Heilongjiang Completes First Fully Invasive Wireless Brain-Computer Interface Implantation

Background

Severe cervical spinal cord injuries can disrupt neural pathways between the brain and limbs, leading to high paraplegia or quadriplegia. Patients may lose the ability to stand, turn over, move limbs voluntarily or perform fine hand actions, and experience complications such as incontinence. A 56-year-old man referred to as Mr. Zhang sustained such an injury from a fall in July 2024. After conventional treatment and rehabilitation, he could not regain independent hand function or self-care abilities. Brain-computer interface (BCI) technology seeks to bypass damaged pathways by directly recording neural signals from the brain and translating intended movements into commands for external devices.

China has advanced domestic BCI development for clinical use. In 2025, the hospital completed the global first clinical trial using an implantable BCI microelectrode array for precise boundary localization of deep brain tumors in collaboration with the Chinese Academy of Sciences. In 2026, BCI technology was included in the government work report as one of the future industries to cultivate. The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University has participated in a national multicenter clinical trial for spinal cord injury patients initiated in May 2026 and led by Beijing Tiantan Hospital.

What was achieved

In late September 2026, neurosurgeons at The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University, led by Professor Shi Huaizhang, performed Heilongjiang province's first neuron-level high-throughput fully invasive wireless brain-computer interface implantation surgery. The procedure was conducted on Mr. Zhang after strict medical evaluation and enrollment in the clinical trial. The domestically developed system was implanted to establish a direct thought-control pathway between the brain and external equipment.

Postoperative testing showed the BCI system met all design performance requirements. The patient’s vital signs remained stable, and he entered the recovery and rehabilitation training phase. According to the trial protocol, standardized brain-control training was scheduled to begin in the fifth week after surgery, starting with motor imagery, model calibration and cursor control, before progressing to functional tasks using intelligent rehabilitation gloves. The hospital expects to enroll an additional two to three patients from the province as part of the national multicenter trial. Sources described the case as a breakthrough in the province’s clinical BCI applications.

How it works

In patients with spinal cord injury, the brain can still generate motor intent signals in areas such as the motor cortex, but these signals cannot reach the limbs. A fully invasive wireless BCI captures these signals at the source. During surgery, ultra-thin flexible electrodes only microns thick are implanted in the brain. These biocompatible electrodes detect high-resolution electrophysiological activity at the single-neuron level, offering greater decoding precision and degrees of control than less invasive methods.

The captured signals are sent to a fully implanted wireless data collector and transmitter equipped with a rechargeable battery. This design requires no external wires passing through the skin, reducing infection risk and supporting longer-term use. Data is transmitted wirelessly to external computers or devices, where algorithms decode the neural patterns corresponding to imagined movements. For rehabilitation, decoded signals can control a computer cursor or drive assistive devices such as a smart rehabilitation glove to produce grasping or extension motions. Training typically involves repeated motor imagery exercises to calibrate the system before advancing to practical tasks.

What it means for international patients

The successful implantation demonstrates expanding clinical use of domestically developed high-channel fully invasive wireless BCI systems in China for spinal cord injury. As this remains part of an ongoing multicenter clinical trial focused on safety and efficacy for quadriplegic patients, participation is limited to those meeting strict inclusion criteria after medical assessment.

The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University provides medical services to important foreign guests and maintains international academic exchanges. International patients interested in BCI or advanced neurosurgical care in China should contact the hospital directly to confirm current trial availability, individual eligibility, application procedures and any support services. Specific details regarding suitability must be verified with the hospital, as trial enrollment and treatment protocols are determined on a case-by-case basis.

About the hospital

The First Affiliated Hospital of Harbin Medical University is located in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province. Founded in 1949, it is a large comprehensive tertiary class A hospital affiliated with Harbin Medical University and functions as the province’s largest medical center and emergency care hub. It has thousands of beds, more than 50 clinical departments and thousands of staff members.

Neurosurgery is a national clinical key specialty with experience in neural injury repair and functional neurosurgery. The hospital has achieved A+ ratings in national performance assessments of tertiary public hospitals for six consecutive years. It operates multiple national key clinical specialty construction projects and provincial quality control centers. The institution also undertakes healthcare responsibilities for provincial-level leaders and important foreign guests, with medical reach extending to neighboring countries and regions.