Transcranial Focused Ultrasound (tFUS)
Non-invasive brain stimulation that focuses low-intensity ultrasound through the skull onto chosen targets, including deep structures, without surgery. A 'writing' modality distinct from functional ultrasound imaging, now drawing venture rounds in China and the US for pain, addiction, Parkinson's and drug delivery.
Overview
Transcranial focused ultrasound (tFUS, also called low-intensity focused ultrasound or LIFU) aims ultrasound through the skull to modulate neural activity at chosen targets, including deep brain circuits, without surgery. It writes to the brain. Functional ultrasound reads from it, imaging blood-flow changes that track neural activity. Several companies combine the two, and some also use focused ultrasound to open the blood-brain barrier so that drugs can reach brain tissue.
Companies
Gestala, co-founded by Tianqiao Chen and Phoenix Peng, has raised RMB 570 million for a platform spanning ultrasound neuromodulation, functional imaging and blood-brain-barrier opening, with chronic pain as its lead indication. Shanghai’s BCI-Sonics closed a RMB 200 million Pre-A in September 2026 for tFUS stimulation paired with a reading system that combines fUS, EEG, fMRI and PET. It targets pain, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, addiction and sleep, and plans closed-loop ultrasound BCI trials from the first quarter of 2027. In the US, Nudge, co-founded by Fred Ehrsam and Quintin Frerichs, raised a $100 million Series A led by Thrive Capital and Greenoaks for a headphone-style device aimed at addiction, pain and cognition; its product is called Nudge Zero. China’s Sisen Technology is applying focused ultrasound to glioblastoma drug delivery.
Why it matters
The investment case is targeted stimulation of deep brain circuits without surgery. Clinical evidence for BCI uses is still thin: Delian Capital partner Jiang Donghui noted in August 2026 that no ultrasound BCI held a Class III medical device approval anywhere, BCI-Sonics has not disclosed a trial registration, and Gestala has not given a first-in-human date. The commercial question is whether non-invasive stimulation proves precise and durable enough to win patients who would otherwise consider implanted options such as deep brain stimulation.
Coverage on InsideBCI
- 24 September 2026: BCI-Sonics closes RMB 200 million Pre-A led by HongShan and Yunqi Partners
- 22 August 2026: Bill Ackman commits $400 million to a new brain research institute after his daughter’s brain haemorrhage
- 3 July 2026: Gestala closes US$62 million Angel+ round for ultrasound BCI, opens Shanghai NeuroAI headquarters
- 1 July 2026: Sisen Technology, a Tsinghua-and-ETH ultrasonic BCI startup, raises tens of millions of yuan for glioblastoma drug delivery