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Brain Chips, AI Drugs, Human Enhancement | GeneBrief #002

Brain Chips, AI Drugs, Human Enhancement | GeneBrief #002

What if doping wasn't banned — it was required?

Mario S
May 26, 2025

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Valve’s CEO is quietly building a brain chip… and it’s almost here.

Starfish Neuroscience is planning to release its first brain-computer interface (BCI) chip in late 2025.

Co-founded by Valve CEO Gabe Newell, the chip is designed to be minimally invasive, wireless, and battery-free — enabling thought-driven control of digital systems with zero bulky hardware.

While companies like Neuralink dominate headlines, Starfish has been moving quietly and quickly behind the scenes. Their first device focuses on treating neurological disorders, but insiders say consumer applications are already being explored.

"We don’t just want to read brainwaves — we want to write to them," says Newell.

The line between software and biology is blurring fast — and a game developer might be the one to cross it first.

The labs of the future aren’t run by people — they’re run by algorithms.

Biotech startups like Recursion and Nabla Bio are leading a quiet revolution in drug development: replacing slow, trial-and-error lab work with algorithm-driven discovery.

These companies use AI models trained on massive biological datasets to simulate how thousands of compounds interact with human cells, long before any physical testing begins. Recursion, for example, runs millions of cellular imaging experiments and feeds that data into machine learning systems to uncover hidden drug-disease relationships.

The result is a radically faster, cheaper pipeline: AI suggests, screens, and prioritizes drug candidates in days, not years — fundamentally changing how medicine is made.

The question isn’t if AI will reshape pharma. It’s how fast.

The Olympics… But Enhanced

Set to launch in 2026, the Enhanced Games is an international sports competition where performance-enhancing drugs are not just allowed — they’re central to the event’s identity.

There will be no anti-doping protocols, no WADA enforcement, and no restrictions on what athletes put in their bodies.

Founder Aron D’Souza, a former Oxford academic, says the Games are about “celebrating scientific progress,” giving athletes the freedom to optimize their performance through modern medicine.

Events will include swimming, track and field, weightlifting, and gymnastics — all streamed online, bypassing traditional broadcasters.

The venture is backed by major biotech and Silicon Valley investors, framing it as a rebellion against what they see as outdated Olympic restrictions. Critics, however, warn it risks turning athletes into guinea pigs and could blur the line between enhancement and exploitation.

The Enhanced Games aren’t just about sport. They’re a live testbed for the future of human performance.

🧠 The Brief Byte

93.5% of patients treated with CASGEVY (CRISPR gene therapy for sickle cell) experienced zero pain crises for over a year — a near-total reversal of symptoms.
— U.S. Food & Drug Administration, Dec 2023

🔦 Spotlight

Neurable

Neurable, a neurotech startup spun out of MIT, is building the first over-ear headphones that double as a brain-computer interface (BCI).

Their flagship product, Enten, uses non-invasive EEG sensors discreetly embedded in the headband to track real-time brain activity — specifically targeting focus, cognitive fatigue, and attention levels.

The device doesn’t just play music — it monitors your mental state and provides feedback to help you optimize deep work, avoid burnout, and time your breaks with scientific precision.

Neurable’s early-access users include professionals in tech, academia, and elite sports — all testing what happens when productivity tools tune into your neural rhythms.

While still in limited release, Enten represents a major leap in consumer-ready neurotechnology: invisible, wearable, and brain-aware.

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