Synchron is a neural interface company based in Melbourne and New York that has raised more than $217 million in private funding and grants since it was launched more than a decade ago. The company’s first product, a brain-computer interface to enable people to use their thoughts to control a digital device, is aimed at helping people with debilitating medical illnesses.
The brain-computer interface, called the Stentrode™, is a tiny device that is implanted in a blood vessel in the brain, without the need for open brain surgery. The device can record brain signals from different parts of the motor cortex, interpret them and convert them into digital outputs that can be used to control assistive technology such as a robotic limb, computer, wheelchair or exoskeleton.
Synchron has conducted its first in-human trials in Australia with a man with motor neurone disease, and received US FDA approval with a Breakthrough Device designation in August 2020. It then received an Investigational Device Exemption in July 2021, and implanted its device in its first US patient in July 2022 in New York.
Professor Nicholas Opie: the visionary behind Synchron
The founder and chief technology officer of Synchron is Professor Nicholas Opie, who is also the Laboratory Head of the Vascular Bionics Laboratory in the Department of Medicine at the University of Melbourne. He is one of the leading figures in the field of Australian deep tech, which refers to the application of cutting-edge scientific and engineering research to solve real-world problems.
Professor Opie spoke to InnovationAus editorial director James Riley about the journey to commercialisation, his rivalry with Elon Musk and how his technology could change countless lives. He said that he was motivated by the desire to help people with neurological disorders, such as stroke, spinal cord injury, ALS and Parkinson’s disease.
He also said that he wanted to show that it is possible to take world-leading research, gather private and public funding, and start turning it into a potentially life-changing company from Australia. He said that academics need to realise that they can be researchers and focus on commercialisation at the same time.
The challenges and opportunities of Australian deep tech
Australia has a world-class university system, pioneering medical researchers and growing tech manufacturing capabilities, which make it well primed to become a deep tech powerhouse. However, there are also long-standing commercialisation shortcomings that are holding back the development of the industry, with many promising companies moving offshore for better access to funding and markets.
Professor Opie said that he faced many challenges along the way, such as regulatory hurdles, technical difficulties, funding gaps and talent shortages. He said that he had to be resilient and patient, and that he had to rely on his team and his network of mentors and collaborators.
He also said that he saw many opportunities for Australian deep tech, especially in the health and biotech sectors, where there is a huge demand and potential for innovation. He said that he hoped that his success with Synchron would inspire other researchers and entrepreneurs to pursue their own deep tech ventures from Australia.
