From Collapse to Comeback: Behind the Scenes of Pixium Vision’s Revival with Dr. Brian Burg

Dr. Brian Burg, former Director of R&D at Pixium Vision, reflects on the tumultuous yet inspiring journey from the company’s initial bankruptcy to a promising revival. Detailing the rollercoaster of potential acquisitions and judicial setbacks, Dr. Burg shares insights into the company’s rebirth under the new stewardship of Science, promising a second chance for its PRIMA subretinal implant.

Dr. Burg, thank you for joining us today. Let’s start from the top. How did you get into bionic vision and how did you find your way to Pixium?

[Brian Burg (BB)]: I was born and raised in Luxembourg. Luxembourg doesn't have a university, so like Michael here, I went to study at ETH Zurich in Switzerland. My PhD in Mechanical Engineering focused on interfacial transport phenomena and thermodynamics, which allowed me to gain significant experience in cleanroom processing. Post-PhD, I studied the transition between heat conduction and heat radiation at MIT, and a bit later joined IBM's Research Lab in Zurich, where I worked on hot-water cooling for data centers with subsequent heat reuse. When IBM sold their server business to Lenovo, I sought better prospects and joined a project between ETH Zurich and the University Hospital Zurich on liver perfusion, requiring my fluid manipulation skills. This venture led me into medical devices. After a few years, I relocated to Paris as my wife was pregnant with our first child.

My first position in Paris was with a pre-clinical startup developing a cardiac assist device, before joining another startup in the structural heart space, this time at a clinical stage. Ultimately I was drawn to Pixium who were looking to fill a project manager position. This role was a perfect merger of my expertise in microfabrication—essential for implant fabrication—and active implantable medical device development, which are among the more challenging projects in the field.

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