Synchron Halts Brain Implant Trials Over Hardware Flaw
Original: Synchron Pauses Trials of Its Brain Implant Due to Performance Issues
Why This Matters
BCI trial setbacks signal how far even minimally invasive implants remain from reliable, scalable use.
Synchron paused its second-generation Stentrode clinical trials in the US, Australia, and Canada after a signal-carrying lead component failed to perform as expected. No safety issues were identified.
Brain-computer interface startup Synchron has voluntarily paused enrollment in its second-generation Stentrode trials after discovering a performance flaw in the device's lead — the cable that carries signals from the implant to its internal electronics. The Brooklyn-based company confirmed the pause to WIRED, stating it was a company decision, not an FDA-directed action, and that no safety issues have been identified.
Synchron's second-gen Stentrode is a fully wireless, Bluetooth-connected stent-like mesh implanted via the jugular vein to sit atop the brain's motor cortex — no open-brain surgery required. It has fewer electrodes than the first-generation device, which used an external wire on the user's chest. Ten volunteers with that earlier version were able to send emails, browse the web, and control devices including Amazon Alexa and Apple's Vision Pro using only their thoughts.
The multisite trial — spanning the US, Australia, and Canada — launched earlier this year. Some participants have already received implants. Synchron says it has since brought lead design and manufacturing in-house and is now upgrading the entire Stentrode hardware system before resuming enrollment. The company is also restructuring: cutting jobs, reducing its New York presence, and building a new team in San Diego to develop a next-generation device.