Science Corporation implants its vision-restoring chip in its first Stargardt disease patient

Science Corporation has successfully implanted its vision-restoring chip, PRIMA, into its first patient suffering from Stargardt disease, an inherited eye condition that progressively destroys central vision. Max Hodak, CEO of Science Corporation and former president of Neuralink, shared this milestone during a presentation at TechCrunch Disrupt.

Stargardt disease affects the outer retina, leading to the gradual death of light-sensing cells while potentially sparing the inner retina, which transmits visual signals to the brain. This condition results in a central blind spot that enlarges over time, impacting approximately 150,000 people worldwide.

Hodak explained how PRIMA fits into the broader vision of developing a novel brain-computer interface (BCI). He stated, "The retina is part of the central nervous system. We consider cochlear implants, retinal prostheses, motor prostheses, these are all different types of BCIs."