Elon Musk-Led Neuralink Seeks Collaborators For Human Trials Of Brain-Implanted Chips

Despite concerns about potential animal-welfare violations, Elon Musk-led Neuralink is searching for a suitable partner to conduct human clinical trials of its brain-implanted chips. 

What Happened: Neuralink, a brain implant firm, has reached out to Barrow Neurological Institute, one of the biggest neurosurgery centers in the U.S., to explore the possibility of partnering for clinical trials. 

The company intends to start the trials as soon as regulatory bodies grant permission to conduct tests on humans, reported Reuters, citing six people familiar with the matter. 

See Also: Elon Musk’s Troubles Mount As Twitter Suffers Major Source Code Leak

This comes after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration blocked its application progress to conduct human trials citing major safety concerns. 

The company is still working on resolving those concerns, but staffers are not confident they could resolve the issue — despite Musk’s latest prediction that Neuralink would secure FDA human-trial approval in 2023.

Neuralink did not immediately respond to Benzinga’s request for comments. 

Why It’s Important: Last year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Inspector General initiated an investigation into possible animal welfare violations at Neuralink. 

A few employees also voiced concerns about the company’s hurried animal testing that resulted in unwarranted agony and fatalities, the report noted. 

Since 2016, Neuralink has been working on brain implants that it aspires will one day serve as a remedy for challenging conditions, such as paralysis and blindness.

Musk previously said he’d approve implanting a Neuralink chip into one of his kids “if they broke their neck.”

Check out more of Benzinga’s Consumer Tech coverage by following this link.

Read Next: Elon Musk Calls Out ChatGPT-Parent OpenAI Over Microsoft Ties…Again