCare-B(06609): HeartCare participated in the world's first non-human primate trial of an interventional brain-computer interface. The company has pioneered the creation of China’s first one-stop solution for stroke treatment and prevention in the field of neurointervention, encompassing a full product pipeline ranging from treatments for acute ischemic stroke and neurovascular stenosis, ischemic stroke prevention, hemorrhagic stroke treatment, to interventional access devices, with over 300 patents applied.

Alibaba (09988): Alibaba once unveiled a groundbreaking technology at the Taobao Maker Festival — Taobao Mind Purchase, indicating that Taobao is officially entering the brain-computer interface field. It is reported that Alibaba has submitted patents related to brain-computer interfaces. Relevant personnel stated that Taobao is currently collaborating with a company incubated by Tsinghua University that specializes in brain-computer interfaces and is exploring software implementation for this technology.

Innovative Medical (002173.SZ): The company has collaborated with multiple parties to jointly invest in the establishment of a "brain-computer interface" project company, focusing on the research and development and transformation of high-tech achievements related to "brain-computer interface" technology, biomedical engineering technologies, and medical device development.