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Paradromics Completes First Human Implant of Connexus Brain-Computer Interface

Recording neural signals from a patient during epilepsy surgery paves the way for a late-2025 clinical trial of the Connexus device.

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Paradromics completes first human BCI implant,
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Overview

  • On May 14, surgeons at the University of Michigan temporarily inserted and removed the dime-sized Connexus device during an epilepsy operation, confirming its ability to record electrical signals from the brain.
  • The implant’s 420 micro-needle electrodes are designed to decode neural activity into synthesized speech, text and cursor control for patients with paralysis, stroke or ALS.
  • Paradromics deployed a specialized EpiPen-like applicator to place the device through an existing craniotomy, minimizing incremental risk during the roughly 10-minute human test.
  • This first human implant advances the nearly 10-year-old startup’s shift to clinical-stage development in a field that also includes Neuralink, Synchron and Precision Neuroscience.
  • Paradromics has raised nearly $100 million and formed a strategic partnership with Saudi Arabia’s Neom, though the Connexus system still requires FDA clearance before broader trials and commercialization.