Neuralink, Elon Musk's brain implant company, announced last Thursday that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its first human clinical trial . This is a crucial step for Neuralink's development, following previous difficulties in obtaining approval.
The FDA approval "represents an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people ," Neuralink stated in a tweet. Neuralink did not provide further details about the study's objectives, only stating that recruitment of participants for the trials had not yet begun and that more information would be available soon.
Neuraklink receives first go-ahead to begin human testing
Elon Musk believes that brain implants could cure a range of diseases, including obesity, autism, depression, and schizophrenia. They could also enable internet browsing and even telepathy between Neuralink users. Musk is so confident in his findings that he says he would be willing to have them implanted in his children.
On at least four occasions since 2019, Musk has predicted that Neuralink would begin human trials. But the company only sought FDA approval in early 2022, and the agency rejected the first few applications, seven current and former employees said.
The FDA had raised several concerns with Neuralink that needed to be addressed before approving human trials, according to employees. The main issues were the device's lithium battery , the possibility of the implant's wires migrating into the brain, and the difficulty of safely removing the device without damaging brain tissue.
In May, US lawmakers urged regulators to investigate whether the composition of a panel overseeing animal testing at Neuralink contributed to the experiments' negative results. They were also concerned that the results in monkeys had led to deaths and self-harm. The Department of Transportation is separately investigating whether Neuralink illegally transported dangerous pathogens on chips extracted from monkey brains without proper containment measures.
Source: Gadgets 360
