Vancouver Police Sergeant Receives Experimental Neuralink Brain Implant in Toronto Trial

Lee Marten, a 48-year-old sergeant with the Vancouver Police Department on leave, received a Neuralink brain implant on May 20, Cbc reported. He is the first Canadian ALS patient and the third Canadian overall to undergo the procedure, which took place at Toronto Western Hospital as part of a clinical trial. Marten is the 26th person worldwide to receive the implant.

Toronto Western Hospital is the only facility outside the United States participating in the trial. The surgery lasted six hours and was described as successful by doctors. Marten's symptoms began in April 2022 with left foot drop while on bike patrol.

He had surgery in March 2024 to remove a benign brain tumour initially thought to cause the symptoms. He received an ALS diagnosis three years after symptoms first appeared. Marten's wife Lisa signed him up for the Neuralink trial after seeing an ad on Facebook.

He was screened over Zoom and selected for the procedure. The implant involves more than 1,000 electrodes inserted into the brain's motor cortex by a two-metre-tall robot shipped from San Francisco. For the first time, surgeons did not peel back the dura during the operation.

Marten woke up in the ICU with 27 staples in his scalp and began working with Neuralink engineers about one hour later. He was the first participant to do so so soon after surgery. After the procedure, the Martens attended a Toronto Blue Jays game and visited the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Marten received a tattoo on his leg featuring a human brain drawing, the Neuralink symbol, and his patient number 26. Since returning to Vancouver, he performs exercises every couple of days for engineers to monitor the device. Patients in the Canadian trial will be monitored for at least one year for side effects including seizures, infections or strokes, Cbc reported.