Synchron

Synchron is a brain-computer interface (BCI) company founded in 2012 by Tom Oxley, a neurologist and neurointerventionist. The company has developed the Stentrode, a BCI device that can be implanted through the blood vessels (via the jugular vein) rather than requiring open brain surgery — a fundamentally less invasive approach than competitors.

The Stentrode is a small mesh device that is delivered through a catheter into a blood vessel in the brain's motor cortex, where it expands and embeds in the vessel wall. From this position, it reads neural signals through the blood vessel wall, translating intended movements into computer commands. The endovascular approach uses the same techniques interventional cardiologists use daily, making it dramatically safer and more accessible than implants requiring craniotomy.

Synchron received FDA breakthrough device designation and has implanted its device in multiple patients in clinical trials in both Australia and the United States. Patients have demonstrated the ability to control computers, send messages, and interact with digital devices using thought alone. The company's less invasive approach could enable BCI technology to scale to millions of patients, rather than being limited to the small number willing to undergo open brain surgery.