Elon Musk’s brain chip company Neuralink gets FDA approval to start human trials that could help treat autism or obesity
- The FDA will allow Neuralink to begin testing its brain chip device on humans
- Elon Musk tweeted his congratulations to the team following the announcement
- The device could help with a wide range of conditions from obesity to autism
Human trials of Elon Musk’s brain chip implants will soon begin after his company Neuralink received FDA approval on Thursday.
Neuralink posted on social media that the FDA had approved the first human clinical trials.
“Congratulations to the Neuralink team!” Musk tweeted after the news.
The move is a milestone after Neuralink struggled to get previous approvals.
Musk’s plans for Neuralink include having the device help both disabled and healthy people heal a range of diseases, including obesity, autism, depression and schizophrenia.
It could also enable web browsing and telepathy.
The FDA has cleared Elon Musk’s Neuralink to begin human trials of the brain-chip device
“Congratulations to the Neuralink team!” Musk tweeted after the news
The company announced the approval Thursday afternoon.
“This is the result of the incredible work of the Neuralink team in close collaboration with the FDA and represents an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people,” Neuralink said in a tweet.
Musk has predicted at least four times since 2019 that his medical device company would begin human trials for a brain implant to treat serious conditions like paralysis and blindness.
But the company, founded in 2016, didn’t apply for FDA approval until early 2022 — and the agency denied the application, seven current and former employees told Portal in March.
Neuralink has already been the subject of federal investigations, although the FDA has cleared the way for human testing
According to the staff, the FDA had alerted Neuralink to several concerns that needed to be addressed before allowing human testing. The biggest problems were related to the device’s lithium battery, the possibility that the implant’s wires could migrate inside the brain, and the challenge of safely removing the device without damaging brain tissue.
Thursday’s FDA approval comes at a time when U.S. lawmakers are asking regulators to investigate whether the makeup of a panel overseeing animal testing at Neuralink contributed to botched and rushed experiments.
Neuralink has already been the subject of federal investigations.
Portal reported on December 5 that the USDA’s inspector general, on behalf of a federal prosecutor, is investigating possible violations of the Animal Welfare Act, which regulates how researchers treat and test certain species of animals.
The investigation also looked at the USDA’s oversight of Neuralink.