Precision Neuroscience revealed a study detailing its first human brain-computer interface patients, demonstrating high-bandwidth neural data collection and stimulation without deep tissue penetration.
The study, published in Nature Biomedical Engineering, outlines the design, preclinical testing, and clinical pilot of the company’s Layer 7 cortical interface. The pilot involved five patients undergoing brain activity mapping during neurosurgery.
Precision Neuroscience’s approach is modular, scalable, and reversible. The Layer 7 system is temporary, utilizing 1,024 electrodes on a thin, flexible film inserted through a sub-millimeter skull incision. Multiple devices can be used, with Precision Neuroscience previously deploying four postage stamp-sized implants to cover up to eight square centimeters of gray matter.
The device received FDA clearance earlier this year for use in open surgery, aiding clinicians in avoiding critical brain areas. This clearance allows its use while the company develops software platforms for decoding brain signals to assist patients with conditions like paralysis and ALS.
The Nature study also examined the planned “micro-slit” insertion technique using animal models and human cadavers, avoiding burr holes or craniotomies. The company stated the procedure can be performed safely in under 20 minutes. Following device removal from a subset of animals, no neurological impairments or tissue disruption were observed.
Benjamin Rapoport, co-founder and chief science officer of Precision Neuroscience, stated, “Brain-computer interfaces could be life-changing for people with paralysis—helping them speak, work, and live more independently—but until now the technology has required highly invasive brain surgery. People are told that they have to choose between brain safety and performance. Our goal was to prove that you can have both. This paper shows that it’s possible to get the same high-quality brain signals without opening the skull or piercing the brain.” Rapoport previously served as a founding member of Neuralink.
In the clinical pilot, the system detected attempted speech with nearly 80% accuracy, using only four minutes of training data and 54 utterances recorded during a short awake period in a craniotomy patient.
Researchers recorded separate, independent activity channels across a single implant’s 1,024 electrodes in pig brains, even when spaced 300 micrometers apart. This suggests potential for further neural data discovery at this level.
Craig Mermel, co-author and Precision’s president and chief product officer, commented, “The more detail you can capture, the better you can translate thoughts into actions—whether that’s moving a cursor, generating speech, or controlling a device. This paper shows that it’s possible to collect high-resolution data safely and at scale, which is exactly what’s needed to bring brain-computer interfaces out of the lab and into everyday clinical use.”
Since manuscript submission, Precision has implanted its Layer 7 in over 50 patients. Extended-use studies are underway at six U.S. medical centers, investigating its capability to record thoughts and translate them into computer inputs and robotic device movements.
