Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain chip company, gets FDA approval to start human trials that could help treat autism or obesity
- The FDA is allowing Neuralink to begin human trials of its brain chip device
- Elon Musk tweeted his congratulations to the team following the announcement
- The device could help a host of conditions, from obesity to autism
Human trials will begin soon for Elon Musk’s brain chip implants after his company Neuralink received FDA approval Thursday.
Neuralink posted on social media that the FDA had cleared the first human clinical trials.
“Congratulations Neuralink team!” Musk tweeted after the news.
The move is a milestone after Neuralink struggled to gain previous approvals.
Musk’s plans for Neuralink include the device helping both disabled and healthy people cure a range of ailments such as obesity, autism, depression and schizophrenia.
It can also enable web browsing and telepathy.
The FDA cleared Elon Musk’s Neuralink to begin human trials on the brain chip device
“Congratulations Neuralink team!” Musk tweeted after the news
The company announced the approval Thursday afternoon.
“This is the culmination of incredible work by the Neuralink team working closely with the FDA and represents an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people,” Neuralink said in a tweet.
Since 2019, Musk has predicted at least four times that his medical device company would initiate human trials for a brain implant to treat serious conditions such as paralysis and blindness.
Yet the company, founded in 2016, didn’t apply for FDA approval until early 2022 — and the agency rejected the application, seven current and former employees told Reuters in March.
Neuralink has already been the subject of federal probes, despite the FDA paving the way for human trials
The FDA had alerted Neuralink to several concerns that needed to be addressed before approving human trials, the collaborators said. Major issues related to the device’s lithium battery, the possibility of the implant’s wires migrating into the brain, and the challenge of safely removing the device without damaging brain tissue.
Thursday’s FDA approval comes as US lawmakers are urging regulators to investigate whether the composition of a panel overseeing animal testing at Neuralink contributed to botched and hasty experiments.
Neuralink has already been the subject of federal probes.
Reuters reported on Dec. 5 that the USDA inspector general was investigating possible violations of the Animal Welfare Act, which governs how researchers treat and test certain types of animals, at the request of a federal prosecutor.
The probe also looked at the USDA’s oversight of Neuralink.