Science Corporation implants its vision-restoring chip in its first Stargardt disease patient
Science Corporation has successfully implanted its PRIMA vision-restoring chip into its first patient suffering from Stargardt disease. The company aims to expand the use of brain-computer interfaces beyond computer control into broader medical applications for the central nervous system.
Why it matters
This represents a significant advancement in neurotechnology and retinal prosthetics, potentially offering a cure for previously incurable degenerative eye diseases.
Science Corporation CEO Max Hodak announced that the company has implanted its vision-restoring chip , PRIMA, into its first patient with Stargardt disease, an inherited eye disease that gradually destroys central vision. Hodak, the former president and co-founder of Neuralink, the brain implant company, explained on stage at TechCrunch Disrupt how the company’s work with PRIMA fits into its broader pursuit of a novel brain-computer interface (BCI).
“The retina is part of the central nervous system,” Hodak said on stage. “We consider cochlear implants, retinal prostheses, motor prostheses, these are all different types of BCIs.”
Hodak outlined a vision in which BCIs expand into a wide range of medical technology applications, rather than simply being a way to control computers.
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