Breaking the deadlock: Boston Scientific's "Brain Pacemaker" black technology is officially launched

Parkinson's disease is a common neurodegenerative disorder among middle-aged and elderly people. Epidemiological survey data from China shows that China has the largest group of Parkinson's disease patients. In 2021, the number of Parkinson's disease patients exceeded 5 million, and the incidence rate is also higher than the global average.

Parkinson's disease seriously affects the quality of life of patients and is currently incurable. Although drug treatment can control some symptoms, its efficacy will gradually deteriorate as the disease progresses and it may also cause side effects. Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) therapy has become a safe and effective treatment method due to its advantages such as minimally invasive, reversible and adjustable.

However, it should be pointed out that traditional DBS devices still have limitations in terms of the accuracy, controllability and side effect control of stimulation, and cannot fully meet the personalized treatment needs of different patients.

Under the industry trend of DBS technology moving towards precise neural stimulation, Boston Scientific has provided an "answer" to the above-mentioned clinical pain points.

Today, Boston Scientific held the China launch event for its Vercise Genus™ implantable deep brain nerve stimulation (DBS) system at the 14th Annual Meeting of the Asian and Australian Society of Stereotactic and Functional Neurosurgery (AASSFN). It is learned that the product was officially approved in China at the end of October 2024 and has recently completed its first batch of domestic implantation.

So, compared with the traditional DBS technology, what technical advantages does the Boston Scientific Vercise Genus™ DBS system have? As the industry enters a period of personalized and precise treatment, how does this product lead Parkinson's disease treatment technology into the "precision era"?

01

Directional electrodes combined with MICC technology

Innovate the precise treatment of Parkinson's disease

It is known that Parkinson's disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder. The nerve nuclei in the subthalamic nucleus (STN) and the medial globus pallidus (GPi) of the patient's brain generate abnormal electrical signals, leading to clinical symptoms such as tremors, bradykinesia and muscle rigidity in the patient.

Meanwhile, since these neural nuclei are not only involved in controlling body movements, but also in important functions such as cognitive and emotional regulation. Therefore, during treatment, destructive surgery cannot be used to deal with these areas. Instead, precise electrical stimulation is needed to regulate their functions.

In fact, the basic principle of DBS is to use electrodes to transmit electrical pulses to specific areas in the brain. The key characteristics of the electrode include biocompatibility, toughness, durability, long-term stability, surgical feasibility, good electrical conductivity, electrical properties, operability, appropriate current transfer and spatial configuration. In addition, other considerations include MRI compatibility and perceptual potential.

Unlike other products, the unique directional electrode design of the Vercise Genus™ DBS system plays a key role in achieving precise treatment. Its 8-contact directional electrode adopts a unique terminal electrode design, combined with the advantages of MICC (Multiple Independent Shaping Stimulation) technology, which can flexibly "shape" the neural stimulation range, assisting doctors in more accurately stimulating target points in the precise and complex brain structure, avoiding adverse reaction areas, and alleviating symptoms such as tremors, slow movement and stiffness. Thereby improving the motor function of patients with Parkinson's disease.

Furthermore, the Vercise Genus™ DBS system is equipped with four-channel and dual-channel implantable deep brain nerve stimulators, which can be connected to 4 electrodes and 2 electrodes respectively, providing treatment options for the different clinical needs of patients. Among them, the four-channel stimulator is currently the only approved implantable deep brain nerve stimulator in the Chinese market. It can simultaneously connect four electrodes to stimulate different nucleus regions of patients, providing more clinical options for patients with complex symptom treatment needs.

Data from a five-year multi-center clinical study shows that Boston Scientific's DBS system can improve the motor function of Parkinson's patients by 51%, and the daily "initiation" time in good condition has increased by 6 hours compared to before treatment. The quality of life of the patients participating in the study has improved by 34%.

02

Visual program control system

The "Third Eye" that transforms into a doctor

It should be pointed out that as a minimally invasive interventional treatment method, the effect of DBS highly depends on the accuracy of electrode position and the optimization of stimulation parameters.

However, with the traditional DBS program-controlled method, the surgeon is like groping in the dark, searching for targets in an environment without maps or road signs. As a result, the traditional program-controlled process mainly relies on doctors' experience and patients' immediate feedback, which has problems of strong subjectivity and low efficiency. In addition, the brain structure of individual patients varies, and traditional program control poses great challenges and is very time-consuming.

Facing this clinical pain point, Vercise Genus™ DBS, in collaboration with Brainlab (Boyilai), the visual program-controlled system Stimview XT helps surgeons identify the most suitable "optimal stimulation point" for patients, presents specific structures and electrode implantation positions in the patient's brain to surgeons, and enables them to observe the real-time changes of the stimulation field. Avoiding the adverse reaction area can be regarded as the "third eye" for doctors in DBS surgery.

It is reported that this visual programming system of Boston Scientific can reduce the programming time for surgeons by an average of 56%.

Specifically, Stimview XT introduces visualization into the program-controlled environment, providing surgeons with real-time views of the stimulus range. Surgeons can combine the anatomical structure of the patient's brain tissue with the view of the stimulation range, correlate the stimulated brain regions with clinical effects in real time, and quickly and intuitively adjust the stimulation parameters to ensure therapeutic effects and personalized treatment.

Meanwhile, with the help of the Stimview XT platform, doctors can clearly display the anatomical information of specific brain tissues of patients, providing intuitive support for the treatment discussions among doctors and patients in various departments. Its clear and intuitive treatment plan enables multidisciplinary teams to jointly formulate and optimize treatment strategies, thereby enhancing treatment outcomes and patient satisfaction.

It is worth mentioning that the Vercise Genus™ DBS system allows patients to undergo 1.5T MRI examinations, improving the safety and convenience of patients. Meanwhile, the rechargeable implantable deep brain nerve stimulator with a lifespan of up to 25 years can provide patients with long-term and stable medical security.

03

The neuroregulation market is booming

Boke offers a variety of treatment options for patients

Neuroregulation technology, as a cutting-edge medical approach, is gradually becoming the key to improving the quality of life of patients and enhancing their neurological functions. By precisely regulating the neurons or neural signals in the adjacent or distant parts of the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system and autonomic nervous system, this technology has shown broad application prospects in an increasing number of disease diagnosis and treatment fields. In recent years, neural regulation technology has made remarkable progress, and its market has also ushered in a period of rapid growth.

According to the data estimation of Mordor Intelligence, the market size of neuroregulation was 6.12 billion US dollars in 2024. It is predicted that this figure is expected to climb to 9.26 billion US dollars by 2029, and the compound annual growth rate during this period is expected to reach 11.20%. This booming market has not only attracted the attention of numerous domestic and foreign enterprises, but also driven fierce competition and an innovation wave within the industry.

In the past few years, the possibility of regulating brain circuits and even human behavior has grown exponentially. These developments have also given rise to the field of electroceuticals, among which the most well-known and widely used is the DBS therapy. With the intensification of competition among multiple DBS manufacturers in the global market, the development speed of DBS technology is constantly accelerating.

Timeline of the development of deep brain stimulation (DBS) technology

As one of the pioneers of DBS therapy, Boston Scientific first launched the DBS system Vercise™ equipped with MICC technology in the European market as early as 2012, redefining the DBS treatment model and establishing its technological leadership position in the field of precise treatment for Parkinson's disease. In 2017, Boston Scientific's Vercise™ DBS was approved by the US FDA for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, becoming one of the most technologically advanced DBS systems on the US market at that time. Its continuously innovative DBS technology provides patients with more precise and personalized treatment plans.

——As one of the pioneers of DBS therapy, Boston Scientific first launched the DBS system Vercise™ equipped with MICC technology in the European market as early as 2012, redefining the DBS treatment model and establishing its technological leadership position in the field of precise treatment for Parkinson's disease. In 2017, Boston Scientific's Vercise™ DBS was approved by the US FDA for the treatment of Parkinson's disease, becoming one of the most technologically advanced DBS systems on the US market at that time. Its continuously innovative DBS technology provides patients with more precise and personalized treatment plans.

Data shows that the number of Parkinson's disease patients worldwide is currently increasing year by year. In 2023 alone, more than 10 million patients worldwide were suffering from illness, and it is projected that this number will exceed 12 million by 2030. Parkinson's disease has become the third major threat to the health of middle-aged and elderly people, second only to tumors and cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.

So, with the official launch of this system in China, will Boston Scientific break the existing market pattern and open a different chapter for DBS technology in China? Instrument Home will continue to follow up and report.

References：

1. Chinese Parkinson's Disease Report 2025[J]. Journal of Neurology and Neurorehabilitation. 2025, 21(2): 63-98

https://doi.org/10.12022/jnnr.2025-0003

2. Vitek et al., Subthalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation with a Multiple Independent Constant Current-Controlled Device in Parkinson’s Disease (INTREPID): Multicentre, Double-Blind, Randomised, Sham-Controlled Study, Lancet Neurology, 2020

3. Compared with standard clinical based programming, p=0.039