Neuralink Launches First Human Trial for Brain-Computer Interface, Opens Patient Recruitment

　　CLS

Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain-computer interface startup, announced on Tuesday that it has received approval from an independent review board to conduct its first human trial, implanting devices into the brains of paralyzed patients.

Neuralink stated that this study aims to test the safety and efficacy of Neuralink’s wireless, fully implantable brain-computer interface, enabling paralyzed patients to control external devices with their brains.

Meanwhile, the company has officially opened enrollment for clinical trial participants; patients paralyzed due to cervical spinal cord injury or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) may be eligible to participate in this trial.

According to Neuralink, this human trial will last for six years. Participants will first engage in an 18-month study, after which they will dedicate at least two hours per week to brain-computer interface research.

Neuralink has not disclosed how many participants it is seeking, nor has it revealed when it plans to commence the study; however, the company stated that it intends to compensate only for “study-related expenses,” such as transportation costs to and from the study site.

Neuralink’s brain-computer interface device is an invasive brain implant that controls external devices via neural signals, thereby helping patients with severe paralysis regain the ability to communicate with the outside world. In the future, this technology may also enable paralyzed individuals to walk and restore sight to the blind.

In May, Neuralink announced that its first-in-human clinical trial had received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), marking a critical milestone for both the brain-computer interface (BCI) field and Neuralink. According to prior forecasts by McKinsey, the global BCI industry is expected to generate $70 billion to $200 billion in economic value over the next 10 to 20 years.

For a long time, researchers have been testing implants that enable paralyzed patients to control computers and other devices. For example, two recently published studies demonstrate that brain-computer interfaces can help ALS patients communicate by typing on a computer.

Elon Musk has stated that Neuralink’s short-term goal is to enable paralyzed individuals to type using their thoughts, with future aspirations including restoring mobility to the paralyzed and vision to the blind, ultimately achieving a “human-machine symbiosis.”

However, Neuralink has been mired in controversy for years, due on one hand to Musk’s overpromising and on the other to some of the company’s internal practices.

The company’s treatment of monkeys during testing has long been a concern. For instance, although Elon Musk recently stated that tests were conducted only on “terminally ill monkeys” and that no monkeys died as a result of Neuralink device implantation, regulators have identified numerous issues with the company’s animal welfare practices.

Responsible Editor: Zhou Wei