Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s brain chip startup Neuralink said on Tuesday it has received approval from an independent review board to begin recruiting for a first-in-human trial of brain implants for paralyzed patients.
The company said people who are paralyzed by cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis may be eligible for the study, but did not disclose how many participants would be enrolled in the trial, which will take about six years to complete. Finish.
The research will use robots to surgically implant brain-computer interface (BCI) implants into areas of the brain that control movement intentions, Neuralink said, adding that its initial goal is to enable people to control computer cursors or keyboards using them alone. idea.
The company had earlier hoped to win approval to implant its device in 10 patients, but it is working with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) after the agency raised safety concerns, according to current and former employees. Negotiate reduced patient volumes. It’s unclear how many patients the FDA ultimately approved.
Musk has big ambitions for Neuralink, saying it will facilitate rapid surgical insertion of its 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, at a time when it had been under federal scrutiny for its handling of animal testing.
Even if the BCI device is proven safe for human use, it could still take more than a decade for the startup to obtain approval for its commercial use, experts say.
© Thomson Reuters 2023
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Svlook
