Neuralink has just announced that it has been authorized by the American authorities to carry out trials on human beings.
As a reminder, this is the company created by Elon Musk to produce intracranial implants that could treat certain pathologies, but also, in the long term, improve the cognitive abilities of men. His project is now entering a new stage in its development.
FDA says yes
Elon Musk had promised at the end of last year, Neuralink should be ready to test its neural implants within the next 6 months. This announcement has just been finally confirmed by the American regulator, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The latter has indeed given its consent for the first clinical trial on human beings conducted by Neuralink.
This is a very first step for these tests of a new kind. Neuralink has not yet found any volunteer patients for its research. ” Recruitment is not yet open for our clinical trial. We will announce more information about this soon. “, is it thus indicated on Twitter. No details on the objectives of the trial have yet been provided by the company.
Much maligned animal testing
The decision is a real victory for Neuralink, which had to undergo a rebuff last March from the FDA. The agency then refused to validate the human trials, citing concerns about ” the device’s lithium battery, the possibility of the implant’s tiny wires migrating to other areas of the brain, and whether and how the device can be removed without damaging brain tissue “.
In the past, Neuralink has also been strongly criticized for having multiplied the death of animals during its tests, even leading to the opening of an investigation by the United States Department of Agriculture. So many pitfalls that will not have prevented the Californian company from moving forward. We are now waiting to know what kind of implant the first patient is intended to receive.
Source : Reuters
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