According to the Medicine Intelligence Data Investment Pattern Database, Precision Neuroscience (hereinafter referred to as Precision) recently announced the completion of a new round of $102 million (contract 740 million RMB) Series C financing, bringing its total capital to $155 million. Investors participating in this round of financing include General Equity Holdings, B Capital, Duquesne Family Office of Stanley F. Druckenmiller, and Steadview Capital.

This round of financing will be used to expand Precision's team, advance clinical research work, and refine future versions of its AI driven brain implants. These implants are designed to enable severely paralyzed users to operate digital devices such as computers and smartphones solely through thinking.

In addition, according to the Medicine Intelligence Data Investment Pattern Database, Precision also completed a Series C financing on November 6th this year, with a financing scale of 93 million US dollars (contract 679 million RMB).

Advanced Brain Computer Interface Technology
Precision was founded in 2021 and is a company dedicated to developing Brain Computer Interface (BCI) technology. Its goal is to bring advanced brain computer interface technology to millions of patients for the treatment of currently incurable neurological disorders such as paralysis, stroke, and major brain injuries.

At present, Precision has over 25 patents and applications, and plans to apply this device to neurological diseases other than nerve paralysis. The excellent minimally invasive implantation properties and modular features of microelectrode arrays allow for the combination of multiple arrays in clinical practice to cover large areas of the brain.

Precision's' Layer 7 Cortical Interface 'technology is a compromise between invasive and non-invasive brain computer interface technologies aimed at reducing damage to brain tissue. The 7-layer cortical interface is a thin film microelectrode array designed to conform to the cerebral cortex without damaging tissue. Using Precision's patented minimally invasive insertion method, it can deliver thousands of channels anywhere on the surface of the brain.

In addition to minimally invasive implantation, the 7-layer cortical interface also has many characteristics:
 High density electrodes: Each Layer 7 array contains 1024 tiny electrodes, with a density 600 times that of a standard cortical array, capable of capturing electrical signals from the brain with extremely high resolution;
 Flexible film material: Layer 7 interface is made of a flexible film material with a thickness of only one-fifth of human hair, which can adhere to the surface of the brain while maintaining softness and flexibility;
 Reversibility: The Layer 7 interface is designed to be reversible, meaning that the brain remains intact after implantation and can be removed or replaced as needed, reducing long-term risks;
 High resolution data: Layer 7 technology can capture the electrical signals generated by the brain when processing information or initiating actions at the micrometer scale, providing an unprecedented view of brain activity.

And in order to fully control the production of its core technology layer 7 cortical interface, better manage product quality through internal production, and quickly iterate future versions of products, Precision completed the acquisition of a microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) foundry through its wholly-owned subsidiary Precision BioMEMS Corporation on October 5, 2023.

The OEM factory covers an area of 22000 square feet, including a 5500 square foot ISO Level 5 cleanroom, over 500 square feet of ISO Level 6 post-processing and assembly space, and more than 50 sets of specialized equipment. Precision BioMEMS has retained the team at the factory, which has deep expertise in biomedical and general MEMS manufacturing.

At present, Precision's brain computer interface system has obtained breakthrough device certification from the US FDA, which will accelerate the review process of new technologies.
In addition, Precision is actively developing machine learning software to translate neural data into computer code, further enhancing the functionality of BCI. The development of this technology is expected to provide new treatment methods for patients with neurological disorders such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, and Parkinson's disease, helping to restore or improve neurological function.

Science shines into reality
Brain computer interfaces sprouted in the early 20th century, when Professor Hans Berger first discovered brainwaves. Subsequently, researchers conducted research on brain computer interface related technologies.

Brain computer interface technology can bypass peripheral nerves and muscles to directly establish a new communication and control channel between the brain and external devices. It has important potential applications in the rehabilitation of patients with movement disorders and the enhancement of human work ability from a physical or cognitive perspective. From a technical perspective, brain computer interfaces can be divided into two types: non implantable and implantable.

With the development of brain computer interfaces, artificial intelligence, biomedical engineering, neuroengineering and rehabilitation engineering, cognitive neuroscience and psychological science, etc., the connotation and extension of brain computer interfaces are constantly enriching, and scientific imagination is shining into the real world.

It is worth mentioning that Precision is a strong competitor to Neuralink, a neural technology company under Tesla CEO Elon Musk. With the successful completion of the two rounds of financing, Precision has become the brain computer interface company that has raised the most funds after Neuralink.

In addition to Precision's active development, Neuralink has also been active this year. On January 28th, Neuralink conducted its first human transplant of a brain computer interface device. However, on May 8th, Neuralink published a blog post stating that they had recently encountered implantation issues on their first human subject, Nolan Abo, resulting in a decrease in the amount of data captured from Abo's brain. This has also raised questions about the safety and reliability of brain computer interface technology. However, according to informed sources, Neuralink has informed the FDA that they believe they have resolved the issues with the Abo implant and added that the company hopes to implant the device in two more patients in the coming months.

Until August 6th, Nature magazine revealed in its latest issue that Neuralink has implanted a brain computer interface into a second human patient. In September, Neuralink announced that its experimental brain implant device, Blindsight, had received breakthrough device certification from the US FDA.

Conclusion
Looking at the entire brain computer interface market, it is still a blue ocean. According to McKinsey's forecast, the market size of brain computer interface medical applications is expected to reach $40 billion by 2030 and $145 billion by 2040.

In China, brain computer interface related technologies are still in the "nascent" stage. However, since the beginning of this year, governments in Beijing, Shanghai and other places have issued a series of policies to promote the development of the brain computer interface industry; And there have been continuous breakthroughs in clinical practice. In November, the brain computer interface product NEO developed by Borui Kang in collaboration with Professor Hong Bo's team from Tsinghua University completed the third clinical implantation surgery in China, with good postoperative recovery.

However, it is worth noting that current invasive brain computer interface devices are still in the early stages of development, with rich imaginative space, but also face safety and ethical issues. The road ahead is long and requires scientists and regulators to continue exploring.

Source: https://news.yaozh.com/archive/44746.html