On October 5th, an exciting breakthrough in medical technology was announced, offering renewed hope for individuals living with paralysis. Professor Jia Fumin and his team at Fudan University’s Institute of Brain-like Intelligence Science and Technology are pioneering research that involves implanting electrode chips into the brain and spinal cord, a process they refer to as creating a “neural bypass.” This innovative approach may allow paralysis patients to regain voluntary control of their muscles, potentially enabling them to stand and walk again.

I recently had the privilege of diving deeper into this transformative project, known as “Key Technologies and System Development for Implantable Brain-Spinal Interfaces.” This project has already garnered recognition, winning an award at the 2024 National Disruptive Technology Innovation Competition among approximately 1,400 entries. Clinical trials for the first patient are set to commence by the end of the year.

The challenge of restoring mobility to individuals paralyzed by spinal cord injuries has long confounded the medical community. The permanence of nerve damage has greatly restricted current treatment options. In 2023, a team led by Dr. Grégoire Courtine from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne offered initial validation of the brain-spinal interface’s potential for functional recovery. However, significant gaps remain in areas like motor decoding, personalized reconstruction of spinal nerve roots, and clinical application.

To address these complex issues, Professor Jia’s team has implemented an advanced multi-modal approach, using infrared motion capture, electromyography, inertial sensors, and pressure mapping to create datasets encompassing both normal and abnormal walking patterns. This comprehensive strategy facilitates the development of algorithmic models capable of precise tracking of gait dynamics across varying populations and conditions, providing a robust framework for brain-spinal interface technology.

A standout feature of their innovation is the “three-in-one” system design, which integrates three separate devices into a single cranial-implanted microdevice. This design not only reduces the size of post-operative incisions but also enables seamless data collection and stimulation, allowing for closed-loop control of the patient’s voluntary movements.

This approach marks a significant shift by moving the decoding process from external sources to the internal system of the body, thereby enhancing the stability and efficiency of brain signal acquisition. The ultimate goal is to achieve a decoding speed and stimulation command output within a hundred-millisecond range—much quicker than the typical two-hundred-millisecond reaction time seen in healthy individuals. This advancement points to the possibility that future walking patterns for individuals with spinal cord injuries could be more natural and fluid.

Looking ahead, Professor Jia aims to complete the product development and clinical translation of these key technologies for the implantable brain-spinal interface. He highlighted a strong commitment to developing three categories of active implantable innovative medical devices and establishing an intellectual property framework for smart brain-spinal interfaces, with the ultimate goal of benefiting spinal cord injury patients worldwide.