Chinese neurosurgeons and scientists carried out a minimally invasive brain-spine interface (BSI) operation that enabled a paralysed patient to recover mobility.
The patient was able to stand and walk within 24 hours after the procedure.
This was the fourth proof-of-concept surgery at Shanghai’s Zhongshan Hospital, representing a world-first in restoring movement for a patient with complete paraplegia using BSI technology.
The system grew from a collaboration between Zhongshan Hospital and the Institute of Science and Technology for Brain-Inspired Intelligence at Fudan University.
Professors Wang Xin and Ding Jing of Zhongshan Hospital, together with Jia Fumin from Fudan University, led a clinical trial.
The trial assessed the safety and effectiveness of epidural electrical stimulation (EES) to restore motor function in people with spinal cord injuries.
After a spinal cord injury, communication between the brain and spinal neurons breaks down, causing paralysis.
Professor Jia’s team developed a three-in-one BSI technology to address this loss of connection.
They built a neural bridge that captures and decodes brain signals via a minimally invasive approach.
The system then delivers targeted electrical stimulation to specific nerve roots to restore voluntary movement.
Surgeons implanted two electrode chips into the motor cortex; each chip measured about one millimetre in diameter.
The combined brain and spinal procedures finished within four hours.
With the aid of AI, the patient showed leg movement within 24 hours, according to Fudan University.
A central technical hurdle for BSI is the limited number of implantable electrodes and the need for real-time decoding of motor intention.
Jia explained:
“If a patient wants to lift their leg, but the algorithm fails to decode the intention or delays by even a few seconds, the patient could fall.”
After three years of research, the team achieved a breakthrough in algorithm design, enabling seamless real-time decoding of motor intentions.
Between January and February this year, the team performed three proof-of-concept surgeries.
Patients with severe spinal cord injuries regained voluntary leg control within two weeks.
Jia added:
“The treatment outcomes for these paralysed patients met or even exceeded our expectations, preliminarily demonstrating the feasibility of the next-generation brain-spine interface solution. The completion of four surgeries across two hospitals also proves this technology is replicable and scalable. This is not just a technological victory but the beginning of a new life for paralysed patients.”
The team will continue refining the technology, aiming to restore ambulation to more spinal cord injury patients and offer renewed hope to millions worldwide.