This week's medical device news highlights a surge in capital for Chinese startups, including funding rounds for AlphaStar Medical, Barty Medical, and Nansu Technology, alongside Percutek Therapeutics' pivot to a Beijing Stock Exchange listing. Key technological milestones include MicroPort Robotics' Toumai remote surgery system receiving EU CE certification. Domestically, the NMPA approved new cardiovascular and blood purification devices from Fengkaili Medical and Tianyi Medical, while strategic partnerships and AI-driven regional initiatives advanced across China. In global regulatory updates, the US FDA reclassified several devices to Class II, and Australia's TGA gears up for mandatory UDI implementation for high-risk devices on July 1, 2026.

Beijing-based XS Vision, spun out of Peking University, has achieved significant breakthroughs in invasive visual brain-computer interface technology. The company has developed a 10,000-channel neural graphics card system architecture, recognized as a key international benchmark for high-bandwidth, high-resolution information exchange in the visual BCI field. The technology uses high-density electrode arrays to directly stimulate the brain's visual cortex, encoding external images into electrical signals to reconstruct artificial vision for patients with damaged optic nerve pathways. The team has also developed and validated a multi-scale neural interface system-level chip, removing physical barriers to full implantation. Preliminary human clinical trials have returned positive feedback. Backed by over a decade of accumulated data from more than 100 cases of invasive electrophysiology, the company aims to establish an independent and controllable technology path for China's brain-computer interface development.

It is precisely due to the in-depth research into the neural mechanisms underlying addiction that Neurestora® multicenter clinical trial data demonstrate significantly superior outcomes compared to traditional drug detoxification regimens, with particularly prominent long-term efficacy advantages: the 6-month abstinence rate (non-relapse rate) reaches 80%, approximately 70% of patients achieve 10-year abstinence, and some patients can have the device removed after two years of treatment, allowing them to return to normal daily life.

More importantly, neural activity itself is a bioelectrical signal that changes over time. To truly achieve modulation coding, one cannot rely solely on fixed-frequency, fixed-intensity stimulation patterns; rather, stimulation sequences that dynamically match neural activity must be applied. By linking task-based stimulation, electroencephalographic feedback, modulation parameters, and training data, Nans Tech aims to make treatment protocols and outcomes more predictable and interpretable, while also providing more robust data support for clinical research and product iteration.

Nanochap Electronics Co., Ltd. has unveiled interim GCP trial results for its high-resolution visual brain-computer interface, setting a global record: a patient blind for nearly two decades recognized complex letters one day after implant activation. The breakthrough outpaces conventional artificial retinal devices, which typically require 3–6 months of intensive training to deliver functional vision, marking a key leap from lab research to clinical application. The milestone was delivered by its retinal-pathway E-BCI product, part of the company’s dual-track visual restoration pipeline that also includes a cortical V-BCI offering.

Life Biosciences has initiated the first human trial of a partial cellular reprogramming gene therapy targeting glaucoma, with the first patient dosed on June 9. The approach activates three genes to restore youthful cell function while avoiding carcinogenic risks. Separately, Chinese BCI company NeuroXess enabled two high-level paralysis patients—located 800 kilometers apart in Shanghai and Nanchang—to play a real-time chess match using brain-controlled interfaces, demonstrating end-to-end system latency under 50 milliseconds and robust cross-user generalization.

In a landmark demonstration by NeuroXess (BrainCo), two high-level quadriplegic patients played a full game of Chinese chess across 800 kilometers using only their thoughts. One patient in Shanghai controlled a virtual chessboard via BCI, transmitting moves to a robot in Nanchang that physically moved pieces, while the other used a brain-controlled exoskeleton glove to manipulate real chess pieces. The system achieved a full-chain latency of under 50 ms and a brain-control rate of 5.2 bits/s, showcasing advanced neural decoding, real-time device control, and fine motor assistance.