A Toronto hospital has performed the first-ever Neuralink brain-computer interface (BCI) implant surgeries outside of the United States (US).
The surgeries happened on Aug. 27 and Sept. 3, 2025, at the University Health Network’s (UHN) Toronto Western Hospital. They were part of a four-year clinical trial evaluating the safety and functionality of Neuralink’s implant and surgical robot. The Neuralink implant’s threads are too fine for a human surgeon’s hand to insert into the brain, so the company is testing how effectively its robot can do the job.
“This milestone represents a convergence of neuroscience, engineering, and clinical care.”
Neuralink produces a wireless BCI that is implanted into the part of a patient’s brain responsible for movement. The implant lets people who are paralyzed in all four limbs control external devices just by thinking. The patients who received the implant in Toronto will participate in follow-up appointments and research sessions as they learn to use the BCI device, according to the UHN.
“This milestone represents a convergence of neuroscience, engineering, and clinical care,” Dr. Andres Lozano, who led the neurosurgery team, said in a statement. “The patients who volunteered to be the first in Canada are remarkable individuals, making significant contributions to advancing science and healthcare.”
Neuralink is owned by controversial billionaire Elon Musk, who fell out of favour with Canadian leaders like Doug Ford due to the significant role he played in US President Donald Trump’s administration.
RELATED: Elon Musk-owned Neuralink receives permission to recruit for Canadian medical trial
The investigational medical device trial is dubbed the Canadian Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface (CAN-PRIME). Neuralink opened a Canadian patient registry for the medical trial in March 2024, while it awaited Health Canada approval, which it received in November. Recruitment for the CAN-PRIME study is still open for individuals with limited or no ability to use both hands due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Neuralink raised a $650-million USD Series E round in June, with participation from investors like Founders Fund, Sequoia Capital, and Thrive Capital. The company claims it had five individuals with severe paralysis using its device to control digital and physical devices with their thoughts at the time. Neuralink also opened a patient registry in July in anticipation of its first clinical study in the United Kingdom.
Noland Arbaugh, the first-ever Neuralink patient, showed off his experience with the BCI last year by playing games like chess and Sid Meier’s Civilization VI on his computer. Arbaugh did experience a setback when the device’s wires retracted unexpectedly, leading to data loss. Neuralink said it fixed the issue by recalibrating the BCI’s sensitivity and took measures to avoid wire retractions in its second patient.
Feature image courtesy Neuralink.