Synchron, BCI’s & Twitter

Five months ago Thomas Oxley MD PhD CEO of Synchron got FDA approval ahead of Elon Musk to begin a breakthrough trial of the implantable brain-computer interface in the US.

Clinical trial paved the way for Synchron’s Stentrode™ to become the first commercially available implantable brain-computer interface. so how does that work?

Synchron’s technology solves multiple challenges that have restricted the commercial translation of BCIs out of the experimental laboratory. Other implantable BCI approaches involve drilling into the skull and placing needle electrodes directly into the brain tissue, which can result in long term brain inflammation.

The Stentrode device is delivered into the brain via the blood vessels in a minimally invasive 2-hour procedure, similar to the insertion of stents in the heart. No robotic assistance is required for the procedure, which can be performed in widely available angiography suites. The implant is fully internalized with no wires coming out of the head or body.
The research reached a watershed moment yesterday when Thomas announced that at 7pm ET Phillip O’Keefe, who had a Synchron Brain Computer Interface implanted in April 2020 will take over his Twitter account @tomoxl for 30 mins. Phil used the BCI to tweet answers to viewers’ questions: directly from his brain.

Philip’s first tweet using the BCI was: “hello, world! Short tweet. Monumental progress.” It was a phenomenal 30 minutes. His family including his daughter was by his side. He made several tweets including emojis and likes.
In 2009, University of Wisconsin doctoral student Adam Wilson’s cheered for the hometown team is among the first direct brain-to-Twitter messages ever sent that said ‘Go Badgers’. He wasn’t paralyzed.
“Synchron’s north star is to achieve whole-brain data transfer,” says Oxley in the PR on their website. “The blood vessels provide surgery-free access to all regions of the brain, and at scale. Our first target is the motor cortex for the treatment of paralysis, which represents a large unmet need for millions of people across the world, and market opportunity of $20B.”
Synchron is collaborating with Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Mount Sinai Health System, New York City, on the new study, the COMMAND trial.

Patients begin using the device at home soon after implantation and may wirelessly control external devices by thinking about moving their limbs. The system is designed to facilitate better communication and functional independence for patients by enabling daily tasks like texting, emailing, online commerce, and accessing telemedicine.

Short Step for Man, Giant Leap for Humanity.

https://www.nbcnews.com/sciencemain/twitter-your-brain-6c10404413