Axoft (company brief)
Official site → Detroit, MI, USA
Axoft is pursuing a materials-first approach to invasive BCIs: make the implant extremely soft (closer to brain tissue mechanics) so the interface causes less chronic irritation, scarring, and drift.
The core claim is straightforward:
- conventional implant materials are mechanically mismatched with brain tissue
- micromotion + foreign-body response degrade long-term signal quality
- a brain-like polymer could improve long-term stability
What they’re building (public description)
Axoft describes a full stack:
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a bioinspired soft implant (ultra-soft material)
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integrated electronics + wireless data path
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surgical tools to place very soft probes without using the probe itself as the rigid inserter
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decoding software
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Axoft homepage: https://axoft.us/
Human/clinical status (public reporting)
Axoft announced approval for a first-in-human clinical study planned for early 2025 at The Panama Clinic. Public reporting describes the study as testing insertion + recording feasibility during already-planned resection surgeries.
- BioSpace/BusinessWire repost (Dec 19, 2024): https://www.biospace.com/press-releases/axoft-to-begin-brain-implant-clinical-study-marking-the-first-time-bio-inspired-material-is-authorized-for-use-in-humans
- Medical Device Network summary (Dec 20, 2024): https://www.medicaldevice-network.com/news/axoft-go-ahead-for-brain-implant-trial/
Why this is interesting
If Axoft’s mechanical matching actually translates into:
- lower glial scarring / neuron loss near the interface
- lower drift
- stable single-unit recordings over long timescales
…then it’s a direct shot at one of the hardest real problems in invasive BCI: maintaining usable signals for years.
What to watch
- Signal stability vs time (weeks → months → years)
- Surgical workflow for very soft probes (tooling, reliability, placement repeatability)
- Failure modes (buckling, delamination, encapsulation, connector issues)
- Actual clinical indication path (what’s the first medical use case, and how does it win vs existing implants?)
Notes on sourcing
This is a draft brief. Current citations are mostly company statements + press/trade reporting about early feasibility testing; we should strengthen with peer-reviewed publications from the underlying academic work and any registry/clinical readouts when available.