Elon Musk anticipates that the first human trial for Neuralink's brain chip will begin this year,,,
Elon Musk, a multibillionaire businessman, announced on Friday in France that his brain-chip startup Neuralink plans to launch its first human trial this year.
Co-founder Musk stated during a webcast watched by Reuters that Neuralink intends to implant a patient who is paralysed or tetraplegic. He was speaking at the VivaTech conference in Paris. Musk, who is also CEO of electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla, social networking platform Twitter, and rocket launch firm SpaceX, did not say how many patients or for how long his business would implant the devices, but he did state that "it's looking like the first case will be later this year."
Neuralink said last month that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved its first-in-human clinical trial, a significant step for the business as it deals with US inquiries into how it handled animal experimentation. The FDA acknowledged in a prior statement to Reuters that Neuralink was permitted to conduct trials using its brain implant and surgical robot, but it chose not to offer further information.
Musk, though, has already been tardy in making his public Neuralink statements. Since 2019, Musk has predicted at least four times when Neuralink will start testing its technology on people.
According to Reuters, the FDA first turned down the company's application for approval in early 2022, citing a variety of safety concerns. The business was founded in 2016. The lithium battery in the implant, the possibility of the wires migrating inside the brain, and the challenge of correctly removing the device without harming the brain were a few of the issues.
Following revelations from Reuters regarding its animal trials, Neuralink is also under federal investigation.
Employees at Neuralink told Reuters last year that under pressure from Musk to get FDA approval, the company was hurrying and botching procedures on monkeys, pigs, and sheep, killing more animals than necessary. According to the sources, the company's application for human trials was supported by the data generated by the animal research.
One time in 2021, the business inserted the incorrect-sized implants in 25 out of 60 pigs. Employees claimed that with better planning, the mistake might have been easily avoided before the pigs were all killed.
After Reuters revealed potential financial conflicts on the board, US legislators requested regulators to look into whether the composition of Neuralink's panel regulating animal research led to rushed and poorly executed tests.
Separate investigations are being conducted by the Department of Transportation to determine whether Neuralink transferred harmful germs on chips taken from monkey brains without the required containment procedures. On Friday, an agency representative stated that the inquiry is still ongoing.
The Office of Inspector General for the US Department of Agriculture has also been looking into Neuralink for possible animal welfare breaches. This investigation focused on the USDA's control over Neuralink. Requests for comment from an agency spokeswoman were not immediately fulfilled.
The company's value has also increased dramatically in recent months. According to Reuters, the start-up was valued at close to $2 billion (approximately Rs. 16,382 crore) in a private financing round two years ago, and as of this month, based on privately performed stock exchanges, it is now worth about $5 billion (about Rs. 40,955 crore). Employees of Neuralink who served on the organization's animal board, which has drawn government attention due to potential financial conflicts of interest, stood to gain from the implant's rapid growth. Based on secondary trading, the value of the Neuralink shares that some employees own has increased by over 150% in just two years, according to Reuters.
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