BrainGate Pioneer John Donoghue to Advise Subsense on Scientific Path for Non-Surgical Brain–Computer Interfaces

Insider Brief

• Subsense appointed BrainGate pioneer John Donoghue as a scientific adviser to support development of its non-surgical, nanoparticle-based brain-computer interfaces.
• Donoghue will guide research on targeted nanoparticle stimulation, its biological effects and the evidence needed to advance toward human use.
• The company’s two preclinical programs target brain stimulation for Parkinson’s disease and neural sensing to support communication for people with ALS.

PRESS RELEASE — —Subsense, an AI-native neurotechnology company developing non-surgical, nanoparticle-based brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), today announced that John P. Donoghue, PhD, has joined as a scientific advisor. Through his pioneering work on BrainGate, Donoghue helped show that people with paralysis could use neural signals to control computers and robotic devices, changing the course of BCI research.

A founding figure in the field, Donoghue has spent decades advancing the science behind neural interfaces and bringing it closer to people who could benefit. His work was recognized earlier this year with the Queen Elizabeth Prize for Engineering. His decision to advise Subsense brings that experience to the company’s exploration of a BCI designed to work without surgically implanted electrodes.

“We think of John as a godfather of BCI because he helped show the world what a direct connection between the brain and technology could make possible,” said Tetiana Aleksandrova, co-founder and CEO of Subsense. “We’re honored that he has chosen to share his experience with our team. We value both his perspective on what this technology could mean for people and the rigor he brings to the questions we still need to answer.”

As a scientific advisor, Donoghue’s guidance will focus on demonstrating that nanoparticles can be localized to a target brain structure and activated to produce spatially specific stimulation, then evaluating whether that stimulation has the intended biological effect. He will also advise on the evidence needed to translate preclinical findings toward human use.

“I always divide things into the technological and the biological,” said Donoghue. “Mice can be a reasonable model to show that you could localize the particles, you can focus the stimulation and get spatially specific activation of the particles in the target structure that you’re aiming at. If you can do that, that’s pretty convincing. The biological part is then to demonstrate that this targeted stimulation can improve Parkinson’s-related symptoms in a mouse model of the disease.”

Subsense is developing two nanoparticle-based technologies in parallel. Its stimulation work is aimed initially at Parkinson’s disease and uses magnetoelectric nanoparticles designed to respond to an externally applied magnetic field. Donoghue has encouraged a stepwise research approach that establishes controlled stimulation in intact animals before evaluating effects in disease models. Separately, the company’s neural sensing work is aimed initially at communication for people with ALS who lose the ability to speak. The company’s longer-term goal is to bring sensing and stimulation together in one platform. Both technologies remain preclinical.

Beyond the immediate research questions, Donoghue pointed to the potential value of combining recording and precisely targeted stimulation for people with disabilities. “When I heard the original story, I thought this is very intriguing,” Donoghue said. “Now we want to go to something that’s much smaller and better. That’s why the vision is really important. If it works, it would be wonderful for people who have disabilities—people who are paralyzed and moving again. In the ideal, if you could get really focal stimulation, we could really reconstruct all kinds of things with stimulation and recording.”

Additional information about Subsense’s platform can be found at subsense-bci.com.