Spiro Medical treated the first patient in PULSAR, a feasibility study of spinal nerve stimulation for severe uncontrolled asthma. The Irvine, California company announced it October 12. The study runs under an FDA investigational device exemption and will enroll up to 30 patients across multiple US sites.
The implant targets autonomic pathways that influence bronchial tone and inflammatory response. The first patient was enrolled through the University of Florida's Lillian S. Wells Department of Neurosurgery and implanted at The Orthopedic Institute in Gainesville. Michael Wechsler of National Jewish Health is principal investigator.
Spiro announced a $67M Series A in January 2026 led by Andera Partners. Thirty patients under an IDE is the cheapest honest test of whether the mechanism does anything in humans. Running it out of neurosurgery departments rather than pulmonology clinics also puts the implant where the procedural skill already sits, which is the practical constraint on any respiratory neuromodulation program.