Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s brain chip startup Neuralink said Tuesday it has received approval from an independent review board to begin recruiting for the first human trial of its brain implant for paralysis patients.
Those with paralysis due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis may be eligible for the study, but it was not revealed how many participants would take part in the study, which will last about six years.
The study will use a robot to surgically place a brain-computer interface (BCI) implant in a part of the brain that controls the intention to move, Neuralink said, adding that the initial goal is to enable people control a computer cursor or keyboard. only use their thoughts.
The company, which had previously hoped to gain approval to implant its device in 10 patients, negotiated a lower number of patients with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after the agency raised safety concerns, according to current and former employees. It is unknown how many patients the FDA ultimately approved.
Musk has big ambitions for Neuralink, saying it would facilitate rapid surgical insertions of his chip devices to treat conditions such as obesity, autism, depression and schizophrenia.
In May, the company said it had received FDA approval for its first human clinical trial, even though it was already under federal scrutiny for its handling of animal testing.
Even if the BCI device proves safe for human use, it could still potentially take more than a decade for the startup to gain approval for commercial use, according to experts.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
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