Chinese brain chip project speeds up human trials after first success

A tie-up between a Chinese research institute and a tech company said on Monday it aims to implant its brain chip into 13 people by the end of this year in a move that could see it overtake Elon Musk's Neuralink in collecting patient data.

The Beijing-based Chinese Institute for Brain Research (CIBR) and NeuCyber NeuroTech has inserted Beinao No 1, a semi-invasive wireless brain chip, into three patients in the past month and has 10 more lined up for this year, said Luo Minmin, director of CIBR and NeuCyber's chief scientist.

State-owned NeuCyber has ambitions for a larger trial.

“Next year after getting regulatory approval we will do formal clinical trials that will include about 50 patients,” Luo told reporters on the sidelines of the tech-focused Zhongguancun Forum in Beijing. He did not elaborate on funding or the length of the trials.

The acceleration of human trials by CIBR and NeuCyber could make Beinao No 1 the brain chip with the highest number of patients in the world, underlining China's determination to catch up with leading foreign brain–computer interface (BCI) developers.

US BCI company Synchron, whose investors include billionaires Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, is the global leader in human trials with 10 patients, six in the US and four in Australia. Musk's Neuralink has three people with its implant.

Neuralink is working on wireless brain chips that are inserted inside the brain to maximise signal quality, while its rivals are working on semi-invasive chips, or BCI systems, which are placed on the brain's surface. While this sacrifices signal quality there is less risk of brain tissue damage and other post-surgery complications.

Videos published by state media this month showed patients suffering from some kind of paralysis using the Beinao No 1 brain chip to control a robotic arm to pour a cup of water, transmitting their thoughts onto a computer screen.

“Since news of Beinao No 1's successful human trials came out we have received countless pleas for help,” Luo added.

Last year, CIBR and NeuCyber had not even started human trials, announcing instead that an invasive chip it had developed, Beinao No 2, had been tested successfully on a monkey, which was able to control a robotic arm.

Luo said a wireless version of Beinao No 2 resembling Neuralink's product was being developed and he expected it to be tested on its first human within the next 12 to 18 months.

Synchron recently announced a partnership with Nvidia to integrate the chipmaker's AI platform onto the company's BCI systems. Luo said while CIBR and NeuCyber were in talks with investors and eager to raise funds, companies looking to partner on Beinao would need to be “forward-looking” and not focused on making a quick profit.

“In the short-term when it comes to BCI, the stuff that can be sold is limited,” said Luo, adding Beinao had no ties to the Chinese military and was focused on helping patients suffering from different types of paralysis.

NeuCyber is owned by the Zhongguancun Development Corporation, which generated more than 9bn yuan (R22.67bn) in revenue in 2023, according to Chinese corporate records.

Reuters