MintNeuro, Motif Neurotech Partner on BCI for Mental Health

MintNeuro, a developer of scalable, low-power semiconductor technology for neural implant applications, and Motif Neurotech, a therapeutic brain-computer interface (BCI) company developing miniature implants for mental health, announced a new strategic partnership.

The duo will unite MintNeuro’s specialized neural interface chip technology with Motif’s clinical-stage therapeutic implant platform. They aim to accelerate clinical availability of therapeutic BCIs for mental health conditions.

The collaboration provides Motif access to MintNeuro’s miniaturized, purpose-built sensing and stimulation integrated circuits aligned to Motif’s clinical device roadmap. The formal alliance gives MintNeuro a direct path to clinical application, including real-world system validation and a continuous feedback loop on chip requirements from one of the most demanding device programs in the sector.

The partnership is accompanied by a multi-year commercial supply agreement, securing access to MintNeuro’s neural interface ICs for Motif’s preclinical, early clinical, and pivotal study phases.

“MintNeuro is a core technology partner for Motif as we advance delivery of our BCI device roadmap,” said Steven Goetz, chief technology officer of Motif Neurotech. “MintNeuro’s specialised ICs combine compact form factor, high performance and ultra-low power. These are the leading-edge capabilities needed to achieve our shared strategic vision of delivering neuromodulation therapy to the brain with the smallest and safest devices possible.”

Motif is developing the world’s first fully implantable brain stimulating and recording technology designed to address mental health conditions like depression and bipolar disorder. The company recently earned U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval to begin a U.S. clinical trial to treat treatment-resistant depression. Its DOT, a device about the size of a blueberry, can be implanted in a 20-minute outpatient procedure without exposing or touching the brain.

“Every design decision we make is ultimately about how quickly and safely we can reach patients who have run out of options,” said Jacob Robinson, co-founder and CEO, Motif Neurotech. “MintNeuro’s technology has already proven itself in our pre-clinical work, and formalizing this partnership means we have a chip roadmap that’s tightly coupled to our clinical program.”

MintNeuro’s compact, ultra-low-power ICs allow the critical neural sensing and stimulation functions in the system, meeting the miniaturization requirements needed by the next-generation device. Advanced sensing capabilities enable continuous monitoring of neural activity during therapy and may provide clinicians with rapid feedback on stimulation parameter effectiveness, and risk of relapse, laying the foundation for transformative closed-loop therapeutic approaches.

The two companies have been closely collaborating for over a year, progressing from joint system architecture definition through to active hardware validation. MintNeuro’s sensing chip has already been successfully integrated into the Motif’s devices used in pre-clinical work. Going forward, the partnership roadmap will align successive MintNeuro chip generations with Motif’s clinical development program.

“We really value working together with Motif to deliver world-first BCI-enabled therapies,” said Dorian Haci, CEO and co-founder of MintNeuro. “Motif is a visionary partner that is pushing the boundaries of what is technically and clinically possible in this emerging space, and that is exactly the kind of collaboration our technology is built for. Our formal co-operation is also a clear signal that the treatment of mental health conditions is moving into a phase where scalable, chip-based platforms can start to be applied commercially at scale, and play a central role in enabling new therapies that can improve quality of life for patients everywhere.”