Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
*Subscribe to Foresight Neurotechnology Seminar Group:* foresight.org/seminar/neurotechnology-seminar-group
Supporting researchers, entrepreneurs, and funders in advancing neurotechnology progress and applications in brain-computer interfaces, whole brain emulations, and neuro-inspired AI safety.
*Alan Mardinly | Towards High Bandwidth Biohybrid Neural Interfaces*
Abstract: Neural interfaces that record directly from neurons offer high performance, but their channel count is limited by tissue damage from invasive neural probes. We seek to break the channel count limitations of conventional intracortical BCIs by engineering neurons to interface with electrodes in the laboratory, and allowing the neurons to integrate into neural circuits. The engineered neurons become an interface layer that lifts representations from the brain to a biological access layer with which we have formed a stable interface. In this talk, I will review the theoretical basis and brief history of these class of interfaces, and share Science corporation's latest technical progress towards making them a reality.
Bio: Dr. Alan Mardinly is Chief Scientific Officer at Science Corp., and is a cofounder of the company. He leads Science’s biohybrid project. His focus is on optogenetic therapies for vision restoration and biohybrid brain implants.
Alan has more than 15 years of experience in neuroscience research, working across biology and neuroscience from stem cells to brain implants. He received his BA in Biology from the University of Chicago in 2006 and his PhD in neurobiology from Harvard University in 2013, where he studied how experience-induced transcriptional programs control synaptic plasticity in inhibitory neurons. Alan then went to UC Berkeley where he developed holographic optogenetic approaches to stimulate the brain with spatial and temporal precision. In 2019 he joined the leadership team at Neuralink before eventually departing in 2021 when he left to co-found Science. scholar.google.com/citations?user=zWyXnKcAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao
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*About The Foresight Institute*
The Foresight Institute is a research organization and non-profit that supports the beneficial development of high-impact technologies. Since our founding in 1986 on a vision of guiding powerful technologies, we have continued to evolve into a many-armed organization that focuses on several fields of science and technology that are too ambitious for legacy institutions to support. From molecular nanotechnology, to brain-computer interfaces, space exploration, cryptocommerce, and AI, Foresight gathers leading minds to advance research and accelerate progress toward flourishing futures.
*We are entirely funded by your donations. If you enjoy what we do please consider donating through our donation page:* foresight.org/donate
*Visit* https://foresight.org, *subscribe to our channel for more videos or join us here:*
*• Twitter:* twitter.com/foresightinst
*• Facebook:* facebook.com/foresightinst
*• LinkedIn:* linkedin.com/company/foresight-institute
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*Timecodes*
00:00 Science Corp's Mission and Business Strategy
02:00 The PRIMA Visual Prosthesis
06:32 Building the BCI Hardware Ecosystem
09:02 The Challenge of Whole-Brain Interfaces
12:08 Introducing Biohybrid Neural Probes
14:08 Early Biohybrid Experiments in Mice
16:13 From Mouse to Human Stem Cells
18:56 Confirming Synapses and Recording Activity
20:50 Implant Hardware and Closing the Loop
24:33 Why Optogenetics Needs Better Opsins
25:39 Engineering the Watcher Opsin
29:40 Solving Opsin Immunogenicity
34:10 Key Takeaways and Roadmap
35:38 Implantation Routes and Channel Definitions
40:10 Improving Cell Seeding and Immune Cloaking
43:05 Chemical BCIs and Circuit Steering
46:37 Developing Brains and Host Interactions
*Subscribe to Foresight Neurotechnology Seminar Group:* foresight.org/seminar/neurotechnology-seminar-group
Supporting researchers, entrepreneurs, and funders in advancing neurotechnology progress and applications in brain-computer interfaces, whole brain emulations, and neuro-inspired AI safety.
*Alan Mardinly | Towards High Bandwidth Biohybrid Neural Interfaces*
Abstract: Neural interfaces that record directly from neurons offer high performance, but their channel count is limited by tissue damage from invasive neural probes. We seek to break the channel count limitations of conventional intracortical BCIs by engineering neurons to interface with electrodes in the laboratory, and allowing the neurons to integrate into neural circuits. The engineered neurons become an interface layer that lifts representations from the brain to a biological access layer with which we have formed a stable interface. In this talk, I will review the theoretical basis and brief history of these class of interfaces, and share Science corporation's latest technical progress towards making them a reality.
Bio: Dr. Alan Mardinly is Chief Scientific Officer at Science Corp., and is a cofounder of the company. He leads Science’s biohybrid project. His focus is on optogenetic therapies for vision restoration and biohybrid brain implants.
Alan has more than 15 years of experience in neuroscience research, working across biology and neuroscience from stem cells to brain implants. He received his BA in Biology from the University of Chicago in 2006 and his PhD in neurobiology from Harvard University in 2013, where he studied how experience-induced transcriptional programs control synaptic plasticity in inhibitory neurons. Alan then went to UC Berkeley where he developed holographic optogenetic approaches to stimulate the brain with spatial and temporal precision. In 2019 he joined the leadership team at Neuralink before eventually departing in 2021 when he left to co-found Science. scholar.google.com/citations?user=zWyXnKcAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao
══════════════════════════════════════
*About The Foresight Institute*
The Foresight Institute is a research organization and non-profit that supports the beneficial development of high-impact technologies. Since our founding in 1986 on a vision of guiding powerful technologies, we have continued to evolve into a many-armed organization that focuses on several fields of science and technology that are too ambitious for legacy institutions to support. From molecular nanotechnology, to brain-computer interfaces, space exploration, cryptocommerce, and AI, Foresight gathers leading minds to advance research and accelerate progress toward flourishing futures.
*We are entirely funded by your donations. If you enjoy what we do please consider donating through our donation page:* foresight.org/donate
*Visit* https://foresight.org, *subscribe to our channel for more videos or join us here:*
*• Twitter:* twitter.com/foresightinst
*• Facebook:* facebook.com/foresightinst
*• LinkedIn:* linkedin.com/company/foresight-institute
══════════════════════════════════════
*Timecodes*
00:00 Science Corp's Mission and Business Strategy
02:00 The PRIMA Visual Prosthesis
06:32 Building the BCI Hardware Ecosystem
09:02 The Challenge of Whole-Brain Interfaces
12:08 Introducing Biohybrid Neural Probes
14:08 Early Biohybrid Experiments in Mice
16:13 From Mouse to Human Stem Cells
18:56 Confirming Synapses and Recording Activity
20:50 Implant Hardware and Closing the Loop
24:33 Why Optogenetics Needs Better Opsins
25:39 Engineering the Watcher Opsin
29:40 Solving Opsin Immunogenicity
34:10 Key Takeaways and Roadmap
35:38 Implantation Routes and Channel Definitions
40:10 Improving Cell Seeding and Immune Cloaking
43:05 Chemical BCIs and Circuit Steering
46:37 Developing Brains and Host Interactions
