OpenAI invests in startup developing a brain implant to detect cancer

The OpenAI Startup Fund and Founders Fund invested in Coherence Neuro as part of a $45 million seed round. The San Francisco-based startup is developing an implant that records subtle electrical signals associated with brain tumors and can also deliver electrical stimulation intended to halt their growth. The company says animal tests can already indicate whether cancer is growing, shrinking, or recurring; those findings still need to be translated into human research.

This summer, Coherence tested the implant’s recording ability for about 30 minutes in three people undergoing brain-tumor removal surgery at the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia. It is now testing both recording and stimulation in seven additional patients and plans a long-term clinical trial in people with glioblastoma. CEO Ben Woodington says OpenAI will not have access to the startup’s brain or health data, although OpenAI has announced a separate collaboration with Merge Labs on scientific models and other frontier tools.