Startup uses AI agent to perform controversial brain surgery on a mouse, Anthropic Sonnet controlled motorized surgery rig
Exin Therapeutics claims its AI agent performed brain surgery on a mouse to treat epilepsy, choosing the gene therapy vector, dosage, and brain region while driving robotic arms to inject medication.
The biotech startup Exin Therapeutics demonstrated an AI agent performing brain surgery on a mouse to treat epilepsy. The AI selected one of 19 gene therapy vectors and the appropriate dosage, then derived coordinates from three scientific papers. It drove the stereotaxic arms into the brain and injected 250 nanolitres of medication while monitoring the entry site for bleeding.
Last night an AI agent performed brain surgery on a mouse. We gave it 19 gene therapy vectors in a spreadsheet, a mouse model of epilepsy, access to a motorize surgery rig with cameras and one goal: reduce seizures.
The startup shared the entire procedure on X, showing the AI agent's decision-making process. It picked the drug, the brain region, and the injection coordinates before operating the robotic arms. The mouse recovered well and was recorded moving around in its enclosure after the operation.
A licensed vet gated every irreversible step and held a physical kill switch to stop the AI agent if necessary. The startup emphasized that the AI was given free rein to treat the epilepsy with a range of gene therapy vectors. The experiment was conducted on October 28, 2026.
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