ALS/MND Community Advisory Board Questionnaire

Summary of Precision Neuroscience:

Company: Precision is a medical device company based in Manhattan, NY, that is building a minimally invasive brain–computer interface. We were founded in 2021 and have grown to 50 employees this past year. We recently purchased our own microfabrication facility to manufacture our electrode arrays in-house.

Latest Press release: https://www.cnbc.com/2023/10/05/neuralink-rival-precision-neuroscience-buys-factory-in-brain-implants.html

Goals: Our company’s mission is to provide breakthrough treatments for the hundreds of millions of people worldwide suffering from neurological illnesses.

Funding: We closed our series B funding round in early 2023 and have raised $53 million dollars in total since our creation, and will be raising our series C round later in 2024.

Product: Our product is the Layer 7 Cortical Interface, which is a thin film electrode array that conforms to the surface of the brain and is designed to record electrical activity from the brain at very high resolution. There are 1,024 electrodes on our system, each with the capability to record or stimulate the brain. Our system enables wireless communication with external computer systems, giving a patient control of a computer or smartphone using just their intended thoughts. The electrode array can be implanted anywhere on the brain’s surface using a proprietary minimally invasive slit insertion method. No open craniotomy is needed, and no portion of the skull is removed. The device is easily reversible and the electrodes do not damage the brain since they sit on the surface and do not penetrate brain tissue. The electrode itself is 1/5th the thickness of a human hair, and covers 1.5 square centimeters of brain surface. The electronics package sits beneath the skin and on top of the skull.

Features:

Each microelectrode array comprises 1,024 electrodes ranging in diameter from 50 to 380 microns and is connected to a customized hardware interface.
Array is 1/5th of the thickness of a human hair.
Array has approximately 600x greater electrode density than standard cortical arrays.
Array is inserted through a micro-slit that is less than 1mm wide, using a precise oscillating blade to make an incision in the skull.
Slit insertion method can deliver more than 50 electrodes per second.

Future Study: We are planning to conduct early feasibility studies and ultimately pivotal clinical studies to evaluate the safety and efficacy of the Layer 7 device. We hope to be ready for this process in the next couple of years. To date we have temporarily placed our electrodes in 6 patients undergoing open brain surgery at West Virginia University and the University of Pennsylvania. We recorded 15 minutes of brain activity from each patient and then removed the electrodes, and are currently expanding this type of temporary implant to two more major centers in the coming months.

Press Releases:

https://www.wired.com/story/precision-neuroscience-brain-implant/
https://www.cnbc.com/2023/06/23/precision-a-neuralink-competitor-conducts-its-first-clinical-study.html

ALS Community: We are designing our technology to help patients with a variety of different types of neurological injuries or disease, including stroke, spinal cord injury, and ALS. Although there are many differences among and within these patient populations, these conditions cause severe paralysis and speech impairments, and we are designing the Layer 7 system to provide greater independence and communication abilities for those affected by these conditions. Our initial applications of the technology will be control of a computer or smartphone using just your thoughts. In order to ensure our device has the greatest intended benefit, we hope to get input from individuals living with ALS to hear about their daily experiences and needs, and to learn more about the current assistive technology they use: how it is useful and where it falls short. We need to hear from those with lived experience to make sure our designs are user friendly and will actually help someone regain independence and start communicating again. We have already created a Community Advisory Board with members from the spinal cord injury and stroke communities and we would hope to add members from the ALS community as well.

Name

First NameLast Name

Email

example@example.com

Phone Number

Please enter a valid phone number.

Address

Street Address

Street Address Line 2

CityState / Province

Postal / Zip CodeCountry

Are you a person living with ALS or a caregiver for someone with ALS?

pALScALS

What is your relationship to the person with ALS?

Are you a caregiver with a live-in arrangement?

YesNo

Are you a paid caregiver?

YesNo

What is the daily level of care that you provide for the person with ALS?

24 hoursMore than 8 hours4 hours or less

What year was their diagnosis?

What type of ALS onset did they have?

BulbarSpinalOther

What was the year of your diagnosis?

What type of ALS onset did you have?

BulbarSpinalOther

Has anyone else in your family ever been diagnosed with ALS?

What types of mobility devices do you use?

We would like to learn about the assistance you may need in your living situation. Please tell us what best fits your situation

I live alone and independentlyI live alone and require a caregiver (part-time or full-time)I do not live alone and require assistance from a caregiverOther

Have you participated in a clinical trial?

YesNo

What kind of clinical trial was it? (Choose all that apply)

ObservationalDrugRehabilitationOther

For any of the clinical trials you have participated in, was there a surgery involved?

YesNo

Are you using assistive technology (AT) in your life today?

YesNo

If yes, what type of AT do you use?

Which AT that you use do you prefer?

What is the biggest limitation of the AT that you are using today?

Please tell us what kinds of activities you enjoy.

Are you involved with any ALS community groups?

Are you involved with a peer support group?

YesNo

What is your comfort level with everyday technology (consumer electronics)?

1 is Very uncomfortable, 7 is Extremely comfrotable

What is your race? (Choose all that apply)

What is the highest degree or level of education you have completed?

What is your estimated household income?

What is your birth year?

Are you able to commit to attending quarterly meetings and providing feedback over the next year?

YesNo

Are you comfortable discussing your experiences with others, including medical experiences?

YesNo

What specific knowledge or experiences would you bring to the community advisory board?

What types of communication are you comfortable with? (Select all that apply)

EmailText MessagesZoom or video conferencing

Community Advisory Board Questionnaire

Thank you for your interest in joining the Precision Neuroscience Community Advisory Board! Please complete the questions below to be considered for review. We will follow-up with you to let you know who has been selected as a board member.