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

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?

In this solo episode of the Neural Implant Podcast, host Dr. Ladan Jiracek shares the story behind finally completing his PhD at the University of Florida - from the highs of passing his dissertation defense to the long, frustrating, and deeply technical journey of developing liquid crystal polymer (LCP)-based neural implants. I break down why LCP is so promising for long-term implantable devices, how delamination and bonding challenges became the core focus of his dissertation, and what it took to fabricate ultra-thin polymer electrodes approaching "biological invisibility." I also reflects on the unpredictable nature of the PhD timeline, how the podcast helped shape his network, and what's next as he continues in the lab as a postdoc while building IntimaStim, my startup focused on restoring sexual function after spinal cord injury.

In this episode, Paul Goode (Glucotrack) dives into the next wave of continuous glucose monitoring: an active, fully implantable CGM designed to deliver long-term, pacemaker-style reliability without external wearables. We discuss first-in-human progress, why implantables may change diabetes care at home, and a fascinating neural angle—how similar chemistry and form factors could be adapted to epidural glucose sensing and even paired with neural recording electrodes to capture metabolic and neural data together. If you care about closed-loop systems, chronic implants, or bridging bioelectrochemistry with neurotech, this one's for you. Top 3 Takeaways: Epidural glucose sensing works long-term: Initial short animal tests showed continuous glucose measurement in the epidural space, and a follow-up multi-month study delivered phenomenal, stable results. Epidural placement matches CGM performance: The sensor sits on top of the dura mater in the epidural space (effectively an interstitial environment) and, in studies run alongside a conventional subcutaneous CGM, showed comparable timing and responsiveness. Since the brain runs on glucose, this is surprising but logical. Seamless SCS integration is feasible: The epidural glucose sensor uses a simple potentiostat and three-electrode setup, adding minimal electronics to existing spinal cord stimulator platforms. The team aims to generate first-in-human data to catalyze partnerships with SCS companies. 1:15 Do you want to introduce yourself better than I just did? 2:15 Why was a glucose sensor company invited to come on the Neural Implant Podcast? 7:15 How many electrodes on a device would need to be used in order to measure glucose in the epidural space? 8:45 How do your glucose measurements compare with Continuous Glucose Monitors? 12:30 What's the company's next step? 16:00 Is there anything you would want of the Neural Implant community?

In this episode of the Neural Implant Podcast, I speak with Fabio Boi, Co-Founder and CSO of Corticale, an Italian neurotech company that is redefining the landscape of brain-computer interfaces. Corticale is pioneering a new generation of minimally invasive, CMOS-based neural implants that can record from thousands of neurons simultaneously—introducing their flagship technology, SiNAPS. Fabio walks us through how SiNAPS achieves single-cell resolution recordings via its 1024-electrode array, enabling high-fidelity access to both action potentials and local field potentials deep within cortical tissue. We also explore the significance of modular probe design, ultra high-density sensors, and the potential clinical and research applications of such a breakthrough platform. This episode is sponsored by Black Swan IP – patent strategy and legal support for neurotech innovators. Learn more at www.blackswan-ip.com/ Top 3 Takeaways: Corticale's SiNAPS probes miniaturize electronics directly beneath each electrode, enabling every channel to independently record signals. Unlike traditional systems that require pre-selection or external r eadout bottlenecks, this design supports simultaneous, high-resolution recording across the entire array. Moving from hundreds to thousands of recording channels exposes neural complexity that was previously missed. For brain-computer interfaces, this data richness significantly improves decoding accuracy and performance. Startups should prioritize building the right team even before finalizing the technology. As Fabio reflects, having a team with the right expertise early on can help avoid costly mistakes, save time, and steer the company in the right direction—something he wishes he had done from the beginning. 0:45 Do you want to introduce yourself better than I just did? 3:00 What are some of the features of your technology? 5:30 What kind of cutting edge fabrication are you using? 6:30 What application do you see this being useful for? 10:15 Sponsorship by blackswan-ip 10:45 So who are you main customers now? 12:45 What are the upper limits of this technology? 16:00 So you guys are working only on the hardware side of things? 16:45 What kind of data processing do you need for this? 18:45 What do the next 5 years look like for you? 20:15 What kind of patient population would you be targeting? 21:00 What is it like to be based in Italy? 24:00 Is there anything that we didn't talk about that you wanted to mention?