The Wall Street Journal reported that the US health regulator has granted permission to Neuralink, Elon Musk’s company, to implant its brain chip in a second person following an issue with its first patient. Earlier this month, Neuralink disclosed that tiny wires in the brain of its initial patient had shifted out of place. Reuters reported last week, based on sources, that Neuralink was aware of the potential for wire retraction from its animal testing.
To address this issue, Neuralink plans to embed some of the device’s wires deeper into the brain. The company aims to implant its device in the second patient by June and a total of 10 people this year. More than 1,000 quadriplegics have reportedly signed up for Neuralink’s patient registry, indicating substantial interest in the technology.
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Additionally, Neuralink intends to seek regulatory approvals in Canada and Britain in the coming months for similar trials, as per the Wall Street Journal report. However, the FDA declined to comment on Neuralink’s specific trial application or study.
Neuralink, as of now, has not responded to Reuters’ request for comment. In February, the company announced that its first patient implanted with the brain chip was able to control a computer mouse using their thoughts without any adverse effects. The study involves using a robot to surgically implant a brain-computer interface in a brain region that controls movement intentions, according to Neuralink.
