Neural Implant podcast - the people behind Brain-Machine Interface revolutions

In this episode of the Neural Implant Podcast, host Dr. Ladan Jiracek speaks with Ellyn Ito, CEO and co-founder of Innerstill Health, about their wearable neurotechnology platform and flagship product, MindVibe. This non-invasive device combines vagus nerve stimulation and acupressure-based neuromodulation to help regulate the body's stress response and improve overall wellness. Ellyn shares how MindVibe is designed to promote calm, enhance focus, and improve sleep quality through ultra-low electrical stimulation that users don't even feel. The conversation explores the science behind multi-mode stimulation, why avoiding sensation may actually improve outcomes, and how Innerstill is navigating the path from wellness device to potential clinical applications. Key Takeaways MindVibe focuses on regulating the nervous system—not treating specific diseases. As a wellness device, MindVibe targets stress, anxiety, and sleep by activating the body's "rest and digest" response rather than claiming to cure medical conditions. Multi-mode stimulation may be the key differentiator in neuromodulation devices. By combining vagus nerve stimulation with ear-based acupressure points across multiple frequencies, MindVibe aims to avoid saturation and improve effectiveness across different users. "Do no harm" design avoids the sensory discomfort common in other devices. Unlike many stimulators that produce tingling or muscle twitching, MindVibe operates below sensory thresholds—reducing cortisol responses and improving user adherence. Early results suggest improvements in calm, sleep, and focus. Users report reduced anxiety, better deep sleep, and increased focus—likely tied to vagus nerve activation and improved neurohormonal regulation. The company is using a "wellness-first" strategy to accelerate adoption Innerstill is launching through clinics and consumer wellness channels before pursuing FDA pathways for broader clinical indications like addiction, ADHD, and neurological disorders. Episode Timestamps 0:17 – Introduction to MindVibe and Innerstill Health 1:00 – What does "feeling better" actually mean? (calm, sleep, focus) 3:30 – Is this like alcohol or cannabis—or something different? 6:00 – What does the device look like and how is it worn? 8:00 – How long do you need to use it and what's the protocol? 9:30 – Why avoid sensation in neuromodulation devices? 11:00 – Clinic rollout and early user feedback 12:15 – Why launch as a wellness device instead of FDA first? 14:15 – Future plans: non-invasive deep brain stimulation 18:15 – Origin story: from pediatric pain treatment to neurotech platform 21:30 – Why other vagus nerve stimulators didn't work as well 24:00 – Scaling the company and future applications

In this episode of the Neural Implant Podcast, host Dr. Ladan Jiracek speaks with Dr. Christian Iorio-Morin, functional neurosurgeon and professor at the Université de Sherbrooke, about the evolving landscape of neurosurgery—from treating movement disorders and chronic pain to pushing the boundaries of paralysis recovery. Christian shares insights from his clinical work using gamma knife surgery, neuromodulation, and microvascular techniques, as well as his leadership on the RE-MOVE project, a large-scale initiative aiming to restore movement by reconnecting the brain and spinal cord through implantable technology. The conversation explores how modern neurosurgery is shifting from treating symptoms to rebuilding lost function, why many "paralyzed" systems still retain underlying capability, and how combining neuroscience, engineering, and patient-centered design could unlock a new generation of therapies for stroke, spinal cord injury, and beyond. Top 3 Takeaways: Most "brain stimulation" treatments actually work by shutting circuits down, not activating them. Despite the name, therapies like deep brain stimulation, gamma knife, and ablation all achieve similar results by disrupting pathological neural circuits—essentially "jamming" the signal rather than enhancing it. Innovation in neurotech is bottlenecked by lack of access to device software and hardware. Researchers often can't test new ideas because commercial devices are locked down—forcing unnecessary duplication of effort and slowing progress across the field. "Neuro hype" is a real problem—and unrealistic expectations can harm patients. Many patients overestimate what neurotechnology can do today. Setting honest expectations is critical, as current treatments improve function but rarely fully restore it. 0:55 – Do you want to introduce yourself better than I just did? 2:40 – What is Gamma Knife and how does it work? 5:20 – How does Gamma Knife compare to deep brain stimulation? 10:45 – Why do patients choose lesions over implants? 15:05 – When is neuromodulation preferred over lesion-based treatments? 20:30 – What are neural engineers getting wrong today? 21:00 – Why is it so hard to test new ideas in neuromodulation? 28:50 – Should neurostimulators be more open and accessible? 33:20 – How competition is driving innovation in neurotech 35:00 – The problem of "neuro hype" and unrealistic expectations

In this episode of the Neural Implant Podcast, host Dr. Ladan Jiracek sits down with Omari Bouknight, CEO of Resonant Link Medical, to explore how advances in wireless power transfer are reshaping the future of implantable medical devices. Omari shares how traditional power limitations have historically constrained device design—and how Resonant Link Medical's technology is turning power into an enabler, allowing for smaller, smarter, and longer-lasting implants. The conversation dives into real-world applications across neurotech and beyond, including how faster, more efficient wireless charging could unlock advanced closed-loop therapies, high-data-rate neural systems, and more fully implantable devices Top 3 Takeaways: Resonant Link Medical's key breakthrough is highly efficient and flexible wireless power: their multi-layer self-resonant structure (MSRS) coil technology enables high-efficiency wireless energy transfer with minimal heat generation, and innovations in power electronics and data transfer support highly adaptive systems with high tolerance to misalignment. This solves two major historical barriers to implantable wireless charging, allowing patients to quickly and easily recharge devices during normal daily activity. Wireless power works deeper in the body and tolerates real-world movement: Resonant Link Medical's system can deliver power at depths up to ~6 cm (and potentially more) while allowing several centimeters of lateral misalignment and angular tilt. This enables reliable charging even with normal body motion and imperfect alignment at up to 15 W of power. Wireless power is becoming a foundational enabler across implantable devices, ranging from brain-computer-interfaces (BCIs) and spinal cord stimulators to peripheral nerve, sleep apnea, and even cardiac and orthopedic implants. Resonant Link Medical's platform technology is helping unlock closed-loop therapies, new targets, and smarter devices—and the field of active implantables is still only at the very beginning of its potential. 0:45 Do you want to introduce yourself better than I just did? 1:30 Tell us a bit more about the technology 5:00 What does the form factor look like? 7:15 What are the misalignment tolerances? 9:15 Are you guys device agnostic and just want to power people's neurotech devices? 10:15 What are the dimensions? 12:45 What are some of the areas you guys have worked in? 18:00 What's the history of the company? 21:30 What's in store in the future for these devices?

In this episode of the Neural Implant Podcast, host Dr. Ladan Jiracek sits down with Francesco Petrini, co-founder and CEO of SensArs, to discuss how intraneural stimulation could help restore sensation in patients with diabetic neuropathy. Francesco explains how loss of feeling in the feet can lead to unnoticed injuries, chronic wounds, and even amputations - and why rebuilding sensory feedback could dramatically improve quality of life. The conversation explores SensArs' approach to neuromodulation and what it takes to translate sensory neuroprosthetics into real-world clinical impact. Top 3 Takeaways: In diabetic neuropathy, the biggest danger is invisible damage: when patients lose sensation in their feet, they may not notice external threats like hot sand or a pebble in their shoe, and they also lose the natural sensory feedback that helps regulate balanced walking - leading to abnormal pressure, skin breakdown, ulcers, and ultimately a higher risk of amputation. Diabetic neuropathy is one of the most expensive health burdens in the US: its complications cost the healthcare system roughly $80 billion per year, making it comparable to cancer and among the top drivers of medical spending - yet sensory restoration still isn't available, highlighting the urgent need for better solutions. Restored sensation can translate into real functional gains: in prior studies with amputees, SensArs showed that patients not only felt sensory feedback, but actually used it - walking ~30% faster (including on uneven ground and stairs), reducing falls by ~80%, and even eliminating nerve-related pain. With those results in hand, most of the upgraded system is clinic-ready, with the stimulator being the main remaining component needing additional testing. 1:00 Do you want to introduce yourself better than I just did? 5:00 So the ulcer occurs as a result of walking incorrectly? 6:45 What caused you to go after this indication? 10:30 Sponsorship by blackswan-ip 11:00 Can you describe you technology and what is involved in this implantation and product? 14:00 Are the shoes more attractive than current shoes? And could this be done via just an app? 16:45 What's the advantage of having the implant as well as the electronic insole? 18:30 And the notification needs to be timely, damage can happen within a few minutes? 20:00 What stage are you and your company at? 22:15 How did you go from being a successful researcher to going into entrepreneurship? 23:45 What was the timeline of your progress? 26:15 Is this intraneural stimulation something that would be useful for other indications as well? 27:45 Does diabetic neuropathy mean that the nerve you implant into eventually will die as well? 28:45 Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?

In this episode of the Neural Implant Podcast, host Dr. Ladan Jiracek sits down with Dr. Ignacio Sáez, neuroscientist at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, whose lab uses intracranial brain recordings to study the biology of human cognition. Ignacio shares how cutting-edge neurotechnology like iEEG can reveal the neural dynamics behind decision-making, risk, memory, and brain states - and how those insights could unlock more targeted neuromodulation therapies for psychiatric disorders such as depression and anxiety. Top 3 Takeaways: Epilepsy patients undergoing seizure monitoring often have 100-200 electrodes implanted in their brains and may spend days in the hospital waiting for a seizure. Ignacio's lab uses this rare window to record high-quality human neural activity while patients complete cognitive tasks and computer-based games - giving researchers an unparalleled way to study human brain function in real time. Working with Precision Neuroscience has been transformative because their Layer 7 device offers a completely different view of brain activity than traditional epilepsy electrodes. Instead of ~200 electrodes spread across multiple brain regions, Precision's flexible micro-ECoG array packs 1024 non-penetrating electrodes into about 1 cm², enabling ultra-high-density recordings from a single, discrete cortical area without damaging tissue - helping researchers zoom in on local circuits and uncover new insights into brain function and treatment pathways. One major advantage of doing cognitive neuroscience in humans is that researchers can directly ask subjects what they were thinking, feeling, or paying attention to during a task - giving "ground truth" insight that animal studies can only infer indirectly from behavior. 1:00 Do you want to introduce yourself better than I just did? 9:30 How did you make that transition from animal work to human work? 15:15 Sponsorship by blackswan-ip 16:15 Do you see a difference between devices with many electrodes vs those with fewer? 18:45 What's it like working with Precision Neuroscience and how do their higher channel counts help? 24:00 What is your workflow and what is the source of your funding? Usually from companies? 26:45 How many trials can you do at once? 29:15 What are some challenges in this work? 31:15 How many other people are doing this kind of research? 34:15 What changes to new designs or devices do you foresee as a result of this work? 41:45 Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?