From Restoring Sight to Reimagining the Brain, with Max Hodak

The brain functions as a computer, a biological system that processes information through specific physical arrangements. Max Hodak, CEO of Science, leverages this understanding to develop medical devices that restore lost functions, such as the PRIMA retinal prosthesis, which recently received European regulatory approval. This device bypasses damaged photoreceptors to stimulate the retina directly, restoring form vision to patients with macular degeneration. Beyond vision, the company explores bio-hybrid neural interfaces and perfusion medicine to address complex health challenges like neurodegeneration and cardiovascular disease. By treating the brain as a central, substrate-independent object, these technologies aim to reduce human fragility and enable adaptation to environments beyond Earth. The alignment between AI model representations and neural data suggests that intelligence emerges from universal computational principles, providing a scalable path for future medical and technological advancements.