Science Corporation, a brain-computer interface (BCI) startup founded by co-founder of Neuralink Max Hodak, recently announced the appointment of Dr. Murat Günel, chairman of neurosurgery at Yale School of Medicine, as a scientific advisor to lead the company's first human clinical trial of its biologically hybrid BCI system in the United States. This strategic move marks a key transition for the company from purely electronic devices to biologically and electronically integrated systems.
Science Corporation was established in 2021 and has a valuation of $1.5 billion. It recently completed a $230 million Series C funding round. Its core competitiveness lies in avoiding the risk of brain damage caused by traditional rigid metal probes. The team led by Chief Scientific Officer Alan Mardinly is developing a biologically hybrid sensor that integrates lab-grown neurons. The device stimulates neurons with light pulses, aiming to achieve natural biological integration with the patient's native neural circuits, rather than simple electrical intervention.
According to the plan, the first human trial will test a micro-sensor containing 520 recording electrodes. Unlike Neuralink's invasive implantation, this sensor will be placed on the surface of the cerebral cortex inside the skull, leveraging its miniaturization to reduce risks. Dr. Günel plans to conduct preliminary validation on patients who require craniotomy surgery, and future applications will include Parkinson's disease, post-stroke rehabilitation, and brain tumor monitoring.
Although the company's PRIMA vision restoration device is planned for promotion in Europe this year, this more forward-looking biologically hybrid system still faces complex preparations for human trials. Dr. Günel said that although starting the trial in 2027 seems optimistic, this system has the potential to fundamentally stop the progression of neurodegenerative diseases, offering a new paradigm for human enhancement and disease treatment.
