Science Corporation Implants Vision-Restoring PRIMA Chip in First Stargardt Disease Patient

First Stargardt Patient Receives PRIMA Implant

Science Corporation announced the implantation of its PRIMA vision-restoring chip into a patient suffering from Stargardt disease. This inherited eye condition leads to the gradual destruction of central vision. The procedure took place in May as part of an ongoing trial at the Sydney Eye Hospital in Australia.

Initial Rehabilitation Results

During the patient's first rehabilitation session, they were able to see a letter. In the subsequent session, the patient successfully read a word. This demonstrates early positive outcomes for the PRIMA implant in a Stargardt disease patient.

PRIMA Technology and Application

The PRIMA chip is a 2x2 millimeter implant placed in the back of the eye where photoreceptors have degenerated. Patients wear camera-equipped glasses that transmit visual information to the chip, which functions as artificial photoreceptors. Science Corporation CEO Max Hodak, former president of Neuralink, described the retina as part of the central nervous system, viewing such devices as types of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs).

While PRIMA is already commercially available in Europe for patients with geographic atrophy, an advanced form of age-related macular degeneration, the company believes its approach can be applied to multiple diseases, including Stargardt disease, which currently lacks a cure. Approximately 150,000 people worldwide are affected by Stargardt disease.

Mechanism of Vision Restoration

Hodak explained that vision to the brain is essentially electrical activity down the optic nerve. The PRIMA device aims to correctly signal the optic nerve, thereby providing vision. Stargardt disease affects the outer retina, causing the death of light-sensing cells while potentially sparing the inner retina, which transmits visual signals to the brain.