Shanghai Accelerates Brain-Computer Interface Applications with Dual 'Read-and-Write' Strategy

The "15th Five-Year Plan" proposal, reviewed and approved at the 19th Plenary Session of the 20th Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, proposes "proactive planning for future industries," identifying "brain-computer interface" as one of the six directions for future industries to become a new economic growth point. On this key track of future industries, Shanghai is accelerating the exploration of new applications and expanding new scenarios.

If the focus of several representative companies in the past was on "reading the brain" — using implanted electrodes to "listen to" and decode brain signals for clinical research, a new batch of recent achievements has shifted the focus to "writing to the brain" — not only reading brain electrical information but also inputting signals into the brain to treat brain diseases like depression and anorexia or restore vision for the blind.

Recently, in the New Hongqiao International Medical Park, the first building of the Shanghai Brain-Computer Interface Future Industry Agglomeration Zone was completed, making its debut with a high-profile industry gathering. As Dai Minmin, President of Shanghai International Group (SIG), put it, the goal is to bring together those who are most knowledgeable about technology, clinical practices, policy, and investment to collaboratively drive the transformation of disruptive technologies into new productive forces. This "Brain-Computer Intelligence Forum" attracted numerous ecosystem partners across the industrial chain, including several brain-computer innovation teams that have achieved breakthroughs in new fields.

Ruijin Hospital Affiliated to Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine is attempting to use brain-computer interfaces to treat brain disorders, including treatment-resistant depression, schizophrenia, and anorexia nervosa. By implanting flexible electrodes in the subcortical areas or using non-invasive brain-computer interfaces, the relevant team has conducted clinical trials on neuromodulation. Sun Bomin, director of the Brain-Computer Interface and Neuromodulation Center at Ruijin Hospital, stated that previous research on these brain disorders often relied on animal models, with poor results. However, through brain-computer interfaces, the team has been able to delve into brain tissue, identify abnormal biomarkers in the brain, and then administer treatment by inputting specific electrical signals. Regarding efficacy, Sun Bomin described it as "immediate." Specifically, the overall effectiveness rate for treating anorexia nervosa reached 90%, and for treatment-resistant depression, it exceeded 60%.

Brain-Computer Interface Research Has Two Major Directions: One is to Read and Decode Brain Information to Understand "What's Happening in the Brain"; The Other is to Actively Modulate Brain Function and Treat Brain Diseases Through Deep Brain Stimulation. These Two Directions Are Respectively Called "Brain Reading" and "Brain Writing" by Wang Shouyan, Deputy Director of the Institute of Brain-Inspired Intelligence Science and Technology at Fudan University. He Believes That "Brain Reading" Has Been Researched for Nearly 50 Years, and Related Technologies Are Becoming Increasingly Mature; While in Terms of "Brain Writing," Breakthroughs Have Also Begun to Appear in Recent Years, Including the Work of Sun Bomin’s Team. In the Future, the Integration of "Brain Reading" and "Brain Writing" Will Open Up New Possibilities for the Treatment of Brain Diseases.

In fact, over the past year, Shanghai has focused on national strategies to fully promote innovation in brain-computer interface (BCI) technology and industrial development. Companies such as Neuracle, StairMed, and NeuroXess have become the first batch of enterprises to deliver results. Neuracle’s semi-invasive brain-computer interface was the first in China to enter the innovation channel, helping patients with high-level paralysis regain limb motor functions; StairMed conducted the first invasive brain-computer interface clinical trial in China, enabling a patient who lost both hands to play computer games; NeuroXess achieved the world's first dual decoding of language and motor signals… Overall, these "mind-reading" achievements have rebuilt neural signal pathways for patients to connect with the outside world.

At the same time, in the relatively low-key but equally promising field of "writing to the brain," Shanghai has also made significant progress. In addition to brain disease treatment trials, this includes complex sensory reconstruction. Liu Bing, founder of Shanghai Mingshi Medical Technology Co., Ltd., revealed that they have just completed the world's first visual reconstruction ITT (investigator-initiated clinical trial) for complex graphic overlays with color. Using brain-computer interfaces to electrically stimulate specific sites in the brain, they can not only generate a "phantom vision" dot in the consciousness but also control its color with considerable precision. Liu Bing stated that compared to collecting brain electrical signals, the "writing" algorithm is more challenging and requires higher accuracy. Previously, only Neuralink, under Musk, had ventured into visual reconstruction. As a startup, Mingshi Medical plans to complete a blind patient implant surgery next year, allowing the patient to "see" colored graphics again. The long-term goal is to use brain-computer interfaces and cameras to help patients who have had their eyeballs removed reconstruct vision of approximately 0.3 to 0.5.

Wu Jinsong, director of the Shanghai Key Laboratory of Clinical Trials and Translational Research for Brain-Computer Interfaces, revealed that they are working with relevant companies to decode and encode "speech imagination," hoping to enable human communication without speaking, using a method similar to "telepathy." Fudan University is also gathering resources around "writing the brain" and has established the Neuroregulation and Brain-Computer Interface Research Center, focusing on neural treatment research for pain, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, sleep disorders, and more.

"Reading" and "writing" in parallel: This is an important clue in the current development of brain-computer interfaces in Shanghai. Relevant officials from the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission stated that the city is currently implementing a "four-in-one" mechanism, which includes project manager teams taking responsibility, breakthroughs in key task lists, empowerment by future industry funds, and support from future industry cluster zones, to implement top-level design related to brain-computer interfaces and future industries. It aims to increase the scale of Shanghai's brain-computer interface industry from the current approximately 1 billion yuan to hundreds of billions or even trillions of yuan by 2030, making it one of the important pillars of strategic emerging industries.

Source: Shanghai Observer