World's First Dual-Target Deep Brain Stimulation Surgery for Drug Addiction Successfully Performed in Ganjiang New Area, Jiangxi

Source: Securities Daily Network

By our reporter, Cao Qi

On June 25, the world’s first dual-target deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery for the treatment of drug addiction was successfully performed in the operating room of Ganjiang New Area Hospital (Ganjiang New Area People’s Hospital), the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University.

A male patient with long-term opioid addiction was treated with the world’s first approved invasive brain-computer interface product for addictive psychiatric disorders—the domestically produced dual-target implantable deep brain stimulation system. By delivering precise electrical stimulation via electrodes to simultaneously modulate two key nuclei, the nucleus accumbens and the anterior limb of the internal capsule, the system regulates addiction-related neural circuits, thereby correcting addiction-associated brain dysfunction at its root.

“The successful implementation of the first clinical surgery fully demonstrates that the domestically produced dual-target DBS addiction treatment regimen possesses reliable safety and practical feasibility in real-world clinical settings,” said Lu Guohui, Deputy Director of the Department of Neurosurgery at the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University and Executive Dean of the Ganjiang New Area Hospital of the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanchang University, in an interview with a reporter from Securities Daily.

It is reported that since the initiation of clinical exploration in 2014, multiple leading functional neurosurgery and addiction medicine centers in China have jointly conducted multicenter randomized controlled clinical trials. Supported by more than ten years of long-term follow-up data, these studies comprehensively substantiate the significant efficacy and long-term safety of dual-target deep brain stimulation (DBS) therapy for patients with moderate-to-severe substance use disorders.

The world’s first dual-target deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgery for addiction treatment was successfully performed in the Ganjiang New Area of Jiangxi Province, a development that is by no means accidental. Outside the operating room, an industrialization pathway for brain-computer interfaces is rapidly taking shape.

As a national-level new area and the core hub for Jiangxi Province’s brain-computer interface (BCI) industry, Ganjiang New Area closely aligns with national strategic deployments, leverages its pioneering advantages, and anchors itself to the goal of building a pilot zone for future industries. By focusing on innovative investment promotion models, strengthening factor support, and deepening scenario-based applications, it has established a full-chain pathway from “laboratory” to “bedside” and from “concept” to “shelf.” A closed-loop industrial ecosystem has initially taken shape, positioning Ganjiang New Area at the forefront of the BCI wave.

To foster the development of the brain-computer interface (BCI) industry, Ganjiang New Area has issued the “Ten Measures of Ganjiang New Area on Supporting the High-Quality Development of the Brain-Computer Interface Industry,” providing comprehensive support across the entire value chain, including R&D subsidies, technology transfer, talent assurance, computing power, and financial services. The initiative establishes “three major application scenarios”—namely, a specialized BCI rehabilitation center, a BCI-based addiction treatment and rehabilitation center, and the Jiangxi Provincial Autism Research Demonstration Center—as well as “two foundational platforms”—the BCI Clinical Medical Research Center and the BCI Data Public Service Platform. These efforts provide enterprises with end-to-end support, encompassing clinical trial protocol design, subject recruitment, and outcome validation.

As the developer and manufacturer of the domestically produced dual-target implantable deep brain stimulation (DBS) system used in the world’s first dual-target DBS surgery for addiction treatment, a relevant representative from SceneRay Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as “SceneRay”) stated to reporters: “Leveraging the policy and platform advantages of Ganjiang New Area, SceneRay will systematically conduct post-market clinical studies on addiction treatment products and investigator-initiated trials (IIT) on dual-target gait disorder treatment in the New Area. Meanwhile, we are actively exploring frontier clinical applications for psychiatric disorders such as autism spectrum disorder and bipolar disorder.” Previously, SceneRay had taken the initiative to establish its presence at the Jiangxi Brain Valley Joint Innovation Center.

With the successful implementation of the inaugural surgery, this “Jiangxi Protocol” is evolving from an isolated case into a replicable and scalable global model. Looking ahead, Ganjiang New Area will continuously improve its industrial ecosystem, enhance platform efficiency, expand clinical resources, broaden application scenarios, refine policy measures, and strengthen financial support. It aims to steadily upgrade its end-to-end service capabilities across clinical practice, regulatory approval and registration, application deployment, and scientific research innovation. By providing comprehensive support spanning R&D subsidies, open-access scenarios, financial assistance, talent incentives, and living guarantees, the area seeks to achieve continuous breakthroughs in a wider range of brain-computer interface (BCI) medical applications, striving to build a nationally influential demonstration zone for BCI application scenarios.

(Edited by Bao Pengyu, Wang Shijun, and Shangguan Menglu)