Shanghai expert leads world's first cohort study on brain-computer interface technology

Innovative brain-computer interface

Medical experts in the city are leading the world's first clinical cohort study on brain-computer interface technology (BCI) on patients with spinal cord injury for upper limb function recovery.

The study conducted by Shanghai's Huashan Hospital and Beijing's Xuanwu Hospital recruited the first two patients on Wednesday, and the recruitment of all patients is expected to be fulfilled in months, experts said during the annual meeting of the Asian Society for Neuro-Oncology in the city.

"It will be the world's first large-scale clinical study on the invasive BCI's clinical value and effects further to confirm the safety and efficacy of the novel technology, pushing its clinical use, industrial development and commercial application," said Dr Mao Ying, president of Huashan Hospital and the study's leading scientist.

All the technology and the device in the study have been developed in China and the engineers are from Tsinghua University's biomedical engineering team, said Mao, whose hospital conducted the nation's third and Shanghai's first BCI implant surgery on a 38-year-old patient with a spinal cord injury late last year.

The male patient could hold a cup and drink water on his own just one month later. Two previous patients in Beijing were implanted with the device in 2023.

The procedure involves implanting a coin-sized device in a patient's skull to gather neural data from sensory and motor brain areas. The surgeons place an external magnetic coil beneath the scalp to facilitate power and signal transfer.

Doctors can quickly pinpoint hand motor and sensory brain regions using an online brain function positioning system without waking the patient during surgery.

The technology also includes a prosthetic glove that allows the user to manipulate brain signals to execute everyday actions like picking up a cup and grabbing objects.

After the surgery, engineers from Tsinghua University continue to optimize and renovate the device's algorithm, as each person's brain algorithm differs, and monitor and guide the patient's rehabilitation.

High-tech in brain cancer surgery

At Huashan Hospital, home of the National Center for Neurological Disorders, doctors develop technology and therapy for brain diseases.

They have developed a 3D holographic neurological surgery application platform with a combination of medical imaging models, artificial intelligence and mixed reality technologies to allow doctors to visualize the structure of the brain to guide operations.

By uploading imaging data before surgery, the system can generate a precise model of lesions in the brain and its nearby structures. During surgery, doctors, wearing AR glasses linked to a digital system, can see the holographic model, which is directly projected onto the patient and overlays exactly the surgical position on the real patient.

The system can achieve a millimeter-level accuracy to reduce surgery risk, shorten surgery time and cut equipment costs.

"It is also very meaningful to grassroots doctors and doctors in rural regions. The system can help these doctors to improve their medical capability, and experts from Huashan Hospital can also give them timely guidance," said Mao, whose hospital has introduced the system to many grassroots hospitals in provinces such as Jiangxi and Yunnan.

"In addition, an AI-based pathological section evaluation system on brain cancer diagnosis has also been developed by our hospital to assist doctors in improving diagnosis and regulating treatment," Mao said.

Huashan Hospital has also teamed up with experts at home and abroad to study cutting-edge brain cancer therapy

"We have just published a study in cooperation with Heidelberg University and ShanghaiTech University by using brain cancer cells to grow brain organoids outside the body. This technology allows us to do multiple screenings and tests on the organoids to find the most suitable chemotherapy medicines and a better treatment plan for the patient," he said. "This technology has started clinical transformation. It will be a very important milestone and highlight in the customized and precise treatment of brain cancer."

It is also a good example of international cooperation and a boost for Shanghai's biomedicine industry, he added.