UPMC Served as a Trial Site for the COMMAND Trial to Test Safety and Effectiveness of a New Brain-computer Interface for Patients with Paralysis
October 15, 2024
Synchron Inc., a company that developed an endovascular BCI device for individuals with severe motor impairment who are unresponsive to medical or rehabilitative therapy, recently announced the findings of their COMMAND trial. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the BCI device.
In 2021, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) awarded a $10M grant to initiate the COMMAND U.S. clinical trial of a motor neuroprosthesis to Carnegie Mellon University, UPMC, Mount Sinai Health System and Synchron.
Internationally recognized neurovascular expert, Raul Nogueira, MD, who is also division chief of Cerebrovascular Medicine and director of the UPMC Stroke Institute, implanted the device into two participants in the clinical trial.
Across all the clinical sites, the COMMAND trial enrolled six patients who all ultimately successfully met the primary endpoint of no device-related serious adverse events resulting in death or permanent increased disability during the 1-year post implant evaluation period. The COMMAND study results reported that patients had no serious adverse events related to the brain or vasculature during the 12-month period.
“The COMMAND trial represents a major advancement in the development of brain-computer interface devices for patients with severe paralysis. The Stentrode technology provides a minimally invasive solution that harnesses brain signals to restore independence and communication. Our findings underscore the potential to transform countless lives of people with severe neurological conditions, enabling them to interact with the digital world in ways that were previously unimaginable,” said Dr. Nogueira.
