Therapeutic brain-computer-interfaces for glioblastoma, with Dr Elise Jenkins Artwork

The Big Experiment

Ever wondered how technology start-ups, well, start-up? For most founder entrepreneurs, it is the biggest experiment they'll ever run. Like most experiments, the result isn't known beforehand and it often doesn't work first time. On a bigger scale, how do big tech companies turn innovative science into profit?

Mark Davison interviews founder scientists, executives, investors, communicators, and others in the technology start-up and corporate science ecosystems.

Learn how great ideas turned into thriving businesses (or not) from those who made it happen (or didn't). Get business tips, lessons learned, and life lessons straight from the people who know.

Inspiring, disastrous, funny: hear what life in a science-driven company is really like.

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The Big Experiment

Therapeutic brain-computer-interfaces for glioblastoma, with Dr Elise Jenkins

February 10, 2025 • Mark Davison • Episode 20

Electrical monitoring and stimulation could revolutionise diagnosis and treatment for some of the most aggressive brain cancers and intractable neurological diseases.

In glioblastoma, a particularly aggressive brain tumour that is hard to treat and almost invariably fatal, the impacts of an effective treatment would be huge.

My guest in this episode, Dr Elise Jenkins, is working with a new class of therapeutic brain-computer-interface (BCI) that can measure and disrupt neural signalling within the body. With this technology she and her team are creating breakthroughs in new materials and electronics to develop safe, minimally invasive interfaces to interact with the complex biology of the brain. That will lead to earlier detection of new tumours, and could pave the way for new treatments.

Elise shares her journey from aspiring medical doctor to electrical engineer to leading a neurotechnology startup. She discusses the many difficult challenges of engineering tiny bioelectronic devices, and the importance of understanding brain activity in cancer progression for them to be a success.

We also touch on regulatory hurdles, funding strategies, and the future potential of the technology in both cancer and non-cancer applications.

Elise and her team are looking to create a new approach to healthcare which will change the lives of millions.

“We're looking at how to slow down cancer growth.” – Elise Jenkins

You’ll hear about:

01:06 - Elise Jenkins and OptoBioSystems

02:30 - Elise's Journey into Science and Engineering

05:42 - Understanding Bioelectronics and Neural Interfaces

09:01 - Exploring Glioblastoma and Its Challenges

12:18 - Measuring Brain Activity and Cancer Progression

16:30 - The Role of Implants in Cancer Treatment

19:14 - Engineering Challenges in Medical Devices

22:57 - Wireless Power and Data Transmission Innovations