Exclusive | BRIGHTWAVE Completes RMB 60 Million Series A Funding to Accelerate Clinical Translation of Brain-Computer Interface

EO Health, August 26 news: Today,NeuracleNeuracle Technology (Changzhou) Co., Ltd. (“Neuracle”) officially announced the completion of its Series A financing round of RMB 60 millionFinancingTo date, Neuracle has completed three rounds of financing, with a total funding amount exceeding RMB 100 million. This round was led by Tsinghua Holdings Fund, with participation from Beijing Zhongguancun Development Qihang Industrial Investment Fund (LP), Beijing Zhongguancun Development Frontier Enterprise Investment Fund (L.P.), and Baidu Ventures. CoWin Ventures, the lead investor in the Pre-A round, continued to participate as a follow-on investor.

Neuracle is a company centered on its independently innovated “brain-computer interface” (BCI) technology, engaged in the research and development, manufacturing, sales, and technical services of BCI system-related equipment.The company primarily provides professional and comprehensive solutions for innovative neuroscience research, as well as the diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of clinical neurological disorders. Its clients are mainly distributed across fields such as brain science research and clinical healthcare. Huang Xiaoshan, General Manager of Neuracle, stated,The proceeds from this round of financing will be primarily used to accelerate the research and development of clinical products, driving the commercialization of products in the fields of minimally invasive implantable closed-loop therapy and brain-computer interface-based active rehabilitation.

How Science Fiction Becomes Reality: The Curtain on Industrial Layout Has Quietly Risen

In today’s era of rapidly advancing technology, the “mind control” featured in sci-fi blockbusters is gradually moving from science fiction to reality.Brain-Computer InterfaceBrain-computer interface (BCI) technology serves as the technological foundation for such "superpowers."

Brain-Computer Interface TechnologyBrain-computer interface (BCI) technology primarily converts brain signals into control commands for external devices. Building upon the output of these commands, BCI systems also incorporate methods for inputting information into the brain, thereby establishing bidirectional interaction. This ultimately enables brain-machine intelligence: by interconnecting the brain with external information, it leverages the complementary strengths of human and machine intelligence, fostering their integration and symbiosis, and thus creating a new paradigm of human-machine intelligence.

Currently, brain-computer interface (BCI) technology has been widely applied in numerous fields, including clinical medicine, educational research, gaming and entertainment, and consumer electronics. BCI technology will bridge the gap between humans and machines, creating substantial social and commercial value.Consequently, this technology has also attracted significant attention from tech giants and investors across various sectors.

Neuralink, the company founded by Elon Musk, a pioneer in cutting-edge technology, which has raised over $100 million in funding, released a new brain-computer interface system this year. This system can be used for closed-loop neuromodulation, enabling both neural signal modulation and electrical brain stimulation, for the diagnosis and treatment of a range of neurological disorders such as epilepsy, depression, Parkinson's disease, and Alzheimer's disease. It is reported that Facebook is also conducting related research, with the aim of restoring communication abilities in individuals with disabilities who have impaired language function.

In fact, research on brain-computer interface technology has been conducted worldwide for many years. In 2013, the U.S. government proposed the “Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies” Initiative (abbreviated as “Brain Initiative”), with objectives including exploring the working mechanisms of the human brain and developing therapies for incurable brain disorders. In the U.S. federal government’s fiscal year 2017 budget, funding for the “BRAIN Initiative” was increased to $434 million. Also in 2013, the European Union launched the ten-year “Human Brain Project,” involving 26 countries and 135 collaborating institutions.

Breaking the Import Monopoly: “Made in China” Supports China’s Brain Project

The Outline of the 13th Five-Year Plan listed “Brain Science and Brain-Inspired Research” as one of the “Science and Technology Innovation 2030—Major Projects,” also known as China’s “Brain Project.”China’s “Brain Project” continues to advance through concerted efforts: brain science research centers have been successively established in multiple provinces and municipalities, including Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Zhejiang, and Shandong, actively responding to the “one body, two wings” framework of China’s “Brain Project” (with the study of neural principles underlying brain cognition as the “main body,” and the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for major brain disorders and new brain-computer intelligence technologies as the “two wings”).

From a technical perspective, brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are broadly categorized into two major types: invasive and non-invasive. The implantation of electrodes or chips into the brain constitutes an invasive BCI.While invasive techniques can precisely detect neuronal firing, they carry risks such as brain infection. In contrast, non-invasive techniques offer higher safety but are limited to scalp EEG acquisition, failing to capture deep brain information. Huang Xiaoshan emphasized that Neuracle, while fully leveraging the advantages of its non-invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) technologies and products, is also advancing the research, development, and clinical application of minimally invasive BCI technologies to break through the application bottlenecks associated with invasive BCIs.

As the lead investor in this round, Li Chaowen, Vice President of Investment at Huakong Industrial Investment Fund, stated, “Brain-computer interface (BCI) is a cutting-edge, high-precision frontier technology and a primary means for studying brain science and achieving brain-machine connectivity. It holds broad application prospects in the treatment of neurological disorders, rehabilitative medicine, brain science research, consumer electronics, and education. Neuracle’s core team originates from the globally leading Neural Engineering Laboratory at Tsinghua University in the BCI field. The team members are professional, dedicated, and committed, with over ten years of deep expertise in this domain, which underscores its significant development potential.”

Bridging Humans and Machines, Empowering Multiple Vertical Domains

Leveraging its non-invasive and minimally invasive brain-computer interface (BCI) platform technologies, Neuracle has developed a portfolio of products and solutions across multiple domains. Currently, Neuracle’s products are primarily applied in fields such as neuroscience research and the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders.

In 2018, Neuracle captured over 30% of the market share in the brain-computer interface (BCI) research sector, with its products deployed at domestic and international research institutions including Tsinghua University, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and UCSD.According to Huang Xiaoshan, leveraging its R&D strengths in core technologies such as signal acquisition and data processing, Neuracle’s products can acquire electroencephalogram (EEG) signals in complex environments and perform superior filtering and analysis of the data. The products demonstrate strong anti-interference capabilities, with core performance metrics meeting or exceeding international leading standards.

Furthermore, at the BCI Brain-Controlled Robot Competition and the 3rd China Brain-Computer Interface Competition held recently in Beijing, Neuracle, as a co-organizer, was responsible for providing brain-computer interface signal acquisition equipment and data analysis platforms. Wei Siwen from Tianjin University set a new national record for typing using brain-computer interface technology, achieving an output rate of 691.55 bits per minute on a computer screen (equivalent to 69 Chinese characters per minute).

In the Application of Neurological Disease DiagnosisNeuracle’s product portfolio includes EEG and evoked potential instruments (brain function monitors) as well as high-frequency, high-density EEG acquisition systems. The former is primarily used for the diagnosis and monitoring of neurological disorders such as epilepsy and cerebral hemorrhage, while the latter is mainly employed for intraoperative localization assistance in neurosurgery. Huang Xiaoshan pointed out that product development should be driven by clinical needs to deliver precise medical solutions. Taking the high-frequency, high-density EEG acquisition system as an example, this product addresses the critical need for epileptic focus localization, with improvements in core specifications such as channel count and sampling rate. Its innovative solutions for high-frequency analysis and localization have enhanced its competitiveness. Notably, this product was part of the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Key Special Project on Medical Devices during the 12th Five-Year Plan period and is currently undergoing widespread adoption.

Therapeutic Products, Huang Xiaoshan stated that Neuracle will primarily focus on minimally invasive implant-based feedback therapy and brain-computer intelligence-driven active rehabilitation. Minimally invasive implant-based feedback therapy targets neurological disorders such as epilepsy and Alzheimer's disease. Taking Alzheimer's disease as an example, monitoring and stimulating brain regions associated with memory can improve patients' clinical manifestations. Brain-computer intelligence-driven active rehabilitation mainly addresses rehabilitation from neurological damage caused by conditions such as stroke. A "stroke" essentially involves the death of motor cortex neurons; however, leveraging the plasticity of surviving neurons, brain-computer interface (BCI) devices capture and analyze neural commands issued by the brain. These commands are then executed by robotic arms or other devices, with the resulting actions fed back to the brain, ultimately enabling patients to re-"learn" the movement.

CoWin Ventures remains bullish on the clinical applications of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). Dr. Chen Xuanze, Investment Director at CoWin Ventures, emphasized, “CoWin values Neuracle’s technical expertise and its global patent portfolio. More importantly, Neuracle’s future focus on two frontiers in clinical technology—minimally invasive implant-based feedback therapy and BCI-enabled active rehabilitation—aligns with the developmental trajectory of applying this innovative BCI technology to clinical medical practice.”

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