Elon Musk's brain implant company is getting closer to human trial | CyberDaily

Elon · Musk's brain transplant company Neuralink is now hiring a head of clinical trials, suggesting that the company's long-standing goal of implanting chips in the human brain is approaching.

The position of trial director will oversee human trials of medical devices that the company has long committed to. Musk said Neuralink's brain implant device has allowed monkeys to play video games with only their own minds, with the goal of helping treat various neurological disorders such as paralysis.

The Fremont, Calif.-based job description promises that applicants will "work closely with some of the most innovative physicians and top engineers," as well as "Neuralink's first clinical trial participants" It also shows that this work will mean leading and building "teams responsible for Neuralink's clinical research activities," as well as complying with rules and regulations.

Last month, Musk told the Wall Street Journal that Neuralink hopes to implant its device into the human brain sometime in 2022. However, he has made similar predictions in the past, but they have proved to be too optimistic. In 2019, he said in a speech that the device would be implanted into human skulls next year.

The first human test that a medical device manufacturer must pass is the feasibility test, which is a procedure approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The next step, after a submission, review, and approval process with the FDA, is a key equipment test based on feasibility testing.

It's unclear exactly where Neuralink is in this process. Representatives for Neuralink and the FDA did not respond to reporters' requests for comment. In general, device manufacturers hire a trial supervisor early in their interaction with the FDA to help design trials that maximize the chances of FDA approval. Neuralink doesn't appear to have published human trials in clinicaltrials.gov, but publishing there would lag behind the recruitment of the first patients.

Last year, another company working on human brain machine interfaces, Synchron, said the FDA had approved a feasibility study for their plan. A spokesperson said Synchron is currently in the hiring phase.

Neuralink is also hiring clinical trial coordinators in Fremont, as well as several other positions.

*This article was compiled by CyberDaily Editor VKi, reprinted or contacted by private message background.

VKi | Edited by CyberDaily, he digs up scientific and technological information stories such as brain-computer interfaces, artificial intelligence and robots.

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