Brain cells on silicon chips: The rise of ‘biological computers’
These machines could chart new paths in computing, with applications that include personalised medicine
[SINGAPORE] The brain is full of unsolved mysteries. One startup thinks that it can crack these puzzles – and even open up new possibilities in computing – by fusing brain cells with silicon.
In March, Australian startup Cortical Labs unveiled what it says is the first commercial “biological computer”. Called the CL1, the device integrates lab-grown brain cells – derived from human stem cells – with hard silicon.
The CL1 can be used for drug discovery, disease modelling and research into neuroscience and information systems, Cortical Labs’ chief scientific officer, Dr Brett Kagan, told me over a Zoom call.
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