Synchron Launches Patient Registry for Stentrode Brain Computer Interface

April 8, 2024—Synchron, a neurotechnology company developing an endovascular brain-computer interface (BCI) to restore functionality in patients with motor impairment, announced the launch of a community-centered BCI registry. The registry is intended to bring patients, caregivers, and clinicians together to learn how BCI is being designed to provide benefits to people with limited mobility.

According to Synchron, its Stentrode BCI technology is designed to decipher the neural code of the brain and find new ways to restore motor intent to control digital devices. The Synchron BCI would provide a novel approach to restoring functionality in patients with limited mobility. By using the patient’s blood vessels, the device is implanted in the brain without the need for invasive brain surgery.

The Synchron BCI is implanted in the blood vessel on the surface of the motor cortex of the brain via the jugular vein, through an endovascular procedure. After it is implanted, it is designed to detect and wirelessly transmit motor intent out of the brain, thereby restoring the capability for severely paralyzed patients to control personal devices with hands-free point-and-click.

“BCI technology enables individuals with motor impairment to regain independence,” commented Principal Investigator David Lacomis, MD, in Synchron’s press release. “By controlling digital devices through one’s own thoughts, BCI offers a transformative path towards performing daily tasks with greater ease and efficiency. From communication to accessing essential services online, BCI technology represents a ground-breaking frontier for individuals and their families.”

Dr. Lacomis is Chief of the Neuromuscular Division at UPMC and Professor of Neurology and Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Tom Oxley, CEO & Founder, Synchron, added, “We are thrilled to launch our community-centered BCI registry. There is a grass roots movement happening with BCI. We are creating an avenue for potential users and their physicians to engage and stay connected while we prepare for the next stage of clinical trials.”