Science Corporation
Alameda, California neural engineering company founded in 2021 by Neuralink co-founder Max Hodak. Its PRIMA retinal implant went on sale in Europe in July 2026 for geographic atrophy, the advanced form of dry age-related macular degeneration, and is pending FDA approval in the United States.
Overview
Science Corporation is a neural engineering company headquartered in Alameda, California, with offices in Paris and Research Triangle Park, North Carolina. Max Hodak founded it in 2021 after leaving his role as president of Neuralink, which he co-founded with Elon Musk in 2016. Darius Shahida became President in September 2026, keeping his role as Chief Strategy Officer. Science has raised about $490 million, including a $230 million Series C that closed on 5 March 2026 with Khosla Ventures and Lightspeed Venture Partners among its investors.
PRIMA
PRIMA is a 2-millimetre wireless chip placed under the retina, paired with camera glasses that project near-infrared light onto it. It stands in for light-sensing cells lost to geographic atrophy, the advanced stage of dry age-related macular degeneration. Science bought the technology in 2024 from Pixium Vision, a Paris developer in liquidation. PRIMA received a CE mark and went on sale in Europe in July 2026, and is also available in the UK. In the US it holds Breakthrough Device and Humanitarian Use Device designations and is pending FDA approval.
Latest
On 5 October 2026 Science reported that the 18 patients still assessed for vision at 36 months in its pivotal PRIMAvera trial read on average 29 more letters on an eye chart than before surgery. The data have not been peer reviewed. On 13 October it said the first Stargardt disease patient to receive PRIMA, in the PRIMAlia trial at Sydney Eye Hospital, saw a letter in his first rehabilitation session, a single-patient result with no acuity data.
Why it matters
PRIMA puts Science on sale in Europe while US approval is pending. The commercial tests ahead are whether European health systems pay for the device, the FDA decision, and a next-generation implant that Hodak said in October 2026 would be in humans within a year.
Coverage on InsideBCI
- 15 October 2026: Science Corp reports first sign PRIMA works in an inherited eye disease
- 6 October 2026: Science Corp’s PRIMA implant patients averaged a 29-letter vision gain at three years
- 19 September 2026: Science Corporation names Darius Shahida President as PRIMA retinal implant enters commercial rollout
- 22 July 2026: AMD patients are reading letters again as PRIMA lands its CE mark in Europe
- 6 March 2026: Science Corp Raises $230 Million to Commercialise PRIMA Retinal Implant