Prof. Han Hongbin’s Team Wins First Prize in Beijing Science and Technology Progress Awards

On November 6, the Beijing Municipal Government announced the winners of the 2022 Beijing Science and Technology Awards. The project titled  "Imaging and Detection Technology of Brain Extracellular Space and Its Applications" , led by Professor Han Hongbin from our institute, was awarded the First Prize in the Beijing Science and Technology Progress Awards.

This project presents pioneering research on the exploration, structural decoding, and innovative application of the previously unknown ultrastructural space of the brain's extracellular space (ECS). It was led by Peking University, in collaboration with the National Institute of Metrology, Institute of Electrical Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Capital Medical University, Wenzhou Medical University, and leading enterprises in medical imaging. The research has received support from the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars, Beijing Municipal Science and Technology Plan, and the National Key R&D Program of China, and has spanned over 15 years.

The brain extracellular space serves as the immediate environment for neural cells and networks to function. The transportation of substances within the ECS underpins critical brain activities such as sleep, memory, and sensory processing. Historically, optical and electrical detection methods—standard tools in international neuroscience research—have been limited to probing the ECS between two points or within superficial regions. However, the vast and deep ECS areas of the brain have remained largely inaccessible, earning the reputation of being the "last frontier in neuroscience." This limitation has posed significant challenges to brain disease treatment and new drug development.

To tackle the dual challenges of depth and dimensionality in ECS detection, Professor Han was the first to propose a magnetism-based detection theory for the extracellular space. His team developed a groundbreaking method with original capabilities for 3D anisotropic modeling and quantitative analysis—the only such method globally—thus overcoming the technical limitations of traditional optical and electrical approaches. Leveraging the unique advantages of this new technique, the team has made a series of important scientific discoveries about brain structure.

Among the most notable achievements is the discovery of a new brain partitioning system: interstitial fluid within the ECS exhibits regional drainage patterns. Based on the identification of regional barrier structures, the team further demonstrated that these barriers serve as critical "switches" for cognitive development. Through systematic studies of ECS changes under various physiological and pathological conditions—such as brain development, anesthesia, microgravity, and disease—the team proposed the Theory of ECS Partition Homeostasis.

Building upon this theory, the researchers developed new neuro-regulation techniques and theoretical models based on ECS characteristics. These novel approaches have already been applied in fields including neurological disease treatment, drug discovery, and aerospace medicine. The team’s work has significantly advanced China's contribution to global ECS-related research, currently ranking second worldwide in terms of publication volume and maintaining the highest global citation impact in this field over the past five years. Their achievements have helped establish China's leading position in the international study of brain ultrastructure.