Neuralink is a company that wants to put chips in people’s brains to help them with diseases like blindness and paralysis. The company was founded by Elon Musk, the billionaire who also runs Tesla and SpaceX.
Challenge of Getting Approval for Human Trials
Neuralink has been working on its brain implants for five years, but it has not been able to test them on humans yet. The US government did not approve its request to do human trials in 2022, because it had some safety issues.
The tech company is trying to fix those issues and get permission to do human trials soon. It needs to show that its brain implants are safe and effective, and that they follow the ethical standards for human research.
Neuralink wants partners
Neuralink wants to test its brain implants on people. But it can’t do it alone. It needs a partner that knows how to do brain surgeries and deal with brain problems. One partner it is thinking of is Barrow Neurological Institute. Barrow is a big hospital in Arizona that helps people with brain problems.
Barrow has done many brain implant surgeries before. It can help Neuralink with the hard and tricky parts of the tests. But Barrow has not said yes to Neuralink yet. And Neuralink may also look for other partners.
Neuralink needs a partner that has everything ready for the tests. It needs a place, tools, people and patients for the tests. It also needs a partner that can take care of the rules and laws that come with the tests.
Why Neuralink Wants to Test Its Brain Implants on People
Neuralink’s tests on people are very important for its future. They will show if its brain implants can really help people with different problems. Neuralink wants to start the tests in 2023, if the government says it’s okay.
Neuralink’s brain implants are made to connect to a computer or phone without wires. They let people control things with their thoughts. They could also help people who can’t see, move, hear, feel happy, remember or think well.
