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Graphene brain interface

by INBRAIN NeuroelectronicsES

ProtoStage 2 of 5

First human safety study during brain surgery; building a permanent system for Parkinson's.

Updated 24 Jun 2026Checked 25 Sep0 updates this week

Milestones

Next · Permanent implant for Parkinson's
  1. FDA Breakthrough status (Parkinson's)Aug 2023Complete.
  2. First human use (temporary), ManchesterSep 2024Complete.
  3. Permanent implant for Parkinson'sNowCurrent milestone.

Most important updates

Current obstacles

  • Will graphene last?Graphene devices must keep working safely in the body for years.

Physics limits

  • Decades in salt water are untestedThe body is warm, salty and chemically active. Whether atom-thin graphene and its sealing layers stay intact for decades has not yet been shown.
  • Tiny contacts are noisierShrinking a contact raises its electrical resistance and background noise. Graphene softens this rule but doesn't escape it.
  • Small contacts pass little chargeEach contact can deliver only so much charge per pulse before harming tissue or itself, so very small contacts limit stimulation strength.

How it works

3 parts
A clear, flexible strip packed with graphene electrodes, from a UC San Diego lab: the material INBRAIN builds on, not INBRAIN's device
A clear, flexible strip packed with graphene electrodes, from a UC San Diego lab: the material INBRAIN builds on, not INBRAIN's devicePhoto: David Baillot / UC San Diego Jacobs School of Engineering · CC BY 2.0 (opens flickr.com)
Material

Carbon one atom thick

Graphene conducts electricity well and bends like film, so electrode contacts can be made far smaller than metal ones without losing signal.

Record

A thin sheet on the brain

A flexible graphene sheet on the brain surface records activity at high resolution; the first human tests were during tumour surgery.

Adapt

Stimulate only when needed

For Parkinson's, the system is meant to detect abnormal brain rhythms and stimulate precisely when and where they appear.

Update log

4 updates

About INBRAIN Neuroelectronics

The team behind Graphene brain interface

INBRAIN Neuroelectronics

Graphene brain electrodes, Parkinson's

Barcelona company making ultra-thin graphene electrodes to record and stimulate the brain and nerves. Graphene lets contacts be very small and bendy. First used in people during brain tumor surgery in Manchester; FDA Breakthrough status for Parkinson's.

  • Its first human study began in Sep 2024 at the University of Manchester, placing the device briefly during tumor surgery.
  • Raised a $50M Series B led by imec.xpand, bringing total funding to $68M.

inbrain-neuroelectronics.com (opens inbrain-neuroelectronics.com)Company profile →

Founded
20197 yrs
Headquarters
Spain
Status
Private
Valuation
private
Works in
NeurotechStimulation therapies
Coverage
1 program · 4 updateslatest 24 Jun 2026checked 25 Sep
Partners
University of Manchester (opens manchester.ac.uk)Merck KGaA (opens emdgroup.com)
People
Carolina AguilarCo-founder and CEO
Primer