Biohybrid is a neural interface technology that uses living neurons to connect to the brain instead of wires

The Architecture

The Science biohybrid architecture integrates neurons into its electronics, rather than trying to integrate electronics into the brain.

Using hundreds of thousands of neurons anchored to the device, the Science biohybrid architecture connects to the brain with orders of magnitude more bandwidth than current state-of-the-art devices, while avoiding the damage and limitations of putting wires into a brain.

The Connection

The neurons embedded into biohybrid devices connect to neurons in the brain and form a bridge between biohybrid devices and the brain

An embedded neuron is positioned in a device between a stimulation microLED and a recording electrode. Its axonal projection extends from the device into the brain.

Stimulating & Recording

On either side of the embedded neurons, the Science biohybrid architecture uses hundreds of thousands of microLEDs and electrodes for stimulating and recording the neurons' activity, giving it a stable way to read and write information from the neurons anchored to the device.

Stimulating Neurons

Using an established technique called optogenetics, the neurons embedded into biohybrid devices have been modified so they can be activated with light.

Recording Neuron Activity

Recording electrodes allow the Science biohybrid architecture to detect when its embedded neurons are triggered by signals received from the brain.

Penetrating neural probe

Structure of the Brain

The brain has very little free space; neurons naturally form a dense network of synapses to efficiently pass signals to one another.

This image shows a very small cross section of brain tissue with cell nuclei highlighted in blue. What looks like empty space is tightly packed with axons, dendrites, and supporting cells.

Cell nuclei

Past Limitations

At the scale of neurons, even the smallest electrodes are destructive

The damage caused by inserting dozens of probes into the brain isn't likely to cause noticeable adverse effects. But when each probe destroys thousands of neurons, there has been a tradeoff between channel count and damage to the brain.

Biohybrid Connection

The Science biohybrid architecture integrates without damaging the brain by using the natural ability of neurons to connect nondestructively

The cells highlighted green in this image are actual neuron axons and dendrites extending from a biohybrid engraftment, forming connections throughout the brain capable of transmitting information.

Integrated biohybrid neurons

Channel count and synapses

Channel count is a measure of the number of neurons or brain regions a brain-computer interface (BCI) is able to stimulate and/or record at the same time. It is an effective measure of the capabilities of BCI devices because it represents the upper limit of information flow between brain and device.

Traditionally, BCIs are judged on the number (or “channels”) of electrodes, but neurons can be packed orders of magnitude more densely than electrodes and each one forms a multitude of connections once it reaches into the brain. Using our technology, a million embedded neurons could form a billion synapses with the brain which would provide unparalleled insights into the structure and communication patterns of our brains.

Chart data source: Stevenson Lab

A graph of simultaneously recorded neurons with respect to time stretches from 1960 to 2020. The quantity of recorded neurons doubles approximately every 6.3 years with a few thousand being the current standard in 2020.

Biohybrid technologies hold the potential to enable unprecedented new research into restoring lost functionality due to brain injuries

  • Language & Communication

  • Motor Control

  • Learning & Reasoning

Supporting Research and Further Reading

Science Corporation Research

Optogenetic Stimulation of a Cortical Biohybrid Implant Guides Goal Directed Behavior, by Brown et al.

Read the paper

Learn more about biohybrid research done by others