From Retinal Implants to Biohybrid BCIs: Max Hodak’s Vision for the Future

What happens when neural engineering moves from science fiction to real-world medicine? At NextMed Health 2025, Max Hodak, Founder & CEO of Science, shares a remarkable look at the future of brain-computer interfaces, retinal prostheses, and biohybrid neural interfaces. In this wide-ranging talk, Max explores how his team is working to restore vision for patients with severe retinal disease through Prima, a wireless retinal implant designed to bypass damaged photoreceptors and send visual signals back to the brain. He also dives into a more ambitious frontier: scalable biohybrid brain interfaces that could one day help treat stroke, ALS, spinal cord injury, and potentially open entirely new modes of human experience. This session covers: • Retinal implants and the future of restoring sight • Results from late-stage macular degeneration patients in Europe • Why conventional brain-computer interfaces do not scale easily • A new biohybrid neural interface approach using engineered neurons • The long-term potential of BCIs to repair, augment, and expand the brain • Lessons for entrepreneurs building bold, world-changing technologies Max also reflects on the power of long time horizons, trusting first-principles reasoning, and pursuing ideas that may sound wild today—but could define the next decade. NextMed Health (http://NextMed.Health) brings together leaders across medicine, technology, AI, biotech, and digital health to explore what’s now, near, and next in the future of health and medicine. #NextMedHealth #MaxHodak #NeuralEngineering #BrainComputerInterface #BCI #Neurotechnology #RetinalImplant #VisionRestoration #Biohybrid #DigitalHealth #FutureOfMedicine #MedTech #HealthcareInnovation #Neuroscience