Musk’s Neuralink Seeks Volunteers for Brain Chip Implant Study

Neuralink announced it is recruiting for human clinical trials to test and assess the safety of its brain chip implants in a news release on Tuesday. The neural interface technology company, owned by billionaire Elon Musk, said it received approval from an independent institutional review board to evaluate how the chips affect people with paralysis.

The clinical PRIME (Precise Robotically Implanted Brain-Computer Interface) study seeks to recruit volunteers who have quadriplegia caused by a spinal injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, a progressive neurogenerative disease that limits the nerve cells in the person’s brain and spinal cord. Neuralink said the primary focus of the trial “is to grant people the ability to control a computer cursor or keyboard using their thoughts alone.”

The trial will use BCIs (brain-computer interfaces) to monitor movement signals that will extend from the person’s brain activity to control a computer device such as a cursor or keyboard through their thoughts. Participants will have the N1 device implanted in their brain using Neuralink’s R1 Robot which will place it in the region that controls movement intention, the company said in its news release.

Neuralink has not said when it will begin testing its chip implants on humans or when it might become widely available to the public but noted in its clinical trial document that the study will be conducted over approximately six years and will reimburse volunteers for related expenses.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Neuralink’s shift from animal testing to in-human clinical trials in May despite denying the company’s request last year to shift to human trials. The agency reportedly denied Musk’s request for human testing over major safety concerns including the device’s lithium battery, the possibility of the implant’s wires shifting to other areas of the brain, and uncertainty about how the device would be removed without causing damage to brain tissue, Reuters reported in March, citing sources close to the matter.

The FDA’s approval came through in May, but the agency did not confirm how its concerns had been resolved.

Prior to its announcement, Neuralink had only tested its device on pigs and monkeys. Those tests drew scrutiny following reports that they caused the animals unnecessary suffering and potential animal welfare violations in December. Records reportedly revealed the company killed roughly 1,500 animals, which included more than 280 sheep, pigs, and monkeys since it started experiments in 2018, Reuters reported.

One employee reportedly called the tests “hack jobs,” telling the outlet that some pigs were euthanized after the device was implanted in the wrong position. The Department of Agriculture opened an inquiry into the allegations of animal cruelty and the Department of Transportation is investigating Neuralink’s mishandling of biohazardous materials.

In February of last year, Neuralink acknowledged that monkeys had died as a result of the testing, but denied the allegations of animal cruelty in a news release. “It is important to note that these accusations come from people who oppose any use of animals in research,” the company said. “Currently, all novel medical devices and treatments must be tested in animals before they can be ethically trialed in humans. Neuralink is not unique in this regard.”

Neuralink did not immediately respond to Gizmodo’s request for comment.