Neuralink Rival Unbrain “will never” carry brain implants beyond medical care

Elon Musk has extravagant plans for Neuralink’s brain interfaces, to give people “super powers” to discharge Your memories. The Neuroectronics of Spanish Rival Spanish has a simpler objective: to improve our health, and nothing more.

“I know that Elon Musk might want to use Neuralink to drive a tesla or something, but we will never go beyond therapeutic applications,” Carolina Aguilar, CEO and Co -founder of Drain told TNW.

While Musk has captured the headlines with futuristic ambitions for human improvement, the incrusting has constantly focused on developing his neuronal interfaces to treat neurological diseases. The company’s technology also stands out. Is built in the Graphene of “wonderful material”.

Graphene is an ultra thin, strong and flexible material that carries out electricity without degrading. It has the potential to be more effective and less invasive than metals and polymers used in cerebral computers interfaces by companies such as Neuralink, Blackrock Neurotech or Medtronic.

The Drain device is made up of small graphene electrodes in a thinner film than a human hair. The implant reads electrical signals from the brain and, when necessary, sends electric pulses back. It is designed to treat neurological disorders by attacking the root cause: defective brain signals.

The first Drain approach is Parkinson’s disease. Its graphene -based implant is designed to detect specific neuronal signals linked to motor function, then deliver ultra precise stimulation only when necessary. “It won’t heal the disease, but will heal the symptoms,” he said Aguilar.

From the laboratory to the human brain

Last year, Insbrain carried out the first inhuman test of the world based on graphene at the University of Manchester.

The surgeons temporarily placed the device in a patient’s brain during tumor surgery. In just 79 minutes, he identified the healthy and cancerous tissue with micrometer precision. Insbrain now plans to test the device in up to 10 patients to evaluate graphene safety in the brain, as part of the EU € 1 billion Graphene badge project.

After that, Insbrain aims to begin the clinical trials of its therapeutic implant for Parkinson’s disease, said Aguilar.

This system will combine two components: a thin sheet similar to cellophane that rests on the surface of the brain to read the electrical activity, and a second deeper implant that offers a highly directed stimulation to the areas that control the movement.

“With artificial intelligence, the device can learn from the brain of each patient to administer personalized neurological therapy,” Aguilar explained.

But that is just the beginning. Insbrain expects to use the same closed circuit system to address conditions such as epilepsy, dementia and chronic pain. Ultimately, it could help restore lost functions such as speech or movement in patients with neurological damage.

Founded in 2020, Interim has raised $ 100 million to date, according to Sharp. That includes a $ 50mn B series round last year and a $ 4.5mn subsidy Spanish Ministry of Industry and Tourism, announced last week. When asked about the future financing perspectives of the company, Aguilar indicated that an OPI was an option.

“We want to have the greatest impact as quickly as possible, and if making public is the best route to get there, we will take it,” he said.

Aguilar also said they would be open to being acquired by the “right couple”, but added that he is not sure if Neuralink would be “a good adjustment.”

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