Testing will take about six years
Elon Musk’s brain chip startup Neuralink has begun accepting applications for volunteers to test a brain implant on patients with paralysis.
People with paralysis due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis may be eligible for the study, the study said. Neuralink did not specify how many participants will participate in the study, which will take about six years to complete.
The study will use a robot to surgically place a brain-computer interface (BCI) implant in an area of the brain that controls the intention to move. Neuralink’s original goal is to give people the ability to control a computer cursor or keyboard using only their thoughts.
Elon Musk recruits volunteers for clinical trials of Neuralink brain implant
The company, which had previously hoped to get approval to implant its device in 10 patients, was in talks with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about fewer patients after the agency raised safety concerns, according to current and former employees. It is unknown how many patients the FDA ultimately approved.
Musk has big ambitions for Neuralink, saying it will facilitate rapid surgical deployment of its chips to treat diseases such as obesity, autism, depression, and schizophrenia.
In May, the company said it had received FDA approval for its first human clinical trial. Even if the BCI device proves safe for human use, it would potentially take more than a decade for a startup to get approval to use it commercially, experts say.
