Team Gleason teams with Synchron to raise BCI Community awareness
Initiative aims to support ALS patients in developing new assistive technology
Team Gleason has expanded its collaboration with Synchron to raise awareness about the company’s BCI Community, an initiative that’s designed to help people with disabilities and their loved ones know more about brain-computer interface (BCI) solutions and gather insights to advance their development.
BCIs can detect activity in the brain and translate that activity into commands that can be understood by a computer. They are being developed to help people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and other paralyzing conditions gain some lost autonomy.
Synchron’s BCI device, called Stentrode, has been shown to be safe and feasible in a clinical trial (NCT03834857), and allowed four ALS patients with severe upper-limb paralysis perform tasks such as sending texts and emails, managing personal finances, and shopping online.
Last year, a man implanted with the device became the first to control an Apple Vision Pro and an Amazon Alexa device with just his thoughts. By gathering insights from people with severe motor impairments and sharing new clinical trial opportunities, Synchron’s BCI Community hopes to improve the device to better serve patients’ needs.
“The BCI Community initiative provides a unique opportunity for individuals living with ALS to directly shape the next generation of assistive technology,” Blair Casey, executive director of Team Gleason, said in a joint press release.
Teaming up on BCI for ALS
Team Gleason, a nonprofit organization that was was founded by former NFL player Steve Gleason following his ALS diagnosis in 2011, will support the BCI community by sharing information about the initiative, along with the importance of supporting life-altering initiatives like the Synchron’s BCI, across its social media channels, newsletter, and support groups.
“We’re excited to expand our partnership with Team Gleason to amplify the reach of our BCI Community,” said Tom Oxley, MD, CEO and founder at Synchron. “By working together, we can ensure that more people have the opportunity to participate in shaping the future of neuroprosthetics and BCI technology.”
ALS is a neurological condition that damages nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord, leading to the progressive loss of muscle control. As patients lose the ability to communicate, assistive technologies like BCIs can offer ways to maintain some independence.
Synchron’s BCI is designed to record electrical signals in the brain and translate them into signals that can control digital tools. When a person with the device thinks about performing a certain movement, that thought can trigger an action, such as selecting an option on a screen.
Stentrode, the company’s flagship technology, is a small tube-like device with a mesh material that contains multiple electrodes. It’s inserted through a small incision in the neck and moved through the jugular vein to a blood vessel close to the motor cortex, a brain region responsible for voluntary movement. Once in place, the device securely expands to fit the blood vessel walls without interrupting blood flow.
The device records electrical signals related to intended movement and transmits them through a wire connected to a small sensor implanted beneath the skin in a person’s chest. This sensor can then send data wirelessly to another device such as a smartphone, a computer, or a virtual assistant device.
In 2022, Team Gleason collaborated with Synchron to provide the company with feedback from the ALS community and other experts to help guide the design and development of its BCI technology.
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