Precision Neuroscience Corporation (Precision) announced that Dr. Brian Otis has joined the company as Chief Technology Officer.
An expert in chip design for low-power electronics, Dr. Otis is one of the leading technologists working in the medical field. He was one of the co-founders of Verily, Alphabet Inc.’s healthcare and life sciences company, where he served as Chief Technical Officer and Fellow from 2015 through 2022. He oversaw a large, multidisciplinary team in the end-to-end development of new medical technology, from discovery to manufacturing.
Under Otis’ technical leadership, Verily entered a number of significant collaborations with leading healthcare and pharmaceutical partners. With Dexcom, Otis’ team helped develop the groundbreaking G7 continuous glucose monitor for diabetes. Additionally, he partnered with Novartis/Alcon on smart optical devices, and with GlaxoSmithKline on the joint venture Galvani to treat chronic diseases.
At Precision, Otis will lead the team developing the company’s brain–computer interface implant, which is designed to treat severe paralysis caused by conditions such as spinal cord injury and ALS, restoring functions including speech and movement.
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“After Verily, I spent a year and a half exploring opportunities,” Otis said. “After researching many different techniques to tackle brain–computer interfaces, I became convinced that Precision’s approach of using high-resolution surface electrodes is the right one to bring a powerful product to market. I’m excited to be part of the team that is going to build and scale the first mass-produced version of this technology.”
Prior to Alphabet/Verily, Otis was a tenured professor at the University of Washington’s Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, where he pioneered techniques for creating highly miniaturized wearable, implantable, and on-eye wireless sensors. He has authored over 50 patents and 100 peer-reviewed papers in the fields of biosignal interfaces and low-power wireless integrated circuit design. Otis received his MS and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of California, Berkeley.
The news comes on the heels of rapid progress from Precision. As of 2024, the company has successfully tested its implants in human patients, received Breakthrough Device designation from the FDA, and acquired a microfabrication facility for both research and commercial production.
SOURCE: GlobeNewswire