Neuralink and its Telepathy device has captured public interest around brain-computer interfacing (BCI) technology for people with disabilities impacting motor function, like spinal cord injuries. Maybe not widely known though, is other companies in the space are actually further into the clinical journey. New York based Synchron has reported promising results on their own clinical trials for their BCI, Sentrode which is inserted of through the jugular vein rather than placed during a brain surgery.
What is BCI?
A brain-computer interface (BCI) enables a person to control an external device using brain signals. The device senses neural signals from the brain and transmits them to a decoder which translates them into digital commands. The most widely known is Neuralink’s, a BCI placed in the brain.
Who is Synchron?
Founded in 2012, Synchron has received investments from Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. The startup launched both an Australian and a US trial. In 2020, the FDA designated Synchron’s Sentrode as a Breakthrough Device, acknowledging its potential and paving the way for clinical trials.
Synchron vs Neuralink
Synchron was founded four years earlier than its chief competitor, and unlike Neuralink, their BCIs do not require brain surgery. Where Neuralink implants its interfaces directly into the cerebral cortex, Synchron implants its devices through the bloodstream, circumventing the cost and risks of penetrating the skull. The non-invasive implantation procedure is more accessible and easier to recover from.
Additionally, while the brain implant cannot be removed, the chest component can be taken out and replaced if it malfunctions.
Synchron’s implantation technique may also make it easier for the device to access different sections of the brain.
How Does Synchron’s BCI Work?
The device is inserted via the jugular vein, which runs up the neck into the brain, using a catheter. There it releases a self-expanding device which is commonly used to widen arteries in surgical procedures.
The device records electrical activity from nearby brain tissue, which it then sends to a separate receiver implanted in the chest, which wirelessly sends the signals to an external device.
Syncron Success
Synchron’s first trial, conducted by the Royal Melbourne Hospital and University of Melbourne in Australia, involved four patients with severe paralysis.
Participants were able to use the implant to generate digital switches to control routine activities such as texting, emailing, online banking, and communicating care needs.
The second trial, carried out through New York City’s Mount Sinai Health System, the Gates Vascular Institute at the University of Buffalo, and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, alongside Carnegie Mellon University of Engineering, involved six patients with severe paralysis.
News coverage of the trials has shown how the BCIs are improving the lives of study participants.
Neuralink wasn’t the first company to afford an individual the opportunity to play video games by thought either. That would be Mark, with his Synchron BCI.
What’s Ahead for Synchron?
This month Synchron announced they acquired an equity stake in Acquandas, a technology company specializing in high-precision components for healthcare industries. Synchron says the acquisition will enhance its supply chain for BCIs.
As the first company to offer an implantable endovascular neuromodulation therapy, they plan to launch a third trial, with a commercially available system, this year.
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