Elon Musk’s Neuralink Is Reportedly Trying To Advance To The Next Step: Human Trials

Earlier this week, Reuters reported that famed brain computer interface (BCI) company Neuralink is potentially seeking partners to start human clinical trials. According to the article, the company has apparently approached the world renowned Barrow Neurological Institute to consider as a potential partner in carrying out these trials.

If a partnership with Barrow or another similar institution succeeds, this would mark a massive milestone for Neuralink, which is still relatively young in its journey. The company, founded in 2016 by Elon Musk, was established with a mission “to design a fully implantable, cosmetically invisible brain-computer interface to let you control a computer or mobile device anywhere you go.” Specifically, the company explains the application for this technology, in detail: “The initial goal of our technology is to help people with paralysis regain independence through the control of computers and mobile devices. Our devices are therefore currently being designed to one day give people the ability to communicate more easily via text or speech synthesis, to follow their curiosity on the web, or to express their creativity through photography, art, or writing apps.”

In early 2021, the company posted a video demonstrating its technology in use, which shortly thereafter went “viral.” The video shows a Macaque monkey playing the classic game of Pong and doing quite well. The key detail: the monkey, which has Neuralink hardware embedded in its brain, is controlling the game cursor solely with its mind—hence, “MindPong.”

The company has undoubtedly faced challenges as well. Just earlier this month, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reportedly rejected Neuralink’s request to start testing its device on humans. The company’s current efforts to work with potential partners may be an indication that it is actively trying to address the FDA’s concerns; however, if not, Neuralink will assuredly face regulatory scrutiny, yet again.

The BCI concept itself is not new. In fact, it has been a rapidly growing area of science for the last decade. A paper published in 2012 in Mayo Clinic Proceedings describes BCIs as hardware that “acquire brain signals, analyze them, and translate them into commands that are relayed to output devices that carry out desired actions. BCIs do not use normal neuromuscular output pathways. The main goal of BCI is to replace or restore useful function to people disabled by neuromuscular disorders such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, cerebral palsy, stroke, or spinal cord injury.”

The paper also describes key challenges that this concept entails: “These systems need hardware that is safe and fully implantable; remains intact, functional, and reliable for decades; records stable signals over many years; conveys the recorded signals by telemetry; can be recharged in situ (or has batteries that last for years or decades); has external elements that are robust, comfortable, convenient, and unobtrusive; and interfaces easily with high-performance applications.”

Indeed, technological breakthroughs such as this, especially in the field of medicine, typically entail significant risk and many challenges. Neuralink must continue to innovate and create in a way that prioritizes the safety of the patient at the highest level. However, if done correctly, a device such as this could one day potentially help millions of people worldwide that face devastating disease.