Can electricity cure brain cancer? Ben Woodington of Coherence Neuro on BCIs in oncology

Ben Woodington is the cofounder and CEO of Coherence Neuro. Coherence's lead product, the SOMA-1, is a brain computer interface (BCI) that is designed to treat Glioblastoma (a type of brain cancer). Coherence's cancer focus sets them apart from other BCI companies like Neuralink and Synchron. Ben joins Brom Rector on the podcast to discuss:

(0:00) - Intro

(1:38) - What does BCI (brain-computer interface) even mean?

(3:55) - The deadly brain cancer that Coherence is treating

(8:01) - How can you treat cancer with electricity?

(9:54) - Coherence’s billion dollar comp

(12:52) - How does the Coherence device actually work?

(19:00) - How MRI makes brain computer interface

development difficult

(20:30) - Ben’s startup journey

(21:30) - How implants are more convenient than drugs

(24:55) - Is neurotech getting overhyped?

(28:04) - Are the obvious ideas taken?

(29:00) - What will enable the next generation of BCIs?

(30:30) - What is the best dimension along which to analyze BCIs?

(33:36) - Will people have multiple BCIs simultaneously?

(35:45) - Is it easier to get a device approved by the FDA than a drug?

(40:15) - When is Coherence’s first trial?

(42:00) - It’s capital allocators all the way down (clip)

(44:20) - Advice for PhD students considering starting a company

Check out Coherence here: https://coherenceneuro.com/

And check out Brom's VC fund, XEIA Venture Partners here: https://www.xeiavp.com/