Science Corporation, the innovative startup spearheaded by former Neuralink president and co-founder Max Hodak, has secured the expertise of a leading neurobiologist to spearhead the inaugural U.S. human trials for its groundbreaking biohybrid brain-computer interface.
Dr. Murat Günel, who chairs Yale Medical School’s Department of Neurosurgery, has officially joined the company as a scientific adviser following two years of extensive discussions. His primary objective is to surgically implant the initial sensor for a sophisticated future interface, one designed to seamlessly integrate lab-grown neurons with advanced electronics, directly into a patient’s brain.
Founded in 2021, Science recently concluded a successful $230 million Series C fundraising round last month, elevating its valuation to $1.5 billion. While the company pursues its ambitious BCI project, its most advanced current product is PRIMA, a device developed to restore vision for individuals suffering from blindness caused by macular degeneration and similar conditions. Science acquired this technology in 2024 and has since progressed it through clinical trials, with aspirations to achieve wider availability in Europe, pending regulatory approval, potentially as early as this year.
However, Hodak co-founded Science with a far more expansive vision: to forge reliable communication pathways between computers and the human brain. This endeavor aims not only to treat debilitating diseases but also to pave the way for human enhancement, such as the integration of entirely new sensory capabilities. Hodak’s career has been steadfastly dedicated to this proposition, from his early days talking his way into a graduate neuroscience lab as an undergraduate to establishing his first biotech computing startup and co-founding Neuralink alongside Elon Musk.
While organizations like Neuralink have demonstrated success in utilizing electronic sensors to detect brain activity in patients afflicted by conditions such as ALS, spinal injuries, and other disorders that disrupt brain-body communication — enabling users with implanted devices to control computers or generate text through thought alone — the commercial viability of these devices faces significant hurdles. Regulatory complexities and the relatively limited number of patients with applicable diagnoses continue to obscure the path to a broad market.
Hodak, for his part, concluded that the conventional approach of influencing the brain with electricity via metal probes or electrodes is fundamentally flawed. Although this technology can yield remarkable results, Dr. Günel points out that these probes often inflict brain damage, which is likely to degrade device performance over time. This critical limitation spurred the Science founding team to pursue a more organic and biologically integrated methodology.
“The idea of using natural connections through neurons and creating a biological interface between the electronics and the human brain is genius,” Günel shared with TechCrunch, underscoring his belief in the company’s innovative direction.
Alan Mardinly, a co-founder and the company’s chief science officer, has been instrumental in leading the development of Science’s biohybrid sensor with a dedicated team of 30 researchers. The final iteration of the device will feature embedded lab-grown neurons. These neurons are designed to be stimulated by pulses of light and to naturally integrate with a patient’s existing brain neurons, thereby establishing a harmonious bridge between biological and electronic systems. In 2024, the company released a working paper demonstrating the device's safe implantation in mice and its efficacy in stimulating brain activity.
Currently, the company's internal efforts are concentrated on developing device prototypes and refining the techniques for growing neuron cells tailored for various therapeutic applications, ensuring they meet stringent medical standards.
Dr. Günel will provide crucial guidance to the team as they prepare for human clinical trials, already engaging in discussions with the medical ethics boards that oversee experiments involving human subjects. The initial phase will involve testing the company’s advanced sensor, without the embedded neurons, within a living human brain.
Distinguishing itself from devices like Neuralink's, which are inserted directly into brain tissue, Science’s sensor will be implanted inside the skull but will rest on the surface of the brain. Perhaps owing to this structural difference, the company states it does not intend to seek FDA approval for these initial trials, contending that the tiny device — which houses 520 recording electrodes within an area the size of a pea — poses no significant risk to patients.
The team’s strategy involves identifying patient candidates who are already scheduled for significant brain surgery, such as stroke victims requiring a portion of their cranium removed to alleviate brain swelling. In such instances, Dr. Günel anticipates placing the sensor atop the patient’s cortex to evaluate its safety and effectiveness in measuring brain activity.
If proven successful, Dr. Günel believes the device holds the potential to address a multitude of neurological conditions. An early application could involve delivering gentle electrical stimulation to damaged brain or spinal cord cells to promote healing. More complex applications might include monitoring neurological activity in patients with brain tumors, providing crucial early warnings to caregivers about impending seizures.
Should the full capabilities of these devices be realized, Dr. Günel contemplates their potential to offer more effective treatments for conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, a progressive disorder that gradually diminishes patients' control over their bodies. Current treatment options, including experimental brain cell transplants and deep brain stimulation with electricity, have yet to reliably halt the disease’s progression.
“I imagine this biohybrid system as combining those two—you have the electronics, and you have the biological system,” he explained to TechCrunch. “In Parkinson’s, for example, we cannot stop the progression of the disease; in neurosurgery, all we are doing is putting an electrode to stop the tremors. Whereas if you can really put the [transplanted] cells back in the brain, protect those circuits, there’s a chance, and I believe it’s a good chance, that we can stop progression of the disease.”
Nevertheless, a considerable amount of work remains before these ambitious goals can be achieved. Dr. Günel noted that it would be "optimistic" to anticipate the commencement of trials before 2027.
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