System1 Biosciences is now Herophilus. The rebrand reflects the progression of our company from platform technology development to therapeutics development using the platform we’ve built.

What’s the meaning behind the new name? Herophilus was an Alexandrian physician (circa 300 BC) who pioneered the use of what we now call biophenotyping — he was the first to study the tissue and organs of cadavers to understand the etiology of disease, an out-of-the-box view at the time. Herophilus was arguably the first neuroscientist: he was the first to prove that the brain, not the heart, was the seat of the intellect, revising the predominant view that held for two millennia since ancient Egypt. He was also the first to identify that nerves were distinct from blood vessels and tendons. We think of Herophilus as the philosophical forebearer of our company’s approach. (To pronounce Herophilus, stress the second syllable using a short ‘o’ — HeRAHphilus.)

We’re a talented group of scientists and technologists taking an out-of-the-box view to understand the etiology of brain disease and brought together by a mission that matters: to cure brain disorders using humanity’s best science.