Science Corporation implants PRIMA chip in Stargardt patient in Sydney
Science Corporation has pulled off a big first: it implanted its PRIMA chip into a person with Stargardt disease, an inherited eye disease that gradually destroys central vision.
The surgery happened at Sydney Eye Hospital in May 2026, and the patient can already read letters during rehab.
CEO Max Hodak spoke at TechCrunch Disrupt about PRIMA and Science Corporation's broader BCI plans.
PRIMA provides black and white vision
The PRIMA chip pairs with camera-equipped glasses that transmit a view of the world to the chip, acting like artificial photoreceptors.
It's commercially available in Europe for patients who've lost their sight to geographic atrophy, but this is its debut for Stargardt disease, which currently has no cure.
The implant provides sharp black-and-white central vision, and Science Corporation is working on making it even better.
Max Hodak outlines engineered brain mission
Founded in 2021, the company isn't stopping here; it's also developing technology for other neurological conditions like brain tumors.
Its bigger mission? Max Hodak said, "But I'd say longer term, the long-term mission of the company is to understand how the brain creates the mind and to learn to build engineered brains."