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A paralyzed United States military veteran has been implanted with the ground-breaking Neuralink brain-computer device by surgeons at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
RJ, who is paralyzed due to a spinal cord injury sustained from a motorcycle accident, is the fifth participant in Neuralink’s PRIME (Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface) Study and the first to be implanted at the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis and Department of Neurological Surgery at UHealth – University of Miami Health System. The PRIME Study is an investigational medical device clinical trial for assessing the safety and functionality of Neuralink’s intracortical brain-computer interface (BCI) implant, which establishes a wireless, digital link between the brain and computers.
RJ successfully received his implant in April and was discharged from the hospital the day after his surgery. With his Neuralink implant, RJ is able to control his computer and smart phone with his thoughts. Neuralink’s recent update highlighted how RJ and other participants in the PRIME Study have used their Neuralink implants in daily life.
The Miami Project and University of Miami site principal investigator, Jonathan Jagid, MD, professor of clinical neurological surgery, neurology, orthopedics and rehabilitation, said,
“We are excited as a team to discover how this device has the potential to change people’s day-to-day lives. As a doctor and researcher, I continue to be encouraged as we learn more about the capabilities and possibilities of this technology.”
Dipen J. Parekh, MD, CEO of the University of Miami Health System, called the procedure a milestone.
“Putting the latest technology into the hands of experts to break boundaries is what academic medicine is all about,” Dr. Parekh said. “Our surgeons are among the best in the nation to help take this technology to the next level. Seeing it benefit a patient so directly is the ultimate reward.”
The University of Miami team also included co-investigators Allan Levi, MD, PhD, professor and chair of neurological surgery; Michael Ivan, MD, associate professor of neurological surgery, and Seth Tigchelaar, MD, PhD, a Miller School neurosurgery resident. The procedure was performed at UHealth Tower, the flagship hospital of UHealth – University of Miami Health System.
“I’m so proud of our Miami Project and University of Miami team — who worked tirelessly with our Neuralink colleagues to help shape history — ultimately benefiting our first patient immensely. Undoubtedly this will have an enormous impact on future patients,” Dr. Levi added.
RJ is thrilled with the surgery and his life following the procedure, as well as with the surgical team.
“They’re giving me my spark back…my drive back. They’ve given me my purpose back. Now, I’m able to turn around and build that fire for the next guys that come through,” he said/
“We are excited about this special collaboration with the amazing Neuralink team,” said W. Dalton Dietrich, PhD, scientific director of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, co-director of the University of Miami Neural Engineering Institute and professor of neurological surgery at the Miller School. “This collaboration, which has already resulted in the successful implantation of Neuralink’s brain computer interface implant into a spinal cord injured individual at The Miami Project, is a testament to our multidisciplinary approach for advancing the latest research in neural interfaces and neurorehabilitation.”
For the PRIME Study, Neuralink is continuing to look for patients who have limited or no ability to use both hands due to cervical spinal cord injury or ALS. Individuals interested in learning whether they may qualify for this trial can join Neuralink’s United States Patient Registry at https://neuralink.com/patient-registry/us/.
“This is a great milestone to attain as we kick off the 40th anniversary of the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis. As we draw closer and closer to cures and solutions for those living with SCI and other neurological conditions, it is only fitting that we partner with Neuralink to utilize some of the most promising BCI technology in the world to advance that goal,” said Barth A. Green, MD, co-founder of the Miami Project.
“We are excited to move forward applying this new technology and combine our clinical research expertise with the forward-thinking team at Neuralink,” said Marc Buoniconti, president of The Miami Project. “We know this collaboration will be another great step forward and hopefully lead to meaningful results for the millions living with paralysis and other significant motor deficits.”
The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis
In 1985, Barth A. Green, MD, world-renowned neurosurgeon, and Nick Buoniconti, NFL Hall of Fame linebacker, founded the Miami Project to Cure Paralysis after Nick’s son, Marc, sustained a spinal cord injury during a college football game. The Miami Project, a Center of Excellence at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, is a leading global research center.
The Miami Project is conducting cutting-edge discovery, translational and clinical investigations in traumatic spinal cord and brain injury, peripheral nerve injury and neurological diseases and disorders including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, ALS, Multiple Sclerosis and stroke.
The Miami Project’s international team under the leadership of Drs. Barth Green, Allan Levi and W. Dalton Dietrich, has grown to more than 175 scientists, researchers, clinicians and support staff dedicated to improving the quality of life of those suffering from spinal cord and brain injuries and other neurological diseases and disorders.
Miami Project researchers are conducting clinical studies and trials in spinal cord injury, including testing neuroprotective strategies, cellular therapies using Schwann cell and stem cells and advanced rehabilitation and neuromodulation approaches including the use of brain machine interface technologies. Additionally, their scientists are researching drug discovery for axonal regeneration and immune modulation, neuropathic pain, male fertility and cardiovascular disorders.
To register for the Miami Project’s research studies and clinical trials email mpinfo@med.miami.edu or to learn more about the Miami Project visit www.TheMiamiProject.org.
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