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.
Straight-talking, no nonsense, but conversational style. All technical content is explained for the non-specialist - you don't need a PhD or fluency in jargon and technobabble.
The Big Experiment
Brain-on-a chip? Neurons as future biocomputers with Dr. Evelina Curtis
What if the future of computing isn’t silicon... but neurons?
In this episode, we explore a radical new frontier where biology and technology come together — programming living neurons as processors.
I am joined by Dr. Evelina Curtis of FinalSpark, a pioneering scientist bridging neuroscience and AI. We unpack the astonishing potential of bioprocessors—miniaturised clusters of human neurons that can process and store data while consuming a fraction of the energy traditional systems demand.
Evelina reveals how her team is learning to "program" neurons using electrical and chemical signals to store information — not to replicate the brain, but to unlock new, energy-efficient forms of computing.
We cover the challenges of working with living cells, how neuron-based processors may outpace silicon chips in energy efficiency, and what it means for AI, medicine, and beyond.
From sci-fi to serious science, this episode pushes the limits of what's possible in computational neuroscience.
“We’re building processors from living cells.” – Dr. Evelina Curtis
You’ll hear about:
· Neurons being significantly more energy efficient than traditional computing methods.
· How FinalSpark aims to program neurons to perform computational tasks.
· Why maintaining the health of neurons in a lab setting is crucial for research.
· Investment being needed to accelerate the development of neuronal computing.
· Ways neuronal computing has potential applications in drug development and brain interfaces.
· Ethical considerations arise when discussing programming living neurons.
· The future of computing may involve a blend of biological and digital technologies.
Connect with Dr. Ewelina Kurtys
LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/ewelinakurtys/
Website - https://www.ewelinakurtys.com/
Connect with me:
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markdavison100/
If you need any lab equipment:
Grant Instruments: https://www.grantinstruments.com/
Grant Instruments on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/grant-instruments-cambridge-ltd/
