Elon Musk
The company is looking for people with paralysis to test its experimental device after getting the green light from an independent review board
Elon Musk’s brain implant startup Neuralink said it has received approval from an independent review board to begin recruiting patients for its first human trial. The company is looking for paralyzed people to test its experimental device in a six-year study.
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Neuralink is one of several companies developing a brain-computer interface (BCI) that can collect and analyze brain signals. But the billionaire CEO’s bombastic promotion of the company, including promises to develop an all-encompassing brain computer to help humans keep pace with artificial intelligence, has sparked skepticism among neuroscientists and other experts and raised ethical concerns.
Last year, the Food and Drug Administration rejected the company’s request to expedite human trials, but in May approved Neuralink an Investigational Device Exemption (IDE), which allows a device to be used in clinical trials. The agency has not disclosed how its initial concerns were addressed.
Neuralink says it is looking for patients with quadriplegia due to vertical spinal cord injury, or ALS. Participants will have a BCI surgically implanted into a region of the brain that controls movement using a proprietary robot, with the goal of allowing them to control a computer cursor or keyboard using just their thoughts. The study will evaluate the safety and functionality of the technology, it said in a statement.
The company’s announcement comes months after it received regulatory approval for a trial. Previous animal testing is under scrutiny after reports said it caused unnecessary suffering. Former employees described tests as “hack jobs,” telling Portal that in one case the device was implanted in pigs in the wrong position, leading to their euthanasia.
The allegations sparked multiple investigations, including investigations by the Department of Agriculture into animal abuse and the Department of Transportation into improper handling of biohazardous materials across state lines.
The company did not immediately respond to inquiries about when and where the study will be conducted or how many participants will take part. If the device proves safe for human use, it could be decades before it is approved for patients outside of the trial.
Portal contributed reporting
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