Paradromics Adds Third Site for the Connexus® Brain-Computer Interface Clinical Study at the University of Michigan

Paradromics Inc., a neurotechnology company developing the highest data-rate brain-computer interface (BCI) platform, today announced the selection of Matthew Willsey, M.D., Ph.D. as investigator for the upcoming Connexus BCI “Connect-One” Clinical Study. A neurosurgeon with a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering, Dr. Willsey holds dual faculty appointments in Neurosurgery and Biomedical Engineering at the University of Michigan. Dr. Willsey and team recently demonstrated Connexus BCI can be safely implanted in a human, record brain signals, and be removed intact in less than 20 minutes, a major milestone marking Paradromics transition to a clinical-stage company.

Dr. Willsey joins two distinguished Connexus BCI Clinical Study investigators announced earlier this year: principal investigator David Brandman, M.D., Ph.D., neurosurgeon and Associate Professor in the Department of Neurological Surgery at UC Davis, Sacramento, and investigator Daniel Rubin, M.D., Ph.D., critical care neurologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. With three clinical sites, Paradromics expands their planned Connect-One recruitment to include both coasts and the midwest, serving participants living near Davis, CA, Boston, MA, and Ann Arbor, MI.

The Connexus BCI Clinical Study will evaluate the safety of the novel device and its ability to restore communication for people who have lost the ability to communicate due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), stroke, or a spinal cord injury. “Dr. Willsey is a remarkable addition to the Connect-One clinical research team,” said Matt Angle, Ph.D., founder and CEO of Paradromics. “His intracortical BCI research at the University of Michigan’s Willsey Lab is closely aligned with Paradromics’ mission to create life-improving neurotechnology that delivers precision digital medicine for people with neurological disorders.”

The high-performing Connexus BCI is designed to record brain activity at the highest possible resolution, individual neurons. Brain activity will be decoded with advanced artificial intelligence, to support the seamless translation of thought into speech or control of a computer. “We have previously demonstrated that a person with paralysis can use a research-grade BCI to fly a virtual quadcopter,” said Dr. Willsey. “I am very excited to investigate whether the Connexus BCI may one day be used to help restore effective function to people with motor and speech disabilities.”

The Connect-One Study will enroll people with speech impairment due to progressive neuromuscular diseases or neurological injuries with severe paralysis in all four limbs at three sites in the US. The study will assess the technical capabilities of the Connexus BCI, and patient reported outcomes will be used to measure clinical benefits and impact on quality of life while communicating with Connexus. The Connect-One Study is expected to launch in late 2025 after regulatory approval.

For more information, visit www.paradromics.com or contact media@paradromics.com.

Matthew Willsey’s lab has a sponsored research agreement with Paradromics, Inc.