Billionaire Inventor Ready to Implant Device in His Children's Brains
Elon Musk's brain implant company Neuralink has received approval for human research. The US Food and Drug Administration, which initially rejected the application, has finally given the company a green light.
Elon Musk's brain implant company, Neuralink, said Thursday it has received approval from the Office of Control by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin its first human clinical trial, marking a major milestone after previous attempts to gain approval.
As Reuters notes, Musk has predicted at least four times since 2019 that his medical device company would begin human trials of a brain implant to treat serious conditions such as paralysis and blindness.
Nevertheless  ;the company, founded in 2016, only applied for FDA approval at the beginning of last year – and the agency turned down the application, seven current and former employees told Reuters in March.
The FDA pointed out several issues to Neuralink that needed to be addressed before it could authorize human trials, the staff said. The main concerns were the device's lithium battery, the ability to move the implant wires inside the brain, and the problem of safely removing the device without damaging brain tissue.
Thursday's FDA approval came after US lawmakers urged regulators to investigate whether the composition of the commission that oversees animal testing at Neuralink, unsuccessful and hasty experiments.
Neuralink has already been the subject of a federal investigation, Reuters recalls.
Last year, the inspector general of the USDA, at the request of a federal prosecutor, launched an investigation into potential violations of the Animal Welfare Act, which regulates how researchers treat certain types of animals and testing them. Reuters previously reported that the company has killed about 1,500 animals, including more than 280 sheep, pigs and monkeys, as a result of experiments conducted since 2018.
The investigation also involved the USDA's oversight of Neuralink.
On Twitter Thursday, Neuralink revealed that it is not yet open for clinical trials.
“This is the result of the incredible work of the Neuralink team in working closely with the FDA and represents an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people,” the company said in a tweet Thursday.
Over the years, Elon Musk has publicly outlined the ambitious plan to create Neuralink . He made headlines late last year when he said he was already so confident in the safety of the device that he would be willing to implant it in his own children.
Musk suggests that both disabled and non-disabled people will quickly receive surgical implants at local centers. These devices are designed to treat a range of conditions, from obesity, autism, depression and schizophrenia to web browsing and telepathy.