Science

We are pleased to announce the formal submission of our application for a CE mark for our PRIMA retinal implant to our notified body for review. With this key step, we are moving closer to bringing to market the first brain-computer interface technology to restore functional form vision to patients blinded with late-stage macular degeneration. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gfpycc6P

From Bloomberg: "Science Corp. ... has raised over $100 million in a funding round led by Khosla Ventures. "We have a philosophy of investing in companies that are early and make bold bets and can be impactful for the future,” said Shernaz Daver, operating partner and chief marketing officer at Khosla Ventures" ... “We’re excited to have the support of exceptional investors,” a company spokesperson said. Asked for comment, Hodak, Science’s chief executive officer, wrote via email, “We’re hiring!” https://lnkd.in/d7AHYM67

Few figures in Brain Computer Interface Land can match Max Hodak’s output over the past decade. He helped start Neuralink in 2016 and then went on to start Science Corp. in 2021. Science has been working on implants to help restore vision and has clinical trials underway with the technology. The company has also built out a line of brain computer interface products for others to use and is exploring some very weird and promising technology around lab-built neurons that can be infused into brains. Hodak has done relatively few interviews over the years and there’s not much about his background available online. I recently paid a visit to Science’s headquarters in Alameda, Calif. to rectify this situation and speak with Hodak about his science journey, his philosophies around tech and business and where BCI technology is heading as humans and machines join forces . . . possibly for good. Also, we discuss the Jennifer Aniston neuron, if you’re into that sort of thing. As ever, you can subscribe to the Core Memory podcast via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and all other fine podcast purveyors. Do us a solid and leave some ratings and reviews. Thanks! https://lnkd.in/g2xBnFqg

Our CEO, Max Hodak, joins the First Principles podcast to discuss the future of Neural Engineering, the biohybrid neural interface, and representations of consciousness: https://lnkd.in/djpY3W_Y

Our CEO, Max Hodak discusses our Biohybrid and Vision programs along with the future of our neural engineering technologies with David Eagleman. https://lnkd.in/g_CXjmYH

One of my favorite books as a kid was Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. It tells the story of a group of rodents who were experimented on in a lab and gained profound intelligence and physical gifts. These rats can read and build machines, and they live much longer than the rest of their kind. They, of course, escape the lab that created them and go on to build a flourishing, human-like society underground in the countryside. If Max Hodak and the researchers at Science Corp. have their way, these types of clever rats – or perhaps something along the lines of monkeys playing poker - might be brought into existence. Oh, and also, Hodak thinks humans could be heading toward an Inception-like future. Let’s get real weird. Near the end of last year, Science revealed its work on technology that makes it possible to fuse large quantities of lab-grown neurons with an animal’s brain. To do this, Science has built a device that preserves the manufactured neurons in a gel. It then takes out part of an animal’s skull and places its device atop the animal’s brain. In the days that follow, the neurons in the device begin to develop wiring that stretches out from Science’s hardware and into the brain, giving the animal access to extra stores of mental horsepower. Hodak bills the technology as a new kind of brain interface that builds on what the public has been reading about for the past few years from the likes of Neuralink, Synchron, Precision Neuroscience, and Science itself. Unlike many of these existing brain interfaces, though, Science’s latest technology would not require an implant being placed deep into brain tissue or genetic modifications to a brain to work. To that end, Hodak sees these “biohybrid neural interfaces” as less damaging to brains than current technology. He also contends that Science’s technology will be more general-purpose and reach many areas of the brain, as opposed to current implants that target specific regions like the motor cortex or visual cortex to augment specific mental functions and combat injuries and illness. “You could place electrodes into the brain and get more bandwidth,” Hodak says. “You could place electrodes in the blood vessels and get less bandwidth. You could do things in between. You could use ultrasound, but that requires genetic modifications to get very high functional resolution. All of these things have complex trade-offs. “You're going to come out with a motor prosthesis, or a visual prosthesis, or an auditory prosthesis. Or you're going to do modulation for epilepsy, or depression. And obviously, there's a lot of progress that's been made on these things, which I'm all for. But I contend that this is not the promise of BCIs (brain-computer interfaces).” The rest of the story is on Core Memory - https://lnkd.in/gimZsPj9

The story of PRIMA and our commitment to bringing transformative technologies to patients in need is #2! https://lnkd.in/gawDhaDX

From NewScientist, "The biohybrid implant, developed by California-based start-up Science Corporation, differs from many other devices, which usually contain arrays of electrodes that penetrate the brain and sometimes damage cells. In comparison, Science Corporation’s implant is less invasive: it sits on top of the brain, where the neurons it contains can form natural connections with the brain’s cells." Read more about our biohybrid implant: https://lnkd.in/gRuxb5TP

Today we are unveiling our latest technology: "At Science, we’re developing a biohybrid probe technology using highly engineered, stem cell-derived neurons embedded in vitro in electronics and engrafted into the brain, forming new biological connections. The basic idea is pretty simple: since the brain is already largely composed of neurons, what happens if we add more neurons? The answer is they grow in and wire up extensively. Importantly, we solve the central problem (the destruction of neurons by traditional wire like probes) by keeping the cell bodies with us, which is possible because we started with them. Only their axons and dendrites grow out into the brain, joining the representations they encounter." https://lnkd.in/gYgJzkdB You can take a behind the scenes look into our work thanks to the incredible work of Jason Carman and S3: https://lnkd.in/gA6M_bXZ

From WIRED, "For years, they had been losing their central vision—what allows people to see letters, faces, and details clearly. The light-receiving cells in their eyes were deteriorating, gradually blurring their sight. But after receiving an experimental eye implant as part of a clinical trial, some study participants can now see well enough to read from a book, play cards, and fill in a crossword puzzle despite being legally blind. Science Corporation, the California-based brain-computer interface company developing the implant, announced the preliminary results this week." Read more: https://lnkd.in/grxJ6feB