Science Corporation

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Science Corporation (styled Science, and often shortened to Science Corp.) is a neurotechnology company based in Alameda, California, that develops implantable devices to restore vision and, longer term, to read and write neural activity in the brain. It was founded in 2021 by Max Hodak, a co-founder and former president of Neuralink, together with former Neuralink biology director Alan Mardinly ^[6][7][13]. On July 22, 2026, the company announced the European commercial launch of PRIMA, a subretinal photovoltaic implant that restores functional central vision in people blinded by geographic atrophy from age-related macular degeneration, after receiving a CE mark under the EU Medical Device Regulation ^[1][2].

What the company does

Science works on restoring senses and functions lost to disease by placing electronics in contact with living neural tissue. Its most advanced program is in the eye: two different retinal implants aimed at forms of blindness where light-sensing photoreceptors have died but downstream neurons survive. In parallel it runs a longer-horizon research program on a biohybrid brain-computer interface, an approach that connects living neurons grown on a device to the brain rather than pushing metal electrodes into tissue ^[5][10].

Hodak has framed the company's near-term priority around commercial delivery rather than research demonstrations. In July 2026 he told TechCrunch that "bringing PRIMA to market is the most important thing for the company" and that "the thing that the space needs is a company making $100 million a year of revenue" ^[4].

Background and founding

Max Hodak studied biomedical engineering at Duke University, graduating in 2012, where he worked in Miguel Nicolelis's brain-computer interface laboratory ^[17]. He founded Transcriptic, a robotic "cloud laboratory" for remotely run life-science experiments, in 2012 ^[17]. In 2016 he co-founded Neuralink with Elon Musk and a founding team of scientists and engineers, and served as its president until early 2021 ^[17]. Hodak announced his departure from Neuralink in 2021, one of several early co-founders to leave ^[6][17].

He started Science the same year. Alan Mardinly, Neuralink's former director of biology, moved to the new company in mid-2021 and is listed as a co-founder ^[13]. The company was initially secretive; early reporting in 2021 noted only that Hodak's new venture had raised more than $47 million ^[6]. It is headquartered in Alameda, California, and has built in-house device fabrication capacity, including microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) manufacturing assets it acquired in North Carolina ^[13].

Products

Science pursues more than one route to vision restoration because, as Hodak has put it, "it's too early to know which approach, electrical or optogenetic, will work best in the retina long term as these technologies mature" ^[10].

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PRIMA

PRIMA (photovoltaic retina implant micro-array) is a chip measuring 2 mm by 2 mm and about 30 micrometers thick that is implanted under the retina, in the atrophied central region where the eye has lost its photoreceptors ^[1][6]. Patients wear glasses fitted with a camera and a projector that beam patterned near-infrared light onto the chip. The implant works like a tiny solar panel divided into hundreds of pixels: incoming light generates local electric currents that stimulate the surviving retinal neurons, which pass the signal down the optic nerve to the brain ^[10][6]. The glasses add a digital "zoom" that lets users magnify text ^[1].

The technology originated in the laboratory of Daniel Palanker at Stanford University and was developed commercially by the French company Pixium Vision before Science acquired it in 2024 ^[10][11]. The deep clinical detail is covered in the separate article on the PRIMA retinal implant; a summary of the pivotal trial appears below.

Science Eye

Announced in November 2022, the Science Eye is a combination device that pairs an optogenetic gene therapy with an implanted, ultra-thin, high-density micro-LED display panel placed over the retina ^[18]. The gene therapy makes surviving retinal ganglion cells light-sensitive, and the micro-LED panel then stimulates those cells directly. It targets retinitis pigmentosa and dry age-related macular degeneration, conditions in which photoreceptors die but the optic nerve remains ^[18][10]. As of 2026 the Science Eye remains investigational and is not commercially available ^[18].

Biohybrid brain-computer interface

Alongside its eye programs, Science is developing a biohybrid brain-computer interface, an implant seeded with living neurons that are intended to integrate with brain tissue rather than penetrate it with rigid electrodes. Reporting in July 2026 described this as a longer-term sensor program pursued in collaboration with researchers at Yale ^[4][5]. It is a research effort, not a product.

PRIMAvera pivotal trial

The evidence behind PRIMA's European approval comes from PRIMAvera, a single-arm pivotal study (registered as NCT04676854) run across 17 clinical sites in 5 European countries ^[11][6]. The study enrolled 38 patients with geographic atrophy from age-related macular degeneration, a group that had lost central vision and had no approved treatment to recover it ^[1][11]. Results were published in the New England Journal of Medicine on October 20, 2025 ^[6][7].

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The trial's Data Safety Monitoring Board concluded that the benefit to patients outweighed the surgical risk and recommended PRIMA for European market approval ^[6]. These efficacy figures are the trial's own reported outcomes and describe restored artificial vision, which differs from normal sight. Hodak has summarized real-world use by noting that one French patient "finished a 300-page novel," a company account rather than a controlled endpoint ^[4].

Regulatory status and European launch

On July 22, 2026, Science announced that PRIMA had received a CE mark under the EU Medical Device Regulation, issued by the notified body DEKRA ^[1][2]. The company said the mark authorizes commercial availability across 30 European countries and described PRIMA as the first brain-computer interface device to be CE marked for restoring "form vision," the ability to make out letters, numbers, and words ^[1].

The first commercial implants are expected in Germany, with TechCrunch reporting they could begin as early as September 2026 ^[4]. Country-by-country reimbursement applications and clinical-site activations were underway across Europe at launch ^[1]. Bloomberg, which covered the launch under the headline "Retina Chip Designed to Restore Sight to Go on Sale in Europe," reported that each device is expected to cost in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, with reimbursement still being negotiated with European health systems ^[3][4].

In the United States, PRIMA holds an FDA Breakthrough Device designation and a Humanitarian Use Device designation ^[1]. A US launch is possible around 2027 ^[5]. Science has also said it plans to expand the PRIMA trial program to inherited retinal diseases, including Stargardt disease and retinitis pigmentosa ^[13].

Funding and investors

Science has raised roughly $490 million since 2021, according to Crunchbase ^[16]. The company began in stealth; 2021 reporting put its early raise at more than $47 million ^[6]. In April 2025 it raised $104 million in a financing led by Khosla Ventures, reported by Bloomberg on April 14, 2025 ^[15]. Its largest disclosed round is a $230 million Series C that closed in March 2026 at a $1.5 billion post-money valuation, led by a group that included Lightspeed Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures, Y Combinator, IQT, and Quiet Capital ^[13][14].

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Intermediate rounds between 2021 and 2025 are not cleanly disclosed; the roughly $490 million total reflects funding beyond the three rounds itemized above ^[16].

Competitive landscape

Vision restoration by neural stimulation is being attempted at different points along the visual pathway, and PRIMA sits at the retina.

• Neuralink Blindsight. Neuralink, the company Hodak co-founded and left, is developing Blindsight, a cortical visual prosthesis that stimulates the visual cortex directly with an implanted microelectrode array (Neuralink has cited 1,024 electrodes per device in early descriptions; some reports cite higher counts) ^[19]. Blindsight received an FDA Breakthrough Device designation in September 2024 and is aimed at people who have lost both eyes or the optic nerve, a population PRIMA cannot help because PRIMA relies on a working optic nerve ^[19]. Blindsight was still preclinical or in early human testing as of 2026, whereas PRIMA is commercially approved in Europe.
• Second Sight Argus II. The Argus II retinal prosthesis, a 60-electrode array placed on the retinal surface for retinitis pigmentosa, was the first widely implanted retinal prosthesis and once had FDA and CE approval. Its maker, Second Sight, wound down the product around 2019 and later faced financial collapse, leaving hundreds of implanted patients without support or upgrades ^[20]. That history is a cautionary reference point for any company selling an implant that patients depend on for years.

PRIMA restores central "form vision" rather than the peripheral light perception of earlier retinal prostheses, and it targets age-related macular degeneration, a far larger patient population than retinitis pigmentosa. Science estimates geographic atrophy from macular degeneration affects more than 5 million people worldwide ^[1].

Significance

If PRIMA performs in commercial use the way it did in PRIMAvera, it would be the first approved therapy to give back central reading vision to people with advanced dry macular degeneration, a condition that previously had no treatment to recover lost sight. Hodak has compared it to an earlier sensory prosthesis that reached wide use: "We have a cochlear implant for vision now" ^[5]. The broader claim is unproven at scale. The device delivers low-resolution artificial vision, long-term durability data are still accumulating, the price is high, and reimbursement across European health systems is unsettled. The Argus II history shows that commercial and financial staying power matters as much as the engineering for implants that patients rely on for years. Science's own framing, a company built to generate real revenue from a shipping product, is a direct response to that risk ^[4][20].

See also

• Neuralink
• PRIMA retinal implant
• AI in healthcare
• Venture capital

References

1. Science Corporation, "Science Corp. Announces European Commercial Launch of PRIMA," science.xyz newsroom, July 22, 2026. https://science.xyz/news/ce-mark/ ↩
2. Business Wire, "Science Corp. Announces European Commercial Launch of PRIMA," July 22, 2026. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260722965902/en/Science-Corp.-Announces-European-Commercial-Launch-of-PRIMA-the-Only-Treatment-to-Restore-Functional-Central-Vision-to-Patients-with-Geographic-Atrophy-Caused-by-Age-Related-Macular-Degeneration-a-Leading-Cause-of-Blindness ↩
3. Bloomberg, "Retina Chip Designed to Restore Sight to Go on Sale in Europe," July 22, 2026. https://www.bloomberg.com/ ↩
4. TechCrunch, "Science Corporation's vision-restoring chip wins EU approval," July 22, 2026. https://techcrunch.com/2026/07/22/science-corporations-vision-restoring-chip-wins-eu-approval/ ↩
5. STAT News, "'Cochlear implant for blindness' debuts in Europe, could launch in U.S. in 2027," July 22, 2026. https://www.statnews.com/2026/07/22/prima-retinal-implant-for-macular-degeneration-us-timeline/ ↩
6. Science Corporation, "The New England Journal of Medicine Reports Science Corp.'s PRIMA BCI Implant Restores Functional Central Vision," science.xyz newsroom, October 20, 2025. https://science.xyz/news/new-england-journal-of-medicine-prima/ ↩
7. Palanker D. et al., "Subretinal Photovoltaic Implant to Restore Vision in Geographic Atrophy Due to AMD," New England Journal of Medicine, October 20, 2025. https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa2501396 ↩
8. News-Medical, "Wireless retinal implant restores sight in patients blinded by advanced macular degeneration," October 28, 2025. https://www.news-medical.net/news/20251028/Wireless-retinal-implant-restores-sight-in-patients-blinded-by-advanced-macular-degeneration.aspx
9. Ophthalmology Times, "PRIMAvera study: Central vision improvement with subretinal implant," 2025. https://www.ophthalmologytimes.com/view/primavera-study-central-vision-improvement-with-subretinal-implant
10. Science Corporation, "Welcoming Pixium Vision's PRIMA retinal prosthesis to Science," science.xyz newsroom, April 25, 2024. https://science.xyz/news/pixium-vision-acquisition/ ↩
11. Business Wire, "Science Corporation Acquires Pixium's PRIMA Retinal Implant," April 25, 2024. https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20240425683676/en/Science-Corporation-Acquires-Pixiums-PRIMA-Retinal-Implant-Extending-and-Diversifying-Its-Commitment-to-Vision-Restoration-Through-Brain-Computer-Interface-Technology ↩
12. Medical Device Network, "Science Corporation acquires retinal implant from Pixium Vision," April 2024. https://www.medicaldevice-network.com/news/science-acquires-retinal-pixium/
13. Crunchbase News, "Science Corp., Another Braintech Startup Founded By Neuralink Alums, Raises $230M Series C," March 5, 2026. https://news.crunchbase.com/venture/braintech-ai-startup-science-neuralink-alums-seriesc/ ↩
14. MedTech Dive, "Science Corporation raises $230M for Prima vision restoration device," March 2026. https://www.medtechdive.com/news/science-corporation-raises-230m-for-prima-vision-restoration-device/814118/ ↩
15. Bloomberg, "Neuralink Rival Science Corp. Raises $104 Million Led by Khosla," April 14, 2025. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2025-04-14/neuralink-rival-science-corp-raises-104-million-led-by-khosla ↩
16. Crunchbase, "Science - Company Profile & Funding," accessed July 2026. https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/science-5003 ↩
17. Wikipedia, "Max Hodak," accessed July 2026. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Max_Hodak ↩
18. Science Corporation, "Announcing the Science Eye," science.xyz newsroom, November 21, 2022. https://science.xyz/news/announcing-the-science-eye/ ↩
19. Neuralink, "Neuralink Receives Breakthrough Device Designation for Blindsight," September 2024. https://neuralink.com/updates/neuralink-receives-breakthrough-device-designation-for-blindsight/ ↩
20. IEEE Spectrum, "Second Sight's Argus II retinal implant and the abandonment of patients," 2022. https://spectrum.ieee.org/bionic-eye-obsolete ↩