Billionaire Musk's Neuralink gets approval for human brain implants amid carelessness controversy

Elon Musk's brain implant company, Neuralink, announced on May 26 that it has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to conduct clinical trials on humans, AP reported.

Neuralink is one of several research groups linking the nervous system to computers in an effort to find treatments for brain disorders, overcome brain injuries, and related problems. The announcement was made by Neuralink in a Twitter post. However, the company did not provide details about the potential research.

Neuralink has been approved by the FDA for clinical trials on humans.

Neuralink also stated that they have not yet recruited participants for the study and will provide more information soon.

The FDA also confirmed that it had authorized Neuralink to use its brain implant and surgical robots for testing on patients, but declined to provide further details. Neither Neuralink nor Mr. Musk responded to Reuters' requests for comment.

This is considered a significant milestone for Neuralink, given the intense scrutiny the startup is facing regarding its animal testing practices.

Swiss scientists develop a "flower" of soft electrodes for brain implants.

In May 2023, US lawmakers called for an investigation into whether the board overseeing animal testing at Neuralink rushed its research, leading to failures, following numerous reported incidents.

Specifically, last year, Neuralink employees told Reuters that the company had rushed and botched surgeries on monkeys, pigs, and sheep, resulting in a higher number of animal deaths than necessary.

Earlier in 2021, the company implanted the wrong-sized device in 25 out of 60 pigs, causing all of them to die – a mistake that employees said could have easily been avoided with better preparation.

The Department of Transport is also conducting a separate investigation into whether Neuralink illegally transferred dangerous pathogens on chips taken from monkey brains without proper preventative measures.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/neuralink-cua-ti-phu-musk-duoc-cap-phep-cay-ghep-nao-nguoi-giua-lum-xum-cau-tha-185230527074300343.htm