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In the past five years, a multidisciplinary research team at Fudan University has produced a number of major original achievements in the fields of materials, chips, artificial intelligence algorithms, neural engineering technology and clinical applications. It has also undertaken dozens of related scientific and technological projects, including the major project "Brain Science and Brain-like Research" of Science and Technology Innovation 2030. This is the team of the Fudan University Neuromodulation and Brain-Computer Interface Research Center. On August 3, the center was officially unveiled. The reporter walked into the center to find out.

"Brain-computer interface is a competitive highland at the forefront of international science and technology. Currently, China and foreign countries are basically on the same starting line. This is a good opportunity for us to 'overtake on the curve.'" Wang Shouyan, deputy director of the Institute of Brain-Inspired Intelligence Science and Technology at Fudan University, told reporters that in this center, 36 scientists in interdisciplinary fields will lead the interdisciplinary forces of medicine, science and engineering at Fudan University to promote the development of brain-computer interface theory and technology and create a seamless innovation chain of industry-university-research cooperation in the field of brain-computer interface.

Science is ahead of business, and we should plan ahead to overtake others

Neuralink, founded by Musk, showed the first video of a paralyzed patient implanted with a brain-computer interface device at the beginning of the year. On July 10, local time, Musk revealed that a second patient would soon use a brain-computer interface device. "Brain-computer interfaces have always attracted much attention because of their broad application prospects." Wang Shouyan said frankly that hundreds of millions of people around the world are currently facing problems with brain health, brain diseases, and brain rehabilitation. The fusion of neural regulation and brain-computer interface research is a new direction for the treatment of brain diseases. Brain-computer interactive neural regulation provides precise electronic drug solutions for brain function intervention, treatment and rehabilitation. It can be said that medical clinical applications will be the mainstream direction of brain-computer interface applications.

"Brain-computer interface research is progressing rapidly, and clinical progress in the scientific and medical communities is far ahead of commercial progress." Wang Shouyan introduced that if brain-computer interface research is divided into four stages, the implantation of Musk's brain-computer interface device is only the 1.0 stage - the result of "brain reading."

At present, relevant research has developed from "reading the brain" to "writing the brain" and "brain-computer interaction". The so-called "reading the brain" is to decode the information of the human brain, so that an isolated person can reconnect with the world, which can be applied to diseases such as consciousness disorders, autism, and ALS; the representative achievements of the "writing the brain" stage are the implantation of cochlear implants, retina, and deep brain stimulation, which allow patients to hear sounds, see light, and regain motor functions; "brain-computer interaction" is to use brain signals to guide and control the brain, and precise brain stimulation can be performed through intelligent neural control, which is helpful for the clinical treatment of depression, pain, epilepsy and other diseases.

In Wang Shouyan's view, the 4.0 stage of brain-computer interface can be regarded as a channel between the metaverse and humans. "The metaverse is essentially a digital world. Through the brain-computer interface, people can seamlessly exchange information in the metaverse." However, looking at the world, the current development of brain-computer interface industry in various countries faces the dilemma of not fully mature technology and upstream equipment not yet standardized and mass-produced. Only by planning in advance can we seize the development opportunity of "overtaking on the curve".

The goal of the Fudan University Neuromodulation and Brain-Computer Interface Research Center is to explore the principles of neuromodulation and brain-computer interface and become an innovation engine for achieving disruptive technological breakthroughs and medical and health applications. The center, which seems to have appeared overnight, is actually the result of "ten years of hard work".

Wang Shouyan said that Fudan University has accumulated more than ten years of research in brain-computer interface materials, electrodes, chips and clinical transformation applications. It coincides with the historical moment of the development of the brain-computer interface field. The center will help multidisciplinary scientists to communicate and cooperate and work together to tackle major clinical needs. In addition, the center will cooperate with the industry, Shanghai Medical Device Evaluation Center, and Medical Device Inspection Institute to transform cutting-edge results into medical device products.

Pursuing "breaking the circle" and looking forward to making full use of large installations

During the visit to the center, what impressed the reporter most was the large scientific facility.

Fudan University has invested 400 million yuan to build a world-class brain-computer interaction and brain-intelligence fusion research platform integrating "brain perception-brain computing-brain regulation". The university not only has a series of MRI equipment such as 3T, 5T, 7T, 11.7T, and 3TConnectom, as well as more than ten sets of neurophysiological equipment such as magnetoencephalography, electroencephalography, and near-infrared imaging, but also independently developed a digital brain and cognitive function monitoring and intervention platform, reaching the micron level, millisecond time scale, and cross-spatial region "seeing more, seeing more, seeing farther" brain and cognitive function monitoring technology capabilities.

In terms of brain computing, Fudan University has built a brain function database with multi-dimensional information such as imaging, genes, and cognition for depression, stroke, and autism, providing data and research platforms for neural decoding research.

Wang Shouyan believes that the country has invested a lot of money in building these internationally leading scientific equipment and databases, and they should be put to good use. Therefore, the scientific facilities are open to the scientific research community and the industry, becoming a scientific research sharing platform, or a bridge for industry-university-research cooperation and communication.

Another reason for the opening is that "only by breaking the circle can the center develop new application scenarios in use." Wang Shouyan said that in fact, the center itself is the product of the "breaking the circle" of disciplines. The center gathers an interdisciplinary team with Wang Yizheng, an academician of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, as the chief scientist. It is not only based on the Institute of Brain-like Intelligence Science and Technology of Fudan University, but also jointly built with the Institute of Brain Science, the Institute of Brain Science Translational Research, the School of Big Data, the Institute of Optoelectronics, the School of Information Science and Engineering, the National Key Laboratory of Chips and Systems, the Affiliated Huashan Hospital, the Affiliated Children's Hospital, the Affiliated Cancer Hospital and other units.

It is precisely because of breaking the circle that a number of major original achievements were born here. For example, Song Enming, a young researcher at the Institute of Optoelectronics of Fudan University, developed a nano-encapsulation technology of thermally grown silica to improve the biocompatibility of implants in the body, extending the theoretical life of implantable electronic devices from a maximum of a few months to nearly 60 years, covering the treatment cycle of most brain diseases; Zhang Jiayi, a researcher at the Institute of Brain Science, and Yan Biao, an associate researcher, and their research team developed an artificial retina with independent intellectual property rights. The team has now conducted clinical trials with the Affiliated Eye, Ear, Nose and Throat Hospital of Fudan University to reconstruct the visual function of totally blind patients.

Refuse "forced matchmaking" and brainstorm new issues

Many people are curious about how interdisciplinary teams can create scientific sparks in the center of the "battle of the gods"?

In this regard, Wang Shouyan said with a smile: "Matchmaking" will not work. We should use common scientific research needs and interests as a guide, so that people who are interested can brainstorm around a problem and come up with a new idea. In fact, this emphasis on cross-disciplinary perspectives is also related to Wang Shouyan's personal academic background. He studied biomedical engineering as an undergraduate, interned in the outpatient department of the cardiology department of a hospital for one year during his doctoral studies, and worked in the field of neurosurgery as a postdoctoral fellow. Interdisciplinary research has opened up new horizons for him in pain research.

Song Enming is one of the beneficiaries of interdisciplinary studies. He told reporters that in addition to implantable devices, brain-computer interface research also requires chip integration, code interpretation, the establishment of a large database of brain-like computing, and the assistance of a large number of neurosurgeons. "The function of the human brain is an unknown field, and there are many new directions to be explored. Brain-computer interface research is like a melting pot, and the intersection of medicine and engineering is a major trend. The country is also encouraging interdisciplinary studies, and there are more and more medical and engineering interdisciplinary projects in China, and innovation requires the collision of ideas from different fields."

The center not only encourages professors and researchers to "break the circle", but also sets up scholarships for early-stage graduate students and establishes a joint science, engineering and medical tutor group to guide students in researching cross-disciplinary topics. Two students from different departments must attend at least four group meetings in each other's research group and write a study report together to truly understand each other's research content and needs. Currently, ten projects have been launched.

Author: Wu Jinjiao

Text: Wu Jinjiao Photos: Provided by Fudan University Editor: Chu Shuting Responsible Editor: Jiang Peng

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