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# Synchron Pauses Trials of Its Brain Implant Due to Performance Issues
- URL: https://www.neurabc.com/synchron-pauses-trials-of-its-brain-implant-due-to-performance-issues/
- Published: 2026-11-12T22:57:22.000Z
- Updated: 2026-11-12T22:57:22.000Z
- Author: zhangguanghua

On November 12, WIRED reported that brain-computer interface company Synchron has paused enrollment in its clinical trial for the second-generation device after the implant failed to perform as expected in initial participants. The company confirmed the issue lies in the lead, the cable that carries signals from the Stentrode to the implanted electronics, not in the Stentrode itself.

Synchron said it voluntarily paused enrollment after identifying a performance issue with the lead. The Stentrode remains unaffected, and no device-related safety problems have been identified. The pause was a company decision, not an FDA-directed action.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d7/ad/d7ad0812-3a09-4fff-8aca-bda39840d264/content/images/2026/11/f8c9d2d7-e726-4a37-a25b-4b3a8d85bc59.png)

Some trial sites in the United States, Australia, and Canada have stopped enrolling new participants. Of the five U.S. sites WIRED reached, at least two confirmed recruitment is on hold. A coordinator at one site said the pause is not safety-related, but reflects Synchron’s need to verify that the device can reliably deliver the expected signal readouts.

Synchron has brought lead design and manufacturing in-house. Rather than fixing only the lead, the company is upgrading the entire Stentrode system and will resume enrollment once the hardware work is complete. It also pledged to keep supporting existing implant recipients for their lifetime, with no change to their care or safety commitments.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d7/ad/d7ad0812-3a09-4fff-8aca-bda39840d264/content/images/2026/11/MDC_Image_Transparent-1.jpg)

The second-generation Stentrode has fewer electrodes than the first version and is fully wireless, connecting to external devices over Bluetooth. Synchron launched a multisite U.S. trial this spring, with sister sites in Australia and Canada, and some participants are already implanted. That study is a key step toward a larger pivotal trial required for FDA marketing approval.

CEO Tom Oxley said the company still has strong confidence in the Stentrode and its potential as a first-line therapy.

At the same time, Synchron is restructuring: cutting jobs, scaling back its New York footprint, and building a team in San Diego. That team will handle the upgraded lead and Stentrode, plus an undisclosed new device the company says will go “beyond the blood vessels altogether,” reaching multiple brain regions for more complex and natural control.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d7/ad/d7ad0812-3a09-4fff-8aca-bda39840d264/content/images/2026/11/maxresdefault.jpg)

The original Stentrode is an endovascular implant. A stent-like mesh is inserted through the jugular vein and guided by catheter to sit over the motor cortex, with no open-brain surgery. The first-generation version was used by 10 volunteers in the U.S. and Australia, who controlled email, texting, web browsing, online shopping, banking, Amazon Alexa, Apple iPad, and Vision Pro by thought alone.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/d7/ad/d7ad0812-3a09-4fff-8aca-bda39840d264/content/images/2026/11/5cfebc7a8c391f90bfffba4ffd35cc02d654c82a-2400x1600.png)

The BCI field is moving fast. After a 200 million round last fall, Synchron was valued near 1 billion, backed by Khosla Ventures and the venture firms of Bill Gates and Jeff Bezos. Neuralink has reportedly reached a 42 billion secondary-market valuation. Merge Labs, cofounded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, launched earlier this year with 252 million to apply AI to brain interfaces.

These devices show real promise for severe motor disorders, but they remain experimental. Synchron’s setback is a reminder of how far the field still has to go before commercialization.