Paradromics, Siemens collaborate on brain imaging platform

Austin, TX-based neurotechnology company Paradromics has launched a collaboration with Siemens Healthineers to develop a multimodal imaging platform designed to support the growing clinical use of implantable brain-computer interfaces (BCIs). 

The goal is to develop an end-to-end multimodal imaging workflow designed to support patient assessment, surgical planning, BCI implantation, and long-term outcomes, Paradromics said. The workflow will combine structural MRI, functional MRI, vascular imaging, and CT and will build on standard protocols that Paradromics already runs on Siemens Healthineers scanners, according to the firm. 

BCIs are advancing from academic proof-of-concept research toward clinical systems capable of restoring functions such as communication and computer control, Paradromics noted. The first phase of the collaboration will focus on speech-motor function, and the companies may later extend the work to hand motor control and language restoration after stroke, according to the firm.