Chichilnisky Lab - Media

Using machine learning to identify individual variations in the primate retina

What does the eye tell the brain? Stanford researchers have found individual differences in how primate retinas process light stimuli and transmit visual signals to the brain.

New ways to prevent — or even reverse — dementia, paralysis and blindness

In an article about Stanford research on restoration of function for a variety of neurodegenerative disorders, Prof. Chichilnisky explains how the Stanford Artificial Retina Project is building a neural interface device that can reproduce the natural neural signals in the retina and can also be harnessed as a scientific instrument to better understand vision.

An artificial retina that could help restore sight to the blind (2019)

Members of the team, including Chichilnisky and his collaborators in Stanford’s Electrical Engineering and Computer Science departments, recently announced they have devised a way to solve that problem by significantly compressing the massive amounts of visual data that all those neurons in the eye create. They discuss their advance in a study published in the IEEE Transactions on Biomedical Circuits and Systems. A condensed decription can be viewed here.

Stanford Researcher Perfecting Electronic-Brain Communication (2018)

The work of Stanford Professor of Neurosurgery, E.J. Chichilnisky, PhD, on rebuilding the retina with electronics, is highlighted in this German Television piece about the future of brain-computer interface.

Stanford Scientists Seek to Speak the Brain’s Language to Heal its Disease (2017)

The Stanford News Service takes a look at the latest advances in treating neurological diseases with brain-computer interfaces, highlighting the work of several faculty in Stanford's Department of Neurosurgery.

Futurism.com: Creating Wireless Cyborg Eyes for the Blind (2017)

The work of Dr. Chichilnisky is showcased in this introduction to the retina as one of the best-understood and most accessible avenues to the brain.

Stanford Medicine Bionic: How video goggles and a tiny implant could cure blindness (2017)

In addition to discussing Dr. Chichilnisky’s concept for a next-generation artificial retina, this article introduces the work of Dr. Palanker, a close collaborator in the Stanford Artificial Retina Project, who has already built a functional retinal implant.

Is The Cure for Blindness Bionic Googles? (2017)

The work of two Stanford teams, including one led by Professor of Neurosurgery, E.J. Chichilnisky, PhD, working on finding a solution for blindness through bionic googles and an implant, is explored in this TrendInTech piece.

Stanford NeuroTechnology Initiative (2017)

A multi-disciplinary team at the Stanford Neuroscience Institute has set out to develop the next generation of neural interfaces that match the resolution and performance of the biological circuitry.

'Artificial Vision' May Soon Be More Natural (2014)

This Medical Daily report highlights the work being done by Stanford Professor of Neurosurgery, E.J. Chichilnisky, PhD, on reproducing natural patterns of activity in the retina using electrical stimulation.

Neural Diagrams Help Explain Color Vision (2010)

A team of scientists, including Stanford Professor of Neurosurgery, E.J. Chichilnisky, PhD, created the first complete characterization of a circuit in a vertebrate nervous system.

How The Retina Works (2009)

Scientists say their recent findings suggest that the nervous system operates with higher precision than previously appreciated and that apparent irregularities in individual cells may actually be coordinated and finely tuned.

BrainMind Summit 2023: Toward a high-fidelity artificial retina

Dr. E.J. Chichilnisky describes progress toward a high-fidelity artificial retina at the Brain Mind Summit in 2023. This 11-minute presentation is a quick introduction to this unique approach to treating incurable blindness.

BrainMind Summit 2023: Interview with E.J. Chichilnisky

Interview with Dr. E.J. Chichilnisky at the BrainMind Summit 2023, about the science behind the Stanford Artificial Retina Project and the unique environment at Stanford university that makes it possible.

Toward a High Fidelity Retina: an implanted device that will faithfully reproduce the "neural code" of the retina

Full-length presentation (50 minutes + Q&A) by E.J. Chichilnisky at the University of California, Irvine Department of Ophthalmology in 2023, describing in detail the approach to treating incurable blindness that is behind the Stanford Artificial Retina Project.

Stanford Medicine Alumni Association Alumni Day 2019

Sensorium: Enhancing the World of Perception was an all day event which focused on our senses and what Stanford Medicine is doing to protect, enhance, and in some cases, even restore them. In this 9-minute video, E.J. Chichilnisky explores the sense of sight and what his team is doing to restore vision and the future of advances in this field.

Brain Mind Summit: Development of Artificial Retinas for Treating Blindness (2018)

Dr. E.J. Chichilnisky summarizes his approach for developing high-resolution artificial retinas at the Stanford Brain Mind Summit in 2018. This 20-minute presentation is a quick introduction into the complexities involved when tackling an enormous task such as curing blindness.

3sat nano: Upload your brain (2018)

Dr. Chichilnisky’s work is showcased in this 7-minute German-language video. Rebuilding the retina with electronics and the future of brain-computer interfaces in general are discussed.

World Economic Forum: Producing Bionic Eyes to Restore and Augment Vision (2017)

In this 5-minute presentation from the IdeasLab at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Dr. Chichilnisky presents a brief overview of how understanding the retina at a cellular level promises to improve retinal implants.

How the Brain Works, Curing Blindness & How to Navigate a Career Path

In this interview on the Huberman Lab podcast, Dr. Chichilnisky discusses studying the retina, how this informs our understanding of the brain, the development of artificial retinas, and his own personal journey.

Building a Bionic Eye

While it sounds like science fiction, the possibility of engineering an artificial retina, a bionic eye, is closer than you might think. EJ Chichilnisky is the John R Adler professor of neurosurgery and a professor of opthalmology here at Stanford, where he leads the Stanford Artificial Retina Project. His team is engineering an electronic implant to restore vision to people blinded by incurable retinal disease. In other words, they are prototyping a bionic eye.

E.J. Chichilnisky on what it takes to reproduce the neural code of the retina

Dr. Chichilnisky discusses the Artificial Retina Project and his lab's research on the Neural Implant Podcast - The People Behind Brain-Machine Interface Revolutions.

Loup Ventures Neurotech Podcast on developing a high-fidelity artificial retina (2018)

Dr. E.J. Chichilnisky's lab is developing next-generation retinal prostheses to help restore sight to people with retinal degeneration. His approach relies on activating specific types of retinal cells that perform specific functions based on the image the patient should see, instead of activating retinal cells indiscriminately. The line between therapeutic and augmentative uses of neurotechnology is very fine.

Restoring Sight to the Blind (2018)

Work by a researcher at Stanford could restore vision to the blind, using technology. This technology may also be a gateway to neural augmentation! We discuss the astounding neuroscience and engineering behind all this with the professor who's making it happen.