The Biggest Problem In Brain Medicine Has A Bizarre Solution
In a Nutshell
Bexor, founded by Croatian neuroscientists Nenad Sestan and Zdravko Vrselja from Yale research, runs the world's first intact human brain lab in New Haven, using a custom device to perfuse dead brains (e.g., from Parkinson's and ALS patients) with nutrient-rich fluid made from Canadian nightcrawler worm blood, restoring molecular and cellular functions for drug testing without consciousness. This solves the translational gap in brain medicine—where animal models fail to predict human outcomes—by enabling direct human brain-drug interaction studies to accelerate treatments for Alzheimer's and Parkinson's. Despite early skepticism, the team persists ethically, arguing that faster, safer therapies outweigh risks for untreatable diseases.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Episode gets weird. Man from Croatia is a doctor with PhD in neuroanatomy, does jiu-jitsu to stay sharp and fit. Gets human brains delivered to his startup's office, puts them in a machine he built to restore molecular function.
Story starts in New Haven, Connecticut, home to Yale University. Croatian doctor Joseph Bukovich, called Joe, prepares brain for machine to restore molecular function. Brain won't be alive in thinking or feeling sense, but will do biological things.
Vimea is physician scientist, CEO and co-founder of Bexor (world's first intact human brain lab). Physically impossible to conduct experiments in living human brain, so take dead human brain and restore certain cells or molecular activity. Joe connects brain to device, interfaces vascular system, pushes fluid throughout brain.
Joe inserts connectors into blood vessels, fixes some needing treatment to push fluid. Fluid provides nutrients, electrolytes, some oxygen. No one else has brain diffusion device.
Doing experiments with human brains difficult. Usually use mice, then primates, then humans where drugs fail. Bexor solves translational issue from benchtop science to therapies. Goal: study brain-drug interactions for better medicines faster for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's.
Brains: Parkinson's, ALS, known disease brain named Tony (like Tony Stark, named after superheroes). Brain in central spot, fake blood goes through artificial lungs, heart, kidney. Inject drugs into fluid compartments. Testing drug against Parkinson's with big syringe. Monitors blood pressure, brain resistance to flow, absorbed gases. Hundreds of numbers recorded every second, vast unique data.
Device built cost-effectively at Home Depot, looks scrapy but works.
Nutrient-rich fluid from Canadian Nightcrawler worm blood, concentrated protein to carry oxygen, mixed into artificial blood for brain support.
Reference to The Man with Two Brains. Brains don't fire, no EEG, no consciousness. Just cells and molecules doing their job. No higher-level thinking. Brains dead for hours, start from zero, exploit retained experimental capacity for drug discovery.
Bexor from Yale research. In 2019, neuroscientist Nenad Sestan (Croatian MD PhD) published Nature paper showing restoration of brain activity in pigs dead for hours with Zdravko Vrselja (likely Zanimir).
Heart stops, brain cells don't instantly die; gradual process. Harness decay in isolated brain environment for impossible science. Challenged dogma that brain cells gone instantly after heart stops.
In 2022, Nenad and Z founded Bexor to commercialize research.
Nenad and Z cook Croatian dinner: homemade sausage, zeljanik (cheese and spinach pie, dough rolled by visiting mom who made cheese), gregada (dry fish stew with layers of fish, onions, tomatoes, garlic).
Mediterranean diet includes cheeses, sausages; family-oriented, must know cards. Parents uneducated, lived same village. Mom questioned Yale with acceptance letters, called son "My Mercedes in America."
10 years ago, many doing brain research, but no one bought into reviving dead brains. Famous neuroscientists discouraged Nenad. Team cried first time blinded samples showed cells recovering. Persisted despite doubts.
Food slightly underbaked but delicious. > "Bona petit doate. Dok."
Spent time thinking about consciousness concerns before starting. For diseases like Alzheimer's with no treatments, speeding drug development for safety, efficacy outweighs risks. Do with reflection and moral consideration. > "Who are you to deny people that opportunity?"
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