Spanish neurotechnology company INBRAIN Neuroelectronics (InBrain) has concluded patient enrolment for its first-in-human study of a graphene neural interface to advance brain decoding and mapping.
The study recruited ten patients, with eight being surgically treated. No perioperative device failures were reported. Complete datasets were obtained from all eight treated patients as part of this safety-focused pilot trial.
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Sponsored by the University of Manchester and conducted with Northern Care Alliance National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust, the trial assessed the graphene-based cortical interface during neurosurgical procedures for brain tumour resection.
The primary goal was to determine perioperative safety while the secondary objective was to test signal quality, interface stability, stimulation performance, and compatibility with current surgical tools and recording systems.
Researchers observed a favourable perioperative safety profile, as no device-related adverse events occurred through the surgical discharge of all eight treated patients.
The study’s primary endpoint involves a post-operative monitoring period of 90 days, including imaging follow-ups to assess ongoing device safety.
InBrain’s graphene electrodes were used alongside standard monitoring systems during tumour resections.
For some awake surgeries, patients undertook functional tasks such as naming objects, enabling assessment of the system’s ability to decode speech representation in the brain with high precision.
Unlike conventional electrodes, which are limited by rigidity and sensitivity, InBrain’s ultra-thin, highly flexible graphene-based electrodes are designed to conform closely to the brain’s surface and access difficult-to-reach areas.
This enables high-resolution signal detection and more precise stimulation, helping map critical functions during brain surgery.
InBrain CEO and co-founder Carolina Aguilar said: “The completion of patient enrolment in this first-in-human study marks an important step for InBrain and the field of neurotechnology.
“Graphene has the potential to fundamentally change how we interface with the brain, enabling higher resolution of neural function-specific biomarkers, safer, and more intelligent BCI [brain-computer interface] systems. We look forward to announcing the full results this year, as we advance towards commercialisation.”
In November 2025, InBrain partnered with Microsoft to explore advancing precision neurology by applying agentic AI to its BCI platform.
