Zhang Yudong, Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the China Association for Promoting Democracy and Standing Member of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, Leads Delegation to Visit Jieti Medical

The research team visited the company's laboratory and listened carefully to the introduction by Zhao Zhengtuo and Li Xue, founders of StairMed, on the company's core technological breakthroughs and clinical progress, including ultra-flexible electrodes, miniature implants, invasive brain-computer interface systems, and automated implantation devices.

Zhang Yudong gave full affirmation to the achievements made by StairMed, pointing out that the series of cutting-edge breakthroughs achieved by the StairMed team in the strategic emerging field of invasive brain-computer interfaces are highly encouraging. It is hoped that StairMed can continue to strive for progress, keep exploring, and make greater contributions to the development of China's brain-computer interface field.

Huang Weidong, Director of the Science and Technology Medical and Health Committee of the Central Committee of the China Democratic League, Zhang Feng, Deputy Director, Wan Lifen, Full-time Deputy Director of the Science and Technology Medical and Health Committee and Deputy Minister of the Participatory Government Department of the Central Committee of the China Democratic League, Miao Yingwei, Secretary General of the Science and Technology Medical and Health Committee, Fu Xiaofeng, Deputy Director of the Fifth Department of the Ministry of Science and Technology, and Yu Ting, Full-time Deputy Director of the Jiangsu Provincial Committee of the China Democratic League, participated in the investigation. Qu Wei, Deputy Director of the Shanghai Science and Technology Commission, Yang Rong, Deputy Secretary-General of the Shanghai Municipal Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, and Chen Linxia, Deputy Minister of the United Front Work Department of the Pudong New Area Committee of the Communist Party of China, accompanied the investigation.

It is reported that the prospective clinical trial of StairMed's self-developed ultra-flexible minimally invasive implantable brain-computer interface system has achieved phased progress in March. A quadriplegic subject, after receiving a brain-computer interface implant surgery at Huashan Hospital Affiliated with Fudan University, was able to "mentally control" the computer cursor after three weeks of training, using thoughts to play racing, Gomoku, and other computer games. The level of cursor control is similar to that of an ordinary person using a touchpad and is still continuously improving.

One month after the surgery, the participant played a racing game using brain control. (Photo provided by StairMed)

This is the first prospective clinical trial in China for an invasive brain-computer interface before registration, and StairMed has become the second company globally to enter the clinical stage for invasive brain-computer interfaces, following Musk's Neuralink.

The implant has a diameter of 26mm and a thickness of less than 6mm, making it the smallest brain-controlled implant in the world, about the size of a coin. The part embedded in the brain is located at the tip of the electrode, which is barely visible to the naked eye. (Photo provided by StairMed.)

Zhao Zhengtuo, founder of StairMed and researcher at the Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, stated that compared to Neuralink, which also adopts an invasive approach, StairMed's implant is about half as thin. Therefore, it does not need to penetrate the skull; it only requires a 5-millimeter groove to be "thinned out" on the skull above the motor cortex to embed the device. A small hole is then drilled in the groove to implant the electrode tip into the brain tissue, with a depth of approximately 5-8 millimeters.

To reduce damage to brain tissue, these electrodes need to be made extremely tiny and flexible. The electrodes used by StairMed are currently the smallest neural electrodes in the world, with a cross-sectional area only 1/5 to 1/7 of those used by Neuralink. These electrodes are so delicate that they can float in the air. When they bend, the force they exert is similar to the interaction between cells, making the brain cells almost "unaware" of the presence of a foreign object nearby.

StairMed stated that there will be approximately 3 to 4 such prospective clinical trials in total, with an overall follow-up period of about 1 year, providing preliminary verification of the product's safety and efficacy. Early next year, StairMed will initiate large-scale, multi-center registration clinical trials, expecting to recruit 30 to 40 subjects. Including the time for recruitment, follow-up, data collection, and registration review, the product is expected to enter the market around 2028.

Source: StairMed, The Paper