By Jim Hammerand
Synchron has promoted Riki Banerjee to chief technology officer, replacing co-founder Nick Opie in the role.
Opie will remain on the brain-computer interface (BCI) developer’s board of directors, the company has said.
Banerjee joined Synchron as VP of R&D in September 2021 after 12 years with Medtronic’s neurovascular operating unit. She will now lead all of Synchron R&D activities, including advancing the company’s neuroprosthesis device for patients with severe paralysis.
“Riki has been an instrumental part of Synchron’s growth and has also been the driving force behind our product design,” Synchron CEO and co-founder Dr. Tom Oxley said in a news release. “She is a senior leader at the intersection of neuromodulation innovation, engineering, implantable medical devices and commercialization. Her expertise and leadership will be transformative as we accelerate our Synchron BCI device toward the industry’s first pivotal study. I would also like to thank Nick, our founding CTO and co-founder, who will continue to play an important role as an active member of the board.”
New York-based Synchron has developed a BCI system that lets paralyzed patients compose text messages and operate smart devices with brain signals picked up by an implantable brain electrode stent called Stentrode.
Synchron completed enrollment for its COMMAND clinical trial in September after winning the first FDA investigational device exemption for assessment of a permanently implanted BCI. The company hopes to beat Neuralink to FDA approval and commercialization.
“Synchron has developed an elegant new way to deliver a neuroprosthesis device to the brain that avoids many of the barriers of more invasive BCI approaches,” Banerjee said in the news release. “I’m excited to lead the R&D and product team at this pivotal time of growth to advance this innovative neurotechnology to patients. Synchron’s technology has the potential to change the lives of millions of people worldwide with upper limb impairment by delivering a first-in-class commercial BCI.”
Last month, Synchron added former Dexcom CEO Andy Rasdal to its board. Rasdal is executive chairman of wearable developer Epitel and previously was president of Medtronic’s vascular unit and founding CEO of obesity device developer Obalon Therapeutics.
