A large project aimed at helping visually impaired people is under way. Sechenov University and the National Research University of Electronic Technology (MIET) — participants of the “Priority 2030” academic leadership programme — collaborate in the development of a neural implant system. The other stakeholders are the Deaf-Blind Support Foundation “Con-nection” and the non-profit Laboratory “Sensor-Tech”.

The device, ELVIS brain implant, is designed to help blind and deaf-blind people restore vision. This technology has recently moved to the last stage of pre-clinical studies — testing on primates.

The project team, which included scientists from the Institute for Bionic Technologies and Engineering at Sechenov University and researchers from MIET, created a flexible biocompatible multielectrode device for the visual cortex of the brain, which is responsible for processing visual information.

The Research Institute of Medical Primatology in Sochi (Russia) became the site of the first surgery during which the neural implant, an innovative multielectrode device, was installed into the brain of a six-year-old male baboon. The operation was performed according to a special protocol. The surgery was successful, and the neural implant demonstrated high efficiency.

The two-hour-long operation was conducted by Artur Biktimirov, a neurosurgeon with more than 16 years of experience in complex brain surgeries. The supporting team included a neurophysiologist, anaesthesiologists, and vets. After the operation, the baboon felt well and recovered quickly.

As a result, the researchers could verify the implant’s performance and evaluate the biocompatibility of the ELVIS system. Also, they had an opportunity to practice the implant installation surgery and prepare for the upcoming operations on more primates, needed for further evaluation of the effectiveness of electronic vision.

In the next few years, the project team — together with Sechenov University and MIET — will conduct a series of tests and behavioural experiments on dozens of primates using neural implants. The ELVIS device will allow to “connect” cameras to the brain and transmit the image directly, without relying on the eyes.

The other participants of the project are the Agency for Strategic Initiatives, the Institute of Higher Nervous Activity and Neurophysiology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Centre for Collective Design at MIREA — Russian Technological University, the “Neuronet” Industry Union, the Skolkovo Foundation, and the Moscow Innovation Cluster.