Elon Musk's Neuralink Gets Green Light To Launch Brain Chip Trial In Canada: 'Recruitment Is Now Open'

Neuralink, the brain implant company founded by Elon Musk, has received approval from Health Canada to launch its first clinical trial in the country.

What Happened: On Wednesday, University Health Network announced that the trial would occur at Toronto Western Hospital.

UHN CEO Kevin Smith said the hospital would be the “first and exclusive” site for the trial in Canada, although he did not specify when it would begin.

Neuarlink's official account on X, formerly Twitter, also shared the development on the site, adding, "Recruitment is now open."

See Also: Elon Musk Says Neuralink’s ‘First Order Of Business’ Is Solving Neuron Damage ‘For People…Like Stephen Hawking’

The Musk-led company is recruiting patients with quadriplegia due to conditions like ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis) or spinal cord injuries.

🇨🇦 We're happy to announce that Health Canada has approved the launch of our first clinical trial in Canada! Recruitment is now open.

If you have quadriplegia due to ALS or SCI, you may qualify. Visit our Patient Registry to learn more and apply.https://t.co/5BySJABkkO

— Neuralink (@neuralink) November 20, 2024

Why It Matters: This move into Canada comes after Neuralink's first human patient, Noland Arbaugh, was implanted with its device earlier this year in the U.S.

This also marks the company's expansion into clinical trials outside the U.S. and U.K.

Neuralink's long-term goal includes using its technology to treat other medical conditions, including blindness. The company has also hinted that its devices could even be used for memory augmentation in healthy individuals.

Earlier this year in July, Musk said that Neuralink intends to implant 1,000 brain chips by 2026.

He has also suggested that, with high production volumes, the cost of these implants could be comparable to an Apple Watch or a smartphone, likely ranging from $1,000 to $2,000.

Last year in November, an SEC filing revealed that Neuralink raised an additional $43 million in venture capital. The filing showed the company increased its previous tranche, led by Peter Thiel's Founders Fund, from $280 million to $323 million in early August.

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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.