On July 28, New York startup Synchrom received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to test its brain chip in humans.
Stentrode , which is what the device is called, is small enough to implant through a blood vessel at the base of the neck. The intervention is minimally invasive and lasts about two hours. It is similar to when stents are placed in the heart. Once implanted, the device travels to the top of the head , which is where it will receive the electrical signals generated by the brain . Stentrode works by communicating via a small wire with a second implant in the chest. Later, a transmitter sends signals to an external computer that is close to the patient and with which it can control other devices and even cars. “We have worked together to pave the way for the first commercial approval of a permanently implanted BCI for the treatment of paralysis,” Thomas Oxley, CEO of Synchrom told the Activist Post .
Stentrode’s goal is for paralyzed people to be able to use their digital devices and become more functionally independent. The brain chip would allow these people to move their limbs just by thinking of moving them , also send text messages, emails, shop online and access certain digital services. What Stentrode would do first is transfer the data from the brain to the motor cortex.
The company plans to enroll six patients in its trial, which will be held at New York’s prestigious Mount Sinai Hospital later this year. According to Oxley, the study will take a closer look at security issues, including physical risks and cybersecurity.
The Activist Post reports that an FDA-approved product could be on the market in three to five years.
Synchrom has another clinical trial underway, in Australia, with four patients. They have the implant in place and last year there were results: two of them were able to control their devices and sent text messages by writing just thinking about it .
Elon Musk’s company, Neuralink, unveiled its Link v0.9 brain chip in April, a device that made a monkey play video games with its mind. The businessman showed his wish that the chip would serve to cure blindness, brain damage and addictions.
