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Stentrode BCISynchron—Stentrode BCISynchron—Stentrode BCISynchron—
Stentrode BCI
Photo: Christinecooch · CC BY-SA 4.0 (opens commons.wikimedia.org)

Stentrode BCI

by SynchronUS

PilotStage 3 of 5

Early trials done (10 patients); main trial being prepared for 2026.

Updated Apr 2026Checked 25 Sep0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Start main trial
  1. First human implant (Australia)2019Complete.
  2. FDA approves US trialJul 2021Complete.
  3. First US implant at Mount SinaiJul 2022Complete.
  4. US study meets safety goalSep 2024Complete.
  5. Works with Apple devicesMay 2025Complete.
  6. Start main trialTarget 2026Current milestone.
  7. Apply for FDA approvalNot yet reached.

Most important updates

  • Apr 2026
  • 6 Nov 2025
  • 30 Sep 2024
  • Jul 2022
  • Jul 2021

Upcoming

  1. 2026Start main trial (next)

Current obstacles

  • Proving it helpsRegulators need a clear, measurable benefit for brain interfaces, and there is little precedent.
  • Too few channelsA next-generation device with more channels is needed to get close to the speed of in-brain systems.

Physics limits

  • The vessel wall blurs the signalFrom inside a vein, electrodes sit about a millimetre or more from neurons and pick up blended activity of many cells, carrying far fewer bits per second than electrodes inside tissue.
  • Only a few electrodes fit in a veinThe target vein is only about a centimetre wide, so the device carries 16 electrodes and can only reach brain areas that lie next to large veins.
  • Metal in blood invites clotsAny device in a blood vessel can seed clots, so patients need blood thinners for a period, and the design must keep blood flowing freely past it.

How it works

4 parts
The Stentrode: a mesh stent studded with small electrode pads; it expands against the wall of a vein on top of the brain's motor area
The Stentrode: a mesh stent studded with small electrode pads; it expands against the wall of a vein on top of the brain's motor areaCourtesy of Synchron · Press kit, editorial use (opens synchron.com)
1. Deliver

Tube to the brain's vein

Guided by X-ray, the device is steered from the neck to a vein on top of the brain and opened like a stent.

2. Settle

Vessel grows over it

Over weeks the vein lining grows over the stent, holding the electrodes against the wall facing the brain.

3. Transmit

Chest unit relays data

A wire carries signals to a unit under the collarbone, which sends them wirelessly to a decoder.

4. Control

Clicks by thought

Decoded intent makes selections using the phone or computer's built-in accessibility features.

Spec sheet

SpecStentrode BCI
Electrodes16R (reported)
PlacementSuperior sagittal sinus, beside motor cortexR (reported)
Access routeJugular vein catheter, no craniotomyR (reported)
TelemetryChest-implanted unit, wirelessR (reported)
ScaffoldSelf-expanding nitinol stentR (reported)
Patients implanted (EFS)10 (4 SWITCH, 6 COMMAND)R (reported)

R reported by the company

Papers & demos

2 items
  1. Sep 2024talk
    COMMAND early feasibility study results (opens businesswire.com)Met its main goal: no serious device-related harm causing death or lasting disability.
  2. Oct 2020paper
    Motor neuroprosthesis implanted with neurointerventional surgery in severe paralysis (JNIS) (opens doi.org)First human results for the Stentrode, from its Australian study.

Update log

13 updates

Apr 2026

  • Minor: RegulatorTest

Wed 18 Mar

  • Minor: RegulatorTest

Thu 6 Nov 2025

  • Major: PressFunding

Mon 4 Aug 2025

  • Minor: PressSoftware

Wed 19 Mar 2025

  • Minor: PressSoftware

Mon 30 Sep 2024

  • Major: PressTest

Tue 30 Jul 2024

  • Minor: PressSoftware

Thu 11 Jul 2024

  • Minor: PressSoftware

Mon 8 Apr 2024

  • Minor: PressCommercial

Fri 6 Jan 2023

  • Minor: PressResearch

Dec 2022

  • Minor: PressFunding

Jul 2022

  • Major: PressTest

Jul 2021

  • Major: PressRegulatory

About Synchron

The team behind Stentrode BCI

Synchron

Stentrode, brain interface through a vein

New York company founded in Australia by neurologist Tom Oxley and engineer Nicholas Opie. Its Stentrode goes up a neck vein to sit next to the brain, with no open brain surgery, and lets paralyzed people control phones and tablets.

  • First company FDA-cleared to trial a permanent brain implant (2021); its US study met its safety goal in six patients (2024).
  • Raised $200M in Nov 2025 for a main trial, launch prep and a next-generation device with more channels.
  • Works with Apple's brain-interface standard since 2025, for direct control of iPhone and iPad.

synchron.com (opens synchron.com)Company profile →

Founded
201214 yrs
Headquarters
United States
Status
Private
Valuation
private
Raised
$275M2 rounds
Last round
Series D · $200M6 Nov 2025
Works in
NeurotechMinimally invasive BCIs
Coverage
1 program · 13 updateslatest 1 Apr 2026checked 25 Sep
Partners
Mount Sinai (opens mountsinai.org)Apple (opens apple.com)NVIDIA
People
Tom Oxley (opens en.wikipedia.org)Co-founder and CEONicholas Opie (opens en.wikipedia.org)Co-founder
Primer