Latest news with #ALS
Yahoo
16 hours ago
- Health
- Yahoo
China is catching up to the US in brain tech, rivaling firms like Elon Musk's Neuralink
'I want to eat' popped up in Chinese characters on a computer at a public hospital in central Beijing. The words were formed from the thoughts of a 67-year-old woman with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, who is unable to speak. The demonstration, captured on video in March by Beijing Radio and Television Station, was part of a clinical trial involving five patients implanted with a coin-sized chip called Beinao-1, a wireless so-called brain computer interface (BCI) – a technology led by scientists in the US, but in which experts say China is quickly catching up. Luo Minmin, director of the Chinese Institute for Brain Research (CIBR) and the chief scientist behind the trial, said there was a 'very strong' need for BCI technology, saying they had been 'overwhelmed' by requests from potential patients. 'The patients were saying that this feels so great, like they can gain or regain the control of (their) muscles,' he told CNN in May during a rare interview at his lab, located an hour's drive away from Beijing Xuanwu Hospital, where the trial took place. Luo said the technology was showing 'high accuracy' in decoding signals from the brains of patients and translating the signals into text speech or machine movements. His team is planning to speed up human trials by implanting chips into 50 to 100 more patients over the next year. 'We are hoping that we can move this process faster,' he said. 'If it's proven to be safe and effective … it can be used clinically across the world.' As of May, Beinao-1 says a total of five patients, the same number as Elon Musk's Neuralink, has its implants. Another US company Synchron, whose investors include Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, has undergone trials with 10 patients, six in the United States and four in Australia. Maximilian Riesenhuber, a professor of neuroscience at Georgetown University who was not involved in the Beinao trials, told CNN that despite starting later than the US, China is making advances. 'China has definitely shown the ability to not just catch up, but also then be competitive, and now actually to start, also to drive the field in some areas,' he said. 'Excitingly, there's a lot of research activities in both countries, because they've realized the potential in BCI.' According to Precedence Research, a market research firm, the market for brain technology was worth about $2.6 billion last year and is expected to rise to $12.4 billion by 2034. But for both China and the US, this technology is about much more than cash. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has long aimed to turn his country into a science and economic powerhouse. In March, he wrote in state-owned media that the tech industry had become the 'forefront' and 'main battlefield' of global competition. His ambitions have sparked concern in the US, resulting in an ongoing tech war, particularly in the semiconductor industry. A different approach CIBR was jointly founded by the Beijing municipal government and several local universities in 2018, about two years after Elon Musk founded Neuralink near San Francisco. In 2023, CIBR incubated a private company named NeuCyber NeuroTech to focus on brain tech products such as Beinao-1. Luo, who is also the startup's chief scientist, gave CNN rare access to the institute in May. For years, he said, the ALS patient, who is in her 60s, was unable to express herself. 'She's awake, she knows what she wants but she could not speak out,' said the scientist, who got his PhD in neuroscience from the University of Pennsylvania and spent nearly a decade in the US. 'Following the implantation, she can now speak simple sentences quite accurately via the system.' All BCI researchers must address the balance between risk and effectiveness. Riensenhuber said most American firms use the more invasive method to place chips inside the dura mater, an outer layer of tissue that covers and protects the brain and spinal cord, in order to capture better signal. But these methods require riskier surgeries. 'It is interesting to see that NeuCyber is apparently able to get enough information even through the dura to allow the decoding of specific words,' he said. The test on the ALS patient, which began in March, marked the Beinao-1 chip's third trial in humans. Those trials made up what the developers described in a press release as 'the world's first batch of semi-invasive implantation of wireless BCI in human brains.' As of May, two more trials have been conducted, for a total of five. Clear ambition Amid rising geopolitical tensions, comparisons between US and Chinese tech breakthroughs are common. Brain computer interface technology first started in the 1970s in the US. Decades later, the Obama Administration launched its 'Brain Initiative' in 2013, investing more than $3 billion to fund over a thousand neuroscience technology projects since, according to the National Institute of Health. Synchron, based in New York, was the first firm to start human trials in July 2021. Three years later, a new BCI system developed at UC Davis Health translated the brain signals of an ALS patient into speech, achieving an accuracy of 97% – the most accurate system of its kind, the university said in a statement. The same year, Musk's company completed its first human trial, enabling the participant to control a computer mouse with a brain implant. China got its start in brain tech only in the 1990s, but it's advancing fast. In 2014, Chinese scientists introduced the idea of a national project on brain tech to match similar efforts in the US and Europe, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology. Two years later, brain tech was mentioned in the country's five-year plan, which outlines China's national priorities and goals. 'Brain science is new in China,' said Lily Lin, a former research assistant at one of China's top neuroscience research units from 2021 to 2023. 'So, it started a bit late, but its speed of development has been faster than other countries. And the country has given a lot of funding to many scientific research units, and this funding is increasing every year.' Last year, the government issued its first ethical guidelines for research in this area. At the local level, municipal governments in Beijing, Shanghai and other major cities have also offered support for brain technology companies from research and clinical trials to commercialization. Riesenhuber and other researchers from Georgetown University published research on China's BCI development in 2024, stating that efforts from Chinese researchers were 'comparable in sophistication' to those in the US and the United Kingdom. 'We found China's non-invasive BCI research to be comparable with that of other scientifically advanced nations and to be working to overcome obstacles to greater fidelity, throughput, and wider use,' according to the issue brief. 'China's invasive BCI research, while historically behind its non-invasive efforts, has picked up the pace and is approaching global standards of sophistication.' Luo, who has worked in both countries, says the US is the 'front-runner' in both invasive and non-invasive brain tech. But, comparing Beinao-1 and Neuralink is like looking at 'apples and oranges,' he added. The two systems differ not only in implant location but also in the type of brain signals recorded, as well as the method of data transmission. The Chinese chip records a wider range of brain areas, with lower precision for each neuron. 'All in all, I don't think these two products are in a competitive or exclusive relationship,' Luo added. 'The jury is still out, and we don't know yet which route will ultimately benefit patients better.' CNN's Joyce Jiang contributed to this report.
Euronews
a day ago
- Business
- Euronews
Neuralink implants brain-computer device into ninth participant
Neuralink said it implanted its brain-computer interface (BCI) device in its eighth and ninth participants over the weekend. The Elon Musk-owned company aims to help paralysed people use their computers and smartphones using only their thoughts. It works by connecting a person's nervous system to devices that can interpret their brain activity. This was the first time the neurotechnology company did two surgeries in one day, Neuralink said on the Musk-owned social media platform X. 'Both participants are recovering well and in great spirits,' the company said. 'We are looking forward to supporting them on their Neuralink journey'. The company did not disclose additional details about the participants' health or locations. Neuralink said in 2023 that US regulators had given it permission to test its device in people. The company implanted its first device in January 2024, in a man who was paralysed after a spinal cord injury. The implant made it possible for him to play video games and chess. After the third person got a Neuralink implant in January, Musk said he hoped it would be given to 20 to 30 more people this year. Other participants have also had spinal cord injuries or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), which over time erodes patients' ability to move their arms, legs, and body. Neuralink's device is still in early clinical trials, testing the implant's initial safety and functionality in people with specific medical conditions that limit their mobility. But Musk has hyped it as a tool that could one day have much broader appeal. 'Neuralink will do live-changing [sic] good for ultimately millions, maybe billions, of people,' Musk wrote on X after the latest surgeries were announced. 'Imagine your loved one being able to walk again or your parent with dementia being able to recognise their child again,' he added. Neuralink is one of several companies working on BCIs. Other studies are exploring their use for people with cerebral palsy, dementia, stroke, and other health issues, according to a US clinical trials database.
Toronto Star
a day ago
- Business
- Toronto Star
ProMIS Neurosciences Announces $0.8 Million Registered Direct Offering, Priced At-the-Market Under Nasdaq Rules
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, July 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ProMIS Neurosciences Inc. (Nasdaq: PMN), a clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies targeting toxic misfolded proteins in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzhiemer's disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson's disease (PD), today announced that it has raised $0.8 million at-the-market from an existing healthcare focused institutional investor. The company has entered into a definitive agreement for the issuance and sale of pre-funded warrants (the 'Pre-Funded Warrants') to purchase 984,736 common shares, no par value (the 'Common Shares'). The Pre-Funded Warrants were sold at a price of $0.8124 per share, which represents the per share offering price for the Common Shares less a $0.0001 per share exercise price for each such Pre-Funded Warrant. The Pre-Funded Warrants will be immediately excercisable at a nominal exercise price of $0.0001 per share and may be exercised at any time until the Pre-Funded Warrants are exercised in full. The closing of the offering is expected to occur on or about July 24, 2025, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions.
Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Business
- Hamilton Spectator
ProMIS Neurosciences Announces $0.8 Million Registered Direct Offering, Priced At-the-Market Under Nasdaq Rules
CAMBRIDGE, Massachusetts, July 22, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ProMIS Neurosciences Inc. (Nasdaq: PMN), a clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies targeting toxic misfolded proteins in neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzhiemer's disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and Parkinson's disease (PD), today announced that it has raised $0.8 million at-the-market from an existing healthcare focused institutional investor. The company has entered into a definitive agreement for the issuance and sale of pre-funded warrants (the 'Pre-Funded Warrants') to purchase 984,736 common shares, no par value (the 'Common Shares'). The Pre-Funded Warrants were sold at a price of $0.8124 per share, which represents the per share offering price for the Common Shares less a $0.0001 per share exercise price for each such Pre-Funded Warrant. The Pre-Funded Warrants will be immediately excercisable at a nominal exercise price of $0.0001 per share and may be exercised at any time until the Pre-Funded Warrants are exercised in full. The closing of the offering is expected to occur on or about July 24, 2025, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions. The gross proceeds to ProMIS are expected to be approximately $0.8 million, before deducting certain offering expenses. ProMIS intends to use the net proceeds from the offering towards its further advancement of the clinical development of PMN310, its lead therapeutic candidate, as well as for working capital and other general corporate expenses. The securities above are being offering pursuant to a shelf registration statement on Form S-3 (333-274658) that was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the 'SEC') on September 22, 2023, amended on September 27, 2023 and declared effective by the SEC on September 29, 2023. The offering is being made only by means of the written prospectus and prospectus supplement that form a part of the registration statement. A prospectus supplement relating to and describing the terms of the offering will be filed with the SEC and will be available on the SEC's website at . This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of offers to buy any of the securities being offered, and shall not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale of any security in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction. About ProMIS Neurosciences Inc. ProMIS Neurosciences is a clinical-stage biotechnology company committed to the discovery and development of therapeutic antibodies selective for toxic oligomers associated with the development and progression of neurodegenerative and other misfolded protein diseases. The Company's proprietary target discovery engine, EpiSelect™, predicts novel targets known as Disease Specific Epitopes (DSEs) on the molecular surface of misfolded proteins that cause neurodegenerative and other misfolded protein diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), multiple system atrophy (MSA), and Parkinson's Disease (PD). ProMIS has offices in Cambridge, Massachusetts (USA) and Toronto, Ontario (CAN). Forward-Looking Statements This press release contains forward-looking statements that are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Certain information in this news release constitutes forward-looking statements and forward-looking information (collectively, 'forward-looking information') within the meaning of applicable securities laws. In some cases, but not necessarily in all cases, forward-looking information can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology such as 'plans', 'pleased to', 'look forward to', 'potential to', 'targets', 'expects' or 'does not expect', 'is expected', 'excited about', 'an opportunity exists', 'is positioned', 'estimates', 'intends', 'assumes', 'anticipates' or 'does not anticipate' or 'believes', or variations of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results 'may', 'could', 'would', 'might', 'will' or 'will be taken', 'occur' or 'be achieved'. In addition, any statements that refer to expectations, projections or other characterizations of future events or circumstances contain forward-looking information. Specifically, this news release contains forward-looking information relating to the the expected timing for the closing of the offering and the anticipated use of proceeds from the offering. Statements containing forward-looking information are not historical facts but instead represent management's current expectations, estimates and projections regarding the future of our business, future plans, strategies, projections, anticipated events and trends, the economy and other future conditions. Forward-looking information is necessarily based on a number of opinions, assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company as of the date of this news release, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including, but not limited to, the Company's ability to fund its operations and continue as a going concern, its accumulated deficit and the expectation for continued losses and future financial results. Forward-looking information is necessarily based on a number of opinions, assumptions and estimates that, while considered reasonable by the Company as of the date of this news release, are subject to known and unknown risks, uncertainties and assumptions and other factors that may cause the actual results, level of activity, performance or achievements to be materially different from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking information, including, but not limited to, the risk that clinical results or early results may not be indicative of future results, the Company's ability to fund its operations and continue as a going concern, its accumulated deficit and the expectation for continued losses and future financial results. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking information include, among others, the factors discussed throughout the 'Risk Factors' section of the Company's most recently filed Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2024 and in its subsequent filings filed with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission. Except as required by applicable securities laws, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking information, whether written or oral, that may be made from time to time, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise. For further information: Visit us at Please submit media inquiries to info@ For Investor Relations, please contact: Kaytee Bock Zafereo
RNZ News
3 days ago
- Health
- RNZ News
China is catching up to the US in brain tech, rivaling firms like Elon Musk's Neuralink
By Kristie Lu Stout and Fred He , CNN The chip of Beinao-1 is about the size of a coin. CNN Photo: CNN Newsource "I want to eat" popped up in Chinese characters on a computer at a public hospital in central Beijing. The words were formed from the thoughts of a 67-year-old woman with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's Disease, who is unable to speak. The demonstration, captured on video in March by Beijing Radio and Television Station, was part of a clinical trial involving five patients implanted with a coin-sized chip called Beinao-1, a wireless so-called brain computer interface (BCI) - a technology led by scientists in the US, but in which experts say China is quickly catching up. Luo Minmin, director of the Chinese Institute for Brain Research (CIBR) and the chief scientist behind the trial, said there was a "very strong" need for BCI technology, saying they had been "overwhelmed" by requests from potential patients. "The patients were saying that this feels so great, like they can gain or regain the control of (their) muscles," he told CNN in May during a rare interview at his lab, located an hour's drive away from Beijing Xuanwu Hospital, where the trial took place. Luo said the technology was showing "high accuracy" in decoding signals from the brains of patients and translating the signals into text speech or machine movements. His team is planning to speed up human trials by implanting chips into 50 to 100 more patients over the next year. "We are hoping that we can move this process faster," he said. "If it's proven to be safe and effective … it can be used clinically across the world." Luo Minmin at the Chinese Institute for Brain Research lab, in Beijingon May 28, 2025 Photo: CNN Newsource As of May, Beinao-1 says a total of five patients, the same number as Elon Musk's Neuralink , has its implants. Another US company Synchron, whose investors include Jeff Bezos and Bill Gates, has undergone trials with 10 patients, six in the United States and four in Australia. Maximilian Riesenhuber, a professor of neuroscience at Georgetown University who was not involved in the Beinao trials, told CNN that despite starting later than the US, China is making advances. "China has definitely shown the ability to not just catch up, but also then be competitive, and now actually to start, also to drive the field in some areas," he said. "Excitingly, there's a lot of research activities in both countries, because they've realized the potential in BCI." According to Precedence Research, a market research firm, the market for brain technology was worth about $2.6 billion last year and is expected to rise to $12.4 billion by 2034. But for both China and the US, this technology is about much more than cash. Chinese leader Xi Jinping has long aimed to turn his country into a science and economic powerhouse. In March, he wrote in state-owned media that the tech industry had become the "forefront" and "main battlefield" of global competition. His ambitions have sparked concern in the US, resulting in an ongoing tech war, particularly in the semiconductor industry. CIBR was jointly founded by the Beijing municipal government and several local universities in 2018, about two years after Elon Musk founded Neuralink near San Francisco. In 2023, CIBR incubated a private company named NeuCyber NeuroTech to focus on brain tech products such as Beinao-1. Luo, who is also the startup's chief scientist, gave CNN rare access to the institute in May. For years, he said, the ALS patient, who is in her 60s, was unable to express herself. "She's awake, she knows what she wants but she could not speak out," said the scientist, who got his PhD in neuroscience from the University of Pennsylvania and spent nearly a decade in the US. "Following the implantation, she can now speak simple sentences quite accurately via the system." All BCI researchers must address the balance between risk and effectiveness. Riensenhuber said most American firms use the more invasive method to place chips inside the dura mater, an outer layer of tissue that covers and protects the brain and spinal cord, in order to capture better signal. But these methods require riskier surgeries. "It is interesting to see that NeuCyber is apparently able to get enough information even through the dura to allow the decoding of specific words," he said. The test on the ALS patient, which began in March, marked the Beinao-1 chip's third trial in humans. Those trials made up what the developers described in a press release as "the world's first batch of semi-invasive implantation of wireless BCI in human brains." As of May, two more trials have been conducted, for a total of five. Amid rising geopolitical tensions, comparisons between US and Chinese tech breakthroughs are common. Brain computer interface technology first started in the 1970s in the US. Decades later, the Obama Administration launched its "Brain Initiative" in 2013, investing more than $3 billion to fund over a thousand neuroscience technology projects since, according to the National Institute of Health. Synchron, based in New York, was the first firm to start human trials in July 2021. Three years later, a new BCI system developed at UC Davis Health translated the brain signals of an ALS patient into speech, achieving an accuracy of 97% - the most accurate system of its kind, the university said in a statement. The same year, Musk's company completed its first human trial , enabling the participant to control a computer mouse with a brain implant . China got its start in brain tech only in the 1990s, but it's advancing fast. In 2014, Chinese scientists introduced the idea of a national project on brain tech to match similar efforts in the US and Europe, according to the Ministry of Science and Technology. Two years later, brain tech was mentioned in the country's five-year plan, which outlines China's national priorities and goals. "Brain science is new in China," said Lily Lin, a former research assistant at one of China's top neuroscience research units from 2021 to 2023. "So, it started a bit late, but its speed of development has been faster than other countries. And the country has given a lot of funding to many scientific research units, and this funding is increasing every year." Last year, the government issued its first ethical guidelines for research in this area. At the local level, municipal governments in Beijing, Shanghai and other major cities have also offered support for brain technology companies from research and clinical trials to commercialization. Brain models on display inside the lab of CIBR in Beijing, China on May 28, 2025. Photo: CNN Newsource Riesenhuber and other researchers from Georgetown University published research on China's BCI development in 2024, stating that efforts from Chinese researchers were "comparable in sophistication" to those in the US and the United Kingdom. "We found China's non-invasive BCI research to be comparable with that of other scientifically advanced nations and to be working to overcome obstacles to greater fidelity, throughput, and wider use," according to the issue brief. "China's invasive BCI research, while historically behind its non-invasive efforts, has picked up the pace and is approaching global standards of sophistication." Luo, who has worked in both countries, says the US is the "front-runner" in both invasive and non-invasive brain tech. But, comparing Beinao-1 and Neuralink is like looking at "apples and oranges," he added. The two systems differ not only in implant location but also in the type of brain signals recorded, as well as the method of data transmission. The Chinese chip records a wider range of brain areas, with lower precision for each neuron. "All in all, I don't think these two products are in a competitive or exclusive relationship," Luo added. "The jury is still out, and we don't know yet which route will ultimately benefit patients better." - CNN
