Weekly Tech+Bio Highlights #31: Synthetic Biological Intelligence, China’s Growing Role In BCI
Google's Multimodal Medical AI; This Pharma Giant Reportedly Uses Claude AI to Draft Clinical Docs, and more...
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Neuron-Based Computer Hits Market
As reported by Bronwyn Thompson at New Atlas, Cortical Labs has introduced the CL1, a biological computing platform that integrates human brain cells with silicon hardware to form dynamic neural networks. Marketed as Synthetic Biological Intelligence (SBI), the system is intended to provide an alternative to conventional AI by leveraging the adaptability and energy efficiency of biological neurons. Unlike standard processors based on fixed logic gates, SBI is said to support a more flexible and learning-capable computing framework.
At the core of the system is a lab-grown neural network, where human-derived neurons are grown on a planar electrode array—a structured interface composed of metal and glass. These neurons form connections and respond to electrical signals in a manner that reflects certain aspects of natural brain function. The system is housed within a controlled environment that maintains cellular health through filtration, media circulation, gas mixing, and temperature regulation. Notably, the CL1 is said to operate as a self-contained biological processing unit without requiring an external computer.
Earlier iterations of this technology were showcased in 2022 with the DishBrain project, where neurons interfaced with high-density multielectrode arrays (HD-MEAs) and were trained to play Pong via real-time electrophysiological feedback. The CL1 refines this concept with a more stable electrode system that enhances long-term performance and overcomes charge-balancing challenges seen in previous CMOS-based models.
Designed primarily as a research instrument, the CL1 is aimed at applications in drug discovery, clinical testing, and robotics. Researchers can acquire the system either as a standalone unit—priced around $35,000—or access it remotely through Cortical Labs’ "Wetware-as-a-Service" (WaaS) model, which allows experimentation with cultured neural networks via cloud connectivity.
Additionally, Cortical Labs is pursuing the development of a Minimal Viable Brain (MVB), a controlled neural construct intended to perform complex information processing tasks. The company is also working on creating a networked infrastructure that would link multiple CL1 units, thereby supporting larger-scale experimental setups.
Cortical Labs proposes that SBI could serve as a more natural counterpart to silicon-based AI, using the same biological substrates—neurons—that underpin human intelligence. At the same time, the approach raises ethical considerations regarding the use of human brain cells and the potential emergence of sentient properties in these artificial systems. The company posits that rigorous regulatory compliance and bioethical oversight are essential components of its strategy for commercialization.
China’s Growing Role in BCI
While Neuralink draws attention with invasive brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) implanted into human subjects for tasks like gaming and computer-aided design, China has also become active in advancing this field, with recent developments promising practical applications.
Researchers from Tianjin University and Tsinghua University have introduced a two-way adaptive BCI system. Unlike traditional interfaces, which decode brain signals into commands, this dual-loop BCI enables mutual adaptation between the human brain and the machine. The innovation uses a memristor-based neuromorphic decoder—an energy-efficient component capable of real-time learning by adjusting its resistance, mimicking biological neural synapses.
The dual-loop framework includes a machine learning loop that continually updates its decoding algorithms based on neural patterns, and a brain learning loop that allows users to refine their control through immediate feedback. According to the researchers, this has increased efficiency by over 100 times and reduced energy consumption by 1,000-fold compared to traditional digital BCIs. Additionally, the new system supports four degrees of freedom: up-down, left-right, forward-backward, and rotational movements. Users demonstrated the system by piloting drones through obstacle courses, achieving approximately 20% higher accuracy compared to non-adaptive BCIs.
China's BCI efforts extend beyond laboratory research. The National Medical Products Administration recently approved new industry standards for medical devices using BCI technology. The new standards address the accuracy and reliability of electroencephalogram (EEG) datasets, as these datasets directly influence the performance of AI algorithms integrated into BCIs. The objective is to facilitate the integration of BCI technology with AI to enhance device quality and reliability.
Cities like Beijing and Shanghai have released action plans (2025-2030) to develop BCI technologies and support related enterprises and SMEs. The plans emphasize clinical rehabilitation, neuromodulation therapies, and consumer products to enhance quality of life.
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🤖 AI x Bio
(AI applications in drug discovery, biotech, and healthcare)
🔹 AI sifts through thousands of proteins to uncover a natural weight loss molecule rivaling Ozempic — Stanford researchers used machine learning to identify a peptide that reduces appetite and weight without Ozempic’s side effects, showing promise in both mice and pigs.
🔹 AI tool predicts which cancer patients can skip chemo—Ataraxis AI raised $20M to launch a breast cancer test that forecasts long-term outcomes, aiming to reduce unnecessary chemo and side effects using high-res image analysis and proprietary AI models.
🔹 Insilico Medicine unveils AI-designed dual CDK12/13 inhibitors, showing potent tumor suppression in preclinical studies, advancing toward clinical trials.
🔹 Stanford introduces MedAgentBench, a benchmark for AI agents in healthcare, testing 12 top models on 300 physician-designed clinical tasks in an interactive EMR environment—while the best model hit 69.67% accuracy, results highlight major gaps in AI readiness for real-world medical workflows.
🔹 AI-designed antibodies are now “atomically precise and experimentally confirmed”, as Baker Lab’s fine-tuned RFdiffusion generates functional, human-like antibodies that bind disease targets with cryo-EM-verified accuracy (pre-print).
🔹 Nature Outlook article discusses four key challenges in using AI for drug discovery, emphasizing the need for standardized data, publication of negative results, industry collaboration, and smarter data processing.
🔹 A new diffusion-based generative model, DiffMS, applies diffusion-based generation to molecular structure prediction from mass spectra. Developed by researchers at Texas A&M and MIT.
🔹 A hospital-based "stem cell factory" is launching at Mass General Brigham, as Cellino’s AI-powered Nebula platform enables on-site production of patient-specific iPSCs, aiming to decentralize and scale personalized regenerative medicine.
🔹 Researchers from Huazhong University of Science and Technology review advancements in protein language models (PLMs). The study covers model architectures, evaluation benchmarks, and applications in bioinformatics, highlighting the role of transformer-based models in protein research.
🔹 Immunai adds ex-Pfizer R&D chief to its board—Mikael Dolsten, who helped develop over 35 approved drugs and vaccines at Pfizer, joins Immunai to support its AI-based immune modeling platform, which integrates single-cell genomics for drug discovery.
🚜 Market Movers
(News from established pharma and tech giants)
🔹 The Information—Novo Nordisk says AI is now reliable enough to help draft sensitive regulatory documents. Using Anthropic's Claude with human oversight, the company has cut clinical study report drafting from 15 weeks to 10 minutes.
🔹 Novo Nordisk and Gensaic collaborate to develop tissue-targeted therapies for cardiometabolic diseases, to expand precision delivery beyond the liver in a deal worth up to $354M per target, using an AI-driven phage display system to discover tissue-specific ligands.
🔹 Google Cloud unveils AI that "sees" medical data—with new multimodal capabilities in Vertex AI Search, allowing clinicians to analyze x-rays, scans, and reports without manual text conversion, showcased at HIMSS 2025.
🔹 Thermo Fisher is expanding its bioprocessing with a $4.1B acquisition of Solventum’s Purification & Filtration business, adding biologics manufacturing capabilities to its Life Sciences Solutions segment.
🔹 With its blockbuster allergy drug Xolair facing patent expiration, Novartis is securing a $55M deal with Japan’s Kyorin to develop a preclinical mast-cell-targeting therapy for chronic hives, with potential milestone payouts reaching $777.5M.
🔹 IQVIA launches a new digital tool to manage lab tests and samples. The CRO’s platform aims to reduce paperwork, improve data accuracy, and streamline clinical trial workflows
🔹 The race to perfect molecular glues intensifies, as Eli Lilly commits up to $1.25B to Magnet Biomedicine to develop next-generation protein-binding therapies for oncology.
🔹 3D human tissue models lead to a $50M deal, as Eli Lilly acquires Organovo’s FXR program.
🔹 A potential relief for blood cancer patients reliant on bloodletting, Protagonist and Takeda’s $300M rusfertide met key Phase 3 endpoints in polycythemia vera, reducing the need for phlebotomy.
💰 Money Flows
(Funding rounds, IPOs, and M&A for startups and smaller companies)
🔹 Eikon Therapeutics, armed with Nobel-winning live-cell microscopy, secures $351M—bringing its total to $1.1B since launch in 2021—to push its lead cancer drug into Phase 3 trials.
🔹 AI-driven R&D company XtalPi secures $268M in its second Hong Kong share placement of 2025. The MIT-founded firm, which applies quantum physics and AI to drug discovery and materials science, has raised over $530M in the past 10 months.
🔹 A rare brain tumor treatment could soon hit the market as Jazz Pharmaceuticals acquires Chimerix for $935M, adding dordaviprone—currently under FDA Priority Review—to its oncology pipeline.
🔹 Sanofi invests in Enveda’s AI-driven drug discovery platform, boosting Series C funding to $150M. Enveda’s platform, which mines nature’s chemical diversity using AI, recently advanced a first-in-class atopic dermatitis and asthma treatment to clinical trials.
🔹 4C Medical secures $175M to test its heart valve replacement in patients with leaky heart valves. The funding will support ongoing U.S. and European trials which began enrolling patients in October 2024.
🔹 AbbVie strikes $350M deal with Gubra to develop a weight-loss drug targeting appetite control. Gubra's amylin analog, currently in Phase 1 trials, could bring up to $1.875B in milestone payments if it advances successfully.
🔹 A wearable defibrillator designed for 24/7 use is heading to Wall Street as Kestra Medical files for a $150M IPO.
⚙️ Other Tech
(Innovations across quantum computing, BCIs, gene editing, and more)
🔹 Inspired by a coffee cup lid, researchers developed AI-assisted 3D neural electrodes for better brain-machine communication. Researchers at Pusan National University developed microelectrothermoforming (μETF), a one-step process that improves electrode-neuron contact, enhancing precision in neural stimulation for artificial retinas, brain-computer interfaces, and neuroprosthetics.
🔹 An implanted artificial retina prototype shows promise for restoring vision in macular degeneration patients. Unlike earlier models that required an external camera, this fully internal device converts light into electrical signals to stimulate surviving retinal cells, with human trials planned soon.
🔹 A "woolly mouse" engineered with mammoth-like traits marks a step toward de-extinction, as Colossal Biosciences successfully edits multiple genes for cold adaptation—though its significance for recreating mammoths remains uncertain.
🔹 BlueRock’s iPSC-derived cell therapy for inherited retinal diseases gets FDA Fast Track designation. Developed with Bayer, it aims to restore vision by replacing degenerated photoreceptor cells, with Phase 1 trials now cleared to begin.
🔹 Robot-assisted heart valve replacements—Capstan Medical’s robotic catheter system successfully replaced heart valves in two patients, offering a new option for those unable to undergo traditional surgery.
🔹 A child who once heard nothing now recognizes words like "mommy" and "cookies." Regeneron’s gene therapy restored hearing in 10 of 11 children with otoferlin-related deafness in a Phase 1/2 trial, using an intracochlear AAV delivery method.
🏛️ Bioeconomy & Society
(News on centers, regulatory updates, and broader biotech ecosystem developments)
🔹 For the first time in years, the FDA is skipping its public flu vaccine strain selection meeting, canceling the March 13 session without explanation.
🔹 UK collaboration aims to boost domestic radiopharmaceutical production to advance cancer treatments. Medicines Discovery Catapult and UK National Nuclear Laboratory are working to extract lead-212 from nuclear waste for targeted alpha therapy, aiming to establish a reliable UK-based supply chain and improve access to these promising cancer treatments.
🔹 Concerns rise over future drug discovery amid shifting research priorities. With US government funding cuts affecting academic research, experts warn of disruptions to the biotech pipeline behind breakthroughs like GLP-1 drugs, Keytruda, CRISPR, mRNA vaccines, and CAR-T therapies.
🔹 Roche is planting roots in Boston's biotech hub with a new Roche Genentech Innovation Center at Harvard’s Enterprise Research Campus, focusing on cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic diseases, plus AI-driven drug discovery, with plans to grow to 500 employees.
🔹 Sofinnova Partners raises €1.2B to back next-gen life sciences—the European venture firm has doubled its assets under management to over €4B in five years, planning to fund 50–60 new biotech and medtech startups, boosted by its AI-driven investment platform.
🚀 New Kid on the Block
(Emerging startups with a focus on technology)
🔹 Lila Sciences emerges from stealth with $200M to automate scientific discovery — Backed by Flagship Pioneering, Lila’s AI and robotics platform aims to create self-improving "science factories" for drug discovery, materials science, and beyond.
🔹 A brain-computer interface could make dogs instant super-detectors without months of training. Florida-based neurotech startup Canaery, which raised over $4 million in seed funding, is developing a neural interface that decodes olfactory signals in real time.
🔹 A future without stem cell donors is taking shape, as Garuda Therapeutics raises $50M to advance its off-the-shelf blood stem cell therapies, aiming to provide HLA-matched transplants without donors for conditions like bone marrow failure and beta thalassemia.
🔹 A biotech pioneering multi-payload ADCs just raised $187M to rethink cancer therapy. Callio Therapeutics launched with backing from Novo Holdings and others, licensing Hummingbird Bioscience’s ADC platform to develop next-gen dual-payload treatments.