Demonstrated in a groundbreaking clinical trial, brain-implanted microchips powered by artificial intelligence have restored movement and feeling after severe paralysis
NEW HYDE PARK, N.Y.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Joining other incredible inventions like YouTube, the Apple iPhone, the Large Hadron Collider, and IBM’s Watson, the Double Neural Bypass – a groundbreaking technology developed through a clinical trial at Northwell Health’s Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research, the scientific home of medical research for the health system, that allows people living with paralysis to move and feel again – has now been inducted into TIME’s Best Inventions Hall of Fame. The list recognizes 25 groundbreaking inventions from the past quarter century that have had the most global and societal impact.
Read the full TIME Hall of Fame list here and TIME’s original story on the Double Neural Bypass here.
Revealed to the world in 2023, and recognized by TIME’s Best Inventions 2024, a cutting-edge brain-computer interface (BCI) clinical trial led by Chad Bouton, PhD, achieved a monumental feat. A team of engineers, scientists and surgeons successfully implanted five brain microchips and used custom AI algorithms and precision neurostimulation, in paralyzed participant Keith Thomas, to electronically re-link his brain, body and spinal cord with the Double Neural Bypass technology. This innovative bridge restores movement and sensation in his hand, with lasting gains in his arm and wrist, even outside the lab, where he can feel the fur of his family’s pet dog, Bow. Not long ago, Mr. Thomas could only lift his arms about an inch, and now he can wipe his face and drink.
“Receiving TIME’s Best Inventions Hall of Fame recognition is an immense honor, amplifying our hope for the millions living with paralysis,” said Dr. Bouton, professor in the Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine at the Feinstein Institutes and vice president of advanced engineering at Northwell Health. “Their unwavering spirit truly drives innovation and breakthroughs like this and are only possible through the incredible courage of patients like Keith, whose participation is fundamental to scientific progress. This marks a historic milestone: the first electronic bridge between the brain, body and spinal cord in a paralyzed human to restore lasting movement and sensation. This thought-driven therapy is a game-changer, envisioning fuller, more independent lives for those with paralysis.”
Dr. Bouton and his team continue to push the boundaries of this groundbreaking technology. In an astonishing advancement, they have now demonstrated that Mr. Thomas can use his brain interface to control another person’s hand – a woman, Kathy Denapoli, also quadriplegic and a participant in an expanded study. This milestone, described by the team as a “true human avatar” paradigm, Mr. Thomas can not only move Ms. Denapoli’s hand with his thoughts, but – as of just weeks ago – can also feel when she touches an object. Through this approach, which also involves thought-guided spinal cord stimulation, Ms. Denapoli has nearly doubled her hand strength since beginning this trial and her collaboration with Mr. Thomas. You can read the initial research findings in a pre-print here.
The implications of this shared experience are immense, opening doors to major clinical applications in cooperative rehabilitation, medicine, and society at large, including telepresence, therapy and human interaction on an entirely new level through shared movement and even touch, potentially across vast distances. This advancement offers the incredible potential to help people regain movement and sensation in many cases without even requiring brain surgery.
“On behalf of Northwell, we express our heartfelt congratulations; we are incredibly proud of Dr. Bouton and his team,” said John D’Angelo, MD, president and CEO of Northwell Health. “This monumental achievement is a real-life testament to years of relentless scientific dedication and a singular, unwavering focus on putting patients first. It is truly inspiring to witness how this groundbreaking work is making a lasting, tangible impact, not just in the lab, but in the lives of individuals like Keith and Kathy, who embody the spirit of innovation and hope that defines our mission at Northwell. This is what scientific progress looks like when driven by compassion.”
Northwell has been recognized by TIME in the past. Most recently, the health system was named to TIME100 Most Influential Companies 2025 list, with a focus on its launch of Northwell Studios last year, a dedicated entity focused on harnessing the power of storytelling and entertainment to humanize health care and spark meaningful social conversations. In May, Michael Dowling, former Northwell president and CEO and currently CEO-emeritus, was named a “Titan” on TIME100 Health List. In 2024, along with the “double neural bypass,” Northwell’s iNav, an artificial intelligence (AI) powered cancer detection tool was also honored.
As New York’s largest health care provider and one of the largest integrated health systems in the U.S., Northwell cares for more than three million people annually. In May, Northwell Health and Nuvance Health announced that the two nonprofit health systems have officially joined together to form a new integrated regional health system that will enhance care for communities across greater New York and Connecticut. The expanded system now encompasses over 104,000 employees, a diverse network of 22,000 nurses and 13,500 providers at 28 hospitals and 1,000 outpatient locations.
To advance knowledge and find cures for diseases, Northwell’s Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research comprises over 50 research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff across six institutes: Behavioral Science, Bioelectronic Medicine, Cancer, Health System Science, Molecular Medicine and Translational Research. Based on breakthroughs at the Feinstein Institutes, a new category of medicine – bioelectronic medicine – which uses techniques like vagus nerve stimulation, has the potential to revolutionize health care.
In 2025, Northwell opened its first Center for Bioelectronic Medicine, built upon decades of research by the Feinstein Institutes’ President and CEO, Kevin J. Tracey, MD. The center offers access to bioelectronic medicine clinical trials and, when available, treatments including vagus nerve stimulation. In August, Northwell became the first health system in the nation to implant the recent U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved SetPoint® System to patients, showing its commitment to expand patient access to bioelectronic medicine treatment for rheumatoid arthritis (RA).
For photos, videos and more information on Dr. Bouton, Keith Thomas and the Double Neural Bypass technology click here.
About Northwell Health
Northwell is the largest not-for-profit health system in the Northeast, serving residents of New York and Connecticut with 28 hospitals, more than 1,000 outpatient facilities, 22,000 nurses and over 20,000 physicians. Northwell cares for more than three million people annually in the New York metro area, including Long Island, the Hudson Valley, western Connecticut and beyond, thanks to philanthropic support from our communities. Northwell is New York State’s largest private employer with over 104,000 employees – including members of Northwell Health Physician Partners and Nuvance Health Medical Practices – who are working to change health care for the better. Northwell is making breakthroughs in medicine at the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research. Northwell is training the next generation of medical professionals at the visionary Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell and the Hofstra Northwell School of Nursing and Physician Assistant Studies. For information on our more than 100 medical specialties, visit Northwell.edu and follow us @NorthwellHealth on Facebook, X, Instagram and LinkedIn.
About the Feinstein Institutes
The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the home of the research institutes of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State. Encompassing 50+ research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its six institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health system science, molecular medicine, and translational research. We are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – an innovative field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. The Feinstein Institutes publishes two open-access, international peer-reviewed journals Molecular Medicine and Bioelectronic Medicine. Through the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, we offer an accelerated PhD program. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit http://feinstein.northwell.edu and follow us on LinkedIn.
Contacts
Matthew Libassi
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