University of California Berkley

InkSpace Imaging makes comfortable, patient-customized MRI surface receive coils that help MRI operators decrease their costs while increasing patient comfort and the speed of exams. UC Berkeley Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences Professors Ana Claudia Arias and Michael (Miki) Shimon Lustig, and UC Berkeley PhD student Joseph Corea founded the company in 2017 to commercialize their invention of thin-film, lightweight MRI sensors that can be embedded in swaddles that fit snugly on little patients, making MRI procedures easier and safer for children. InkSpace Imaging’s foundational technology was enabled by National Institutes of Health funding, which supported the development of its 3D printing technique for fabricating these advanced MRI coils.

Iota Biosciences, established in 2017, leverages UC Berkeley’s groundbreaking “neural dust” technology to create battery-free, implantable bioelectronics. These ultra-miniature devices combine electrodes and piezoelectric crystals, powered wirelessly by ultrasound. Applications include monitoring and treating diseases with devices implanted in the brain or peripheral nerves. The company’s foundational technology was developed by UC Berkeley Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Michel Maharbiz and funded by the National Science Foundation and Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

InkSpace Imaging employs 23 individuals and is poised to reshape diagnostic imaging. In 2024, the company secured a distribution partnership with American Medical Imaging (AMI) and achieved a GE Healthcare certification for its Snuggle and Silhouette MRI body arrays, making them compatible with advanced MRI scanners. These developments mark significant strides toward broader market adoption and improved healthcare outcomes.

Iota Biosciences employs 105 individuals, and its pioneering efforts in bioelectronics are setting new standards in disease surveillance and therapeutic intervention, with significant implications for global healthcare innovation and economic growth. Astella Pharma acquired Iota Biosciences in 2020, accelerating commercialization of the unique implanted bioelectronics devices controlled by ultrasound, with a bladder control device currently in clinical trials.

UC Berkeley’s research ecosystem consistently drives innovation, translating federally funded discoveries into transformative technologies and thriving businesses. A 2014 economic impact study found 2,610 companies in operation that were established by UC Berkeley founders. These companies accounted for 542,433 employees and report $317 billion in annual revenues.