The company says the studies represent “a major step forward” as it aims to understand how the brain controls movement. It hopes to utilize the sites to advance its brain-computer interface (BCI) technology for people with neurological disorders.
Precision Neuroscience designs the Layer 7 Cortical Interface. features 1,024 tiny electrodes spanning an area of one square centimeter. The company embedded the electrodes in a flexible film that conforms to the brain surface. The film comes in at one-fifth the thickness of a human hair. Precision Neuroscience designed it for implantation and removal by neurosurgeons without damaging brain tissue.
The company says it expects its brain implant to enable people with severe neurological conditions, like speech deficits and paralysis, to regain independence, communicate with loved ones and rejoin the workforce.
Precision Neuroscience is featured on MassDevice’s 2023 list of BCI companies you need to know.
“Mount Sinai and Penn Medicine are major centers of excellence, known for spearheading advancements in neurotechnology,” said Dr. Ben Rapoport, chief science officer and co-founder. “Each of our partners has focused on a unique area of applied neuroscience, and each study leverages the high-resolution neural data produced by our arrays to shed light on a different aspect of how the brain works.”
More about the planned clinical programs for Precision Neuroscience
At Mount Sinai, Precision Neuroscience plans to work with a team of researchers led by principal investigator Dr. Ignacio Saez. They aim to explore the applications of the company’s cortical surface arrays in clinical settings. That includes intraoperative monitoring all the way to neurocritical care.
Initial investigations focused on functional mapping of the motor and sensory cortex using the Layer 7 array. Mount Sinai plans to enroll up to 15 patients in its program annually.
Saez said the research could help address the technical limitations that limit the ability to understand brain function and record brain activity. The Precision Neuroscience system could provide insights into how the brain generates thoughts and behaviors. Saez hopes the insights help fuel the development of approaches for neurological and psychiatric conditions.
Dr. Iahn Cajigas Gonzales leads the team at the Perelman School of Medicine at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Penn Medicine’s study focuses on decoding the neural signals underlying hand movement.
Cajigas Gonzeles and his team used the Layer 7 alongside motion capture technology in the study. They aim to deepen the scientific understanding of how the motor cortex communicates with the body to produce movement.
In the study, patients undergoing awake neurosurgical procedures like deep brain stimulation (DBS) have the Layer 7 device implanted through the same burr hole through which DBS electrodes are deployed. Patients then get fitted with motion capture gloves and conduct different gesture tasks. Subsequent analysis synchronizes motion capture data with neural recordings captured by Layer 7. The researchers say this can enable precise predictions of intended hand and arm movements.
The Penn Medicine study aims to enroll up to 15 patients annually.
