The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allowed another attempt at Neuralink, a neurotechnological implant by billionaire Elon Musk on Monday. As per the Wall Street Journal report, the implant had started showing issues in their first attempt.
Earlier this month, Neuralink reported that tiny wires implanted in the brain of its first patient had shifted out of position. According to Reuters last week, the company was aware of the phenomenon through animal testing that the wires might retract.
To address this issue, Neuralink plans to embed some of the device’s wires deeper into the brain, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Neuralink plans to implant its device in a second patient in June and aims to reach a total of 10 patients this year.
The report also noted that over 1,000 quadriplegics have signed up for the company’s patient registry. Additionally, Neuralink intends to submit applications to regulators in Canada and Britain in the coming months to initiate similar trials.
The FDA stated it cannot discuss or disclose information related to any specific company’s human trial applications or related studies.
In February, Neuralink achieved a milestone and announced that the first patient implanted with their brain chip could control a computer mouse using their thoughts, experiencing “no ill effects.” The study involves using a robot to surgically place a brain-computer interface implant in the brain region responsible for controlling movement intentions.
(With Reuters input)
