InBrain Neuroelectronics’ brain-computer interface (BCI) has been implanted in the first patient in a clinical trial, as the company looks to use its graphene technology beyond brain signal decoding.
The procedure, which took place at the Salford Royal Hospital in Manchester, UK, is part of a first-in-human study evaluating the safety of the device’s use on the brain.
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InBrain’s BCI is made of graphene, which comprises a single layer of carbon atoms arranged in a hexagonal lattice. The company says the material “possesses a unique combination of electronic and mechanical properties that make it ideal for neurotechnology innovation”.
BCIs are chips implanted in brain tissue that detect brain signals and translate them into commands. The measured signals, which can be described as ‘thoughts’, are relayed to a secondary, external device that then carries out a specific function. Clinical trials are currently evaluating the technology as a potential treatment to restore limb movement in paralysed patients.
Spain-headquartered InBrain said its implant was able to differentiate between healthy and cancerous brain tissue at a micrometre level. The findings show the device’s potential to “become a reliable tool for use in precision surgery in diseases such as cancer, and in neurotechnology more broadly”, the company added.
Dr David Coope, who performed the procedure, said: “We are capturing brain activity in areas where traditional metals and materials struggle with signal fidelity. Graphene provides ultra-high density for sensing and stimulating, which is critical to conduct high precision resections while preserving the patient’s functional capacities, such as movement, language or cognition.”
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By GlobalDataInBrain co-founder Kostas Kostarelos stated the first-in-human study will enrol eight to ten patients. Although the primary aim is to demonstrate the safety of graphene touching the brain, Kostarelos said a goal is also to demonstrate graphene’s superiority over other materials in decoding brain functionality in both awake and asleep states.
The company’s cortical interface received breakthrough device designation for Parkinson’s disease from the US Food and Drug Administration earlier this month.
The Elon Musk-founded company Neuralink has captured most of the public interest in BCIs, having implanted its Telepathy device in two patients as part of a first-in-human trial.
US-based Synchron is touted as one of the main rivals to Neuralink. The former is further along in the clinical trial process and is preparing to recruit paralysed patients for a large-scale clinical trial ahead of commercial approval.
