Coherence Neuro Tests CIPHER System During Brain Tumor Surgery

Coherence Neuro has tested its CIPHER System during brain tumor surgeries, an early step before the company’s planned study of a longer-term implant for glioblastoma, an aggressive brain cancer.

Three patients undergoing tumor-removal surgery at Royal Melbourne Hospital received temporary electrode tests with CIPHER. The short-duration surgical study used a different system from SOMA, the later-generation device planned for a separate, longer-term glioblastoma trial.

SOMA is designed to record electrical signals near a tumor and use software to analyze the readings and guide electrical stimulation. The proposed setup includes a small brain implant, a power unit worn behind the ear and a phone app. Coherence’s goal is to let patients receive ongoing monitoring and stimulation at home.

The planned SOMA study follows a $45 million Series A financing co-led by the OpenAI Startup Fund and Founders Fund. The financing was intended to support the company’s move toward longer-term human testing.

The research also includes preclinical work in mice. Models using neural recordings predicted individual tumor growth rates over a five-week period. That result comes from animal research; it does not establish how well the approach works in people.

Electrical-field treatment already has an FDA-approved option for some glioblastoma patients: Optune, an external device. Coherence’s approach is designed to combine tumor monitoring and stimulation in an implant, but the company’s products remain investigational and are not approved for human use.

Coherence also plans preclinical research into pancreatic cancer and other cancers.