Former Neuralink President Warns: Without Reform, World's Most Advanced Cancer Treatments Will Be in China

[By Wang Yi, Guancha.cn]

“Without major regulatory reforms, in ten years, the only option for a wealthy American seeking the most advanced cancer treatment may be to go to China.”

On June 10 local time, Max Hodak, founder of the U.S. brain-computer interface company Science and former president of Elon Musk’s Neuralink, issued the aforementioned warning at the Semafor Summit held in San Francisco.

In his view, the United States faces a real risk of being overtaken by China in the life sciences sector. If it fails to accelerate reforms in medical research and regulatory systems, it may cede its global leadership in healthcare and scientific innovation to China. Hoadley pointed out that China has performed “exceptionally well” in this area, and the United States should remain “highly vigilant” in response.

As an industry veteran long engaged in brain-computer interface (BCI) research, Hodak’s claims are not unfounded. In March this year, the National Medical Products Administration of China approved the market launch of the NEO System, an implantable BCI hand motor function compensation system jointly developed by NeuroX Medical Technology (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. and a team from Tsinghua University.

On the 8th of this month, the European tech news website The Next Web (TNW) pointed out that this is the first time in the world that a national regulatory authority has approved the commercialization of implantable brain-computer interface devices.

Behind this breakthrough lies China’s continuous advancement in the layout of strategic emerging industries in recent years. China has designated brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) as one of the six strategic future industries, setting a goal to achieve world-leading status in brain science and technology by 2030. Under this strategy, a cohort of Chinese BCI startups has rapidly emerged.

A man is undergoing hand function rehabilitation training using a brain-computer interface. IC Photo

Reports indicate that the brain-computer interface (BCI) race has evolved into a geopolitical contest. With policy support in China, Chinese enterprises are rapidly securing approvals, enabling innovative achievements to enter clinical application more quickly. In contrast, U.S. companies face an increasingly sluggish approval process at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA); although they started earlier, their development is becoming increasingly constrained by the regulatory framework.

Currently, no brain-computer interface products have been formally approved for commercial use in the United States; all implantation procedures remain limited to research projects or special access programs.

Neuralink has implanted its N1 brain-computer interface device in at least 21 patients under a research protocol, with the first participant demonstrating the ability to play chess, browse the web, and control a computer cursor using only their thoughts. However, Neuralink has not yet obtained commercial marketing authorization. The company plans to expand production capacity and achieve near-fully automated implantation surgeries by 2026, but realistically, it will still take several years to secure FDA approval for commercial sales.

Synchron, another U.S. company, has developed the Stentrode brain-computer interface (BCI) system, which can be implanted via the jugular vein without requiring craniotomy. It is the first company to receive an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE) from the FDA for a permanently implantable BCI research device. The company is currently leveraging its $200 million in Series D funding to advance pivotal clinical trials this year.

Precision Neuroscience opted for a different path, securing FDA 510(k) clearance in April 2025 and partnering with Medtronic to integrate its brain-computer interface technology into existing neurosurgical systems.

For the past several decades, the United States has been regarded as the global leader in the research and development of brain-computer interface (BCI) systems, consistently betting on high-risk, high-reward technological breakthroughs with the aim of fundamentally transforming medical technology and the trajectory of human-machine integration. Unexpectedly, however, it was China that ultimately crossed the finish line first.

Brain-Computer Interface is a technological system capable of recording brain activity or neuronal electrical signals and using them to control external devices (such as prosthetic limbs, wheelchairs, or computer cursors), with the goal of helping patients with motor impairments, such as paralysis, regain mobility.

Its development has long faced a difficult technical trade-off: non-invasive approaches place sensors on the external surface of the scalp, offering higher safety but limited acquisition accuracy due to signal attenuation by the skull; invasive approaches implant sensors directly into the cerebral cortex, enabling higher-precision neural signal acquisition, but may face long-term challenges such as electrode displacement and biocompatibility issues.

A March report by the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post stated that Neuralink adopted the second approach, and the challenges it faces highlight certain safety barriers to the commercialization of implantable solutions. In 2024, approximately one month after the first patient underwent Neuralink’s implantation surgery, device performance significantly declined due to retraction or displacement of 85% of the implanted electrode threads. Neuralink adjusted the system to respond to the remaining electrodes, but electrode thread retraction remains a latent risk affecting long-term functionality.

China’s first approved NEO system adopts a technological approach that lies between implanted and non-implanted devices. Reports suggest that this strategy aligns with the Confucian principle of the “Golden Mean,” which seeks compromise and balance, striking an equilibrium between safety and precision. This enabled the Chinese team to launch the world’s first commercially approved brain-computer interface (BCI) product, outpacing all other competitors, including those in the United States.

At the Semafor Summit, Hodak candidly admitted that brain-computer interfaces “sound crazy and are hard to take seriously,” yet their potential impact is so immense that it is difficult to imagine them not being a focal point of national development strategies.

He stated that over the next decade, brain-computer interface (BCI) technology is likely to become “one of the three or four most important main lines” in global technological competition, and that “China has fully recognized its immense potential.”

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