Coherence Neuro

Today: a 1.5 hour interview with the co-founders of @coherenceneuro: @WoodingtonBen and Elise Jenkins They are, as far as i can tell, the only (neurotechnology x oncology) startup that exists today. 'Neurotechnology? For cancer?' you may ask. Yes! As it turns out, tumors interact with the nervous system a fair bit, and you can use the very same neuromodulation toolbox that exists for neuropsychiatric conditions, for monitoring and treating cancer. Coherence has built an invasive device to place at the site of a tumor to do exactly this. Their first indication is a form of brain cancer called glioblastoma; one of the most fatal subtypes of cancer to exist today. The standard of care (with one exception that we discuss) has not changed in 25 years. If Coherence works out, and there is a very real chance they will, that may change. Most interesting of all is that Coherence believes that the bioelectric properties of cancer are not just worth poking at for brain cancers, but for all cancers. And maybe even for diseases outside of it! This conversation covers how Coherence’s first neurotech device (SOMA) works, the molecular reasons behind why neuromodulation affects cancer at all, what the biomarker readouts look like, the obvious Michael Levin comparison, and a lot more. Also: shout to @elocinationn for setting up the connection here in the first place! Crazy to think that a meeting in mid-2025 ended up leading to this Youtube/Spotify/Apple Podcasts links in replies 0:00:00 - Introduction 0:01:42 - How is SOMA different from Novocure’s Optune? 0:08:57 - Why does neuromodulation affect cancer at all? 0:13:28 - How was cancer-nervous system crosstalk first discovered? 0:15:42 - Anti-epileptics and beta blockers as accidental cancer drugs 0:17:38 - What is molecularly happening when you block cancer-neuron crosstalk? 0:19:50 - What is SOMA actually reading out as a biomarker? 0:20:44 - What does it mean that cancer is “very electric”? 0:22:02 - Can you derive universal biomarkers across patients? 0:23:09 - How is the device placed? 0:24:45 - How does the blocking stimulation regime work? 0:26:43 - Is it fair to say this is closed loop? 0:29:05 - Why not just spam the tumor with constant stimulation? 0:32:31 - Why MRI safety is non-negotiable for oncology devices 0:33:35 - Walk us through the patient journey from diagnosis to implantation 0:36:13 - The Michael Levin question: can you reprogram cancer back to normal? 0:42:29 - Efficacy, hospice settings, and the utility of the neuromodulation literature 0:45:52 - Why start with glioblastoma instead of an easier cancer? 0:48:57 - Regulatory strategy and the reimbursement threat 0:55:37 - How well does mouse-to-human translation work for neuromodulation? 0:55:57 - What do in silico models of neuromodulation look like? 0:58:09 - Why didn’t this exist 10 years ago? 1:01:48 - The founding story 1:06:38 - Why build your own device instead of using off-the-shelf arrays? 1:08:35 - Speaking with glioblastoma patients 1:12:04 - What was it like to raise money for this? 1:13:56 - Beyond cancer: TBI, lung disease, and the pan-disease argument 1:17:40 - Hiring at Coherence + what is the hardest type of talent to find 1:23:17 - What would you do with $100M equity-free? 1:27:15 - Are you a neurotech company or a cancer company?

The nervous system orchestrates most of what we do, but when biology goes wrong, we tend to look pretty exclusively at the organ, cell, DNA, morphology and so on. Why? My frustration with this inconsistency planted the seed for @coherenceneuro

We are looking for a number of engineers to lead and support the development of our high-bandwidth, broad area neural interface @coherenceneuro Check out the opportunities to join us here: lnkd.in/ee2fSXus

$10m for Coherence Neuro! To build the world's first bi-directional implant for treating cancer. Each device in a patient becomes part of learning system that gets more intelligent the more patients use it. Welcome to the future of cancer care.

So proud to be a partner to @WoodingtonBen and @Elise__Jenkins. This is why venture exists. To give remarkable people capital to build businesses that shape our future. It starts with a tiny implant. One that requires no additional surgery. With that, tumors can be remediated with electricity. Not only are they curing cancer, they are collecting neural data we've never had access to. This is part of the liftoff needed to build AI foundation models for the brain. A pathway to getting high quality data with low friction and high value.

Organic electronics pioneer @GeorgeMalliaras (pictured) & #MedTech start-up @coherenceneuro, founded by alumni, join a consortium set up to develop Next Gen, miniaturised #bioelectronic implants to treat chronic diseases eng.cam.ac.uk/news/cambridge… @BioelectronicsL @WoodingtonBen

Ms. Maisy dutifully adding the finishing touch to our new research device packaging!

~10 years ago, I was working on a drug that worked as a radiosensitizer & contrast agent in lung cancer and was struck by the apparent elegance of theranostic medicine. It's one of the reasons I became so interested in neurotech/BCI/bioelectronics, seeing that same elegance.

Emergence

.@Opto_bio is developing minimally-invasive neurological technologies. The founders believe these technologies will become a prominent feature of modern medicine, enabling advances in brain cancer, epilepsy and neurodegenerative disease treatment #BusinessWeeklyAwards

We'll be at the @RiceNeuro conference (InterfaceRice) in May. If you're going to be at the conference and want to connect, give us a shout!

"Our focus is on pushing the boundaries of what's possible with technology and data" Congratulations to @Opto_bio - the newest entrant to the London #neurotech arena - on an exciting £1.85m pre-seed raise @WoodingtonBen @blackbirdvc @PossibleVC bit.ly/3Yr5BR9