Unlocking the Future: The Transformative Impact of Neurotechnology on Medicine and Daily Life
Carbajal (January 30, 2024) reported earlier this year, Elon Musk’s neurotechnology company, Neuralink, implanted a chip into a human brain for the first time. Neuralink is currently seeking people with quadriplegia (a person who is paralyzed in all four limbs) to participate in a groundbreaking investigational medical device clinical trial for our brain-computer interface. The first human received an implant from Neuralink on January 29, 2024. The initial results showed promising neuron spike detection.”
Mr. Musk mentions that the ideal patient is someone under 40 years old who is paralyzed in all four limbs. Neuralink’s first product would be called Telepathy, and its initial users will be those who have lost the use of their limbs. The brain-computer interface “enables control of your phone or, through them, almost any device, just by thinking,” The implant is about the size of a quarter and is placed in a person’s skull by a surgical robot. Neuralink was founded in 2017, and the computer received FDA clearance for human clinical trials last May 2023.
Business Wire (September 5, 2023) reports that another company, Syncron, is an endovascular brain-computer interface (BCI) developing technology to restore functionality in patients with severe paralysis. The COMMAND trial enrolled six patients and is being conducted under the first investigational device exemption (IDE) awarded by the FDA to a company assessing a permanently implanted BCI. The company Synchron, the first company in 2021 to secure FDA clearance to test a device in people to use a brain-computer interface designed to allow people to use their thoughts to control selected digital devices. Synchron uses a minimally invasive endovascular procedure dedicated to empowering autonomy and social connection.
Business Wire (September 5, 2023) published that Dr. Thomas Oxley is the founder and CEO of Synchron, Dr. Rahul Sharma is a Co-founder, and Dr. Nicholas Opie is the founding director. Synchron’s implants are minimally invasive and can be inserted through blood vessels. Willyard (April 19, 2024) reports that the company has received funding from the United States, DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) and the Australian government. Synchron is the world’s first percutaneous brain-computer interface.
The company has strong ties to large medical device strategics, works closely with startups and incubators, and stressed private equity and venture capital firms interested in healthcare. The early feasibility studies while evaluating efficacy measures of the Synchron Switch™ in patients with severe paralysis. The study’s primary goal is to the device’s safe implanted into the brain’s blood vessels using neuro-interventional procedures. The Synchron Switch brain-computer “is implanted in the blood vessel on the surface of the brain’s motor cortex” by way of the jugular vein through a minimally invasive endovascular procedure.
It is intended to restore the capability of severely paralyzed patient controlling of their personal devices with hands-free. Other companies like Paradromics and Precision Neuroscience are also racing to develop brain implants. These things are important to be aware of! The Narrative Matters!
References:
Business Wire (September 5, 2023). Synchron Completes Patient Enrollment for COMMAND Trial of Brain Computer Interface. Synchron Completes Patient Enrollment for COMMAND Trial of Brain Computer Interface | Business Wire
Carbajal, E. (January 30, 2024). 1st patient gets brain chip implant from Elon Musk’s Neuralink.1st patient gets brain chip implant from Elon Musk’s Neuralink (beckershospitalreview.com)Willyard, C. (April 19, 2024). Beyond Neuralink: Meet the other companies developing brain-computer interfaces. You’ve heard of Neuralink. Meet the other companies developing brain-computer interfaces. | MIT Technology Review
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