Concerns have been raised about Neuralink's animal testing practices and the subsequent approval for human trials. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, an Oregon Democrat, has been particularly vocal, demanding answers from the FDA regarding the company's testing on animals, which reportedly led to the deaths of over 1,500 animals and included botched brain-chip surgeries on monkeys. Blumenauer's concerns were highlighted in a letter to the FDA, citing the rushed nature of experiments and the alleged failure to follow standard operating procedures, potentially endangering animal welfare and compromising data collection for human trials. These issues were further underscored by an FDA report from June, conducted less than a month after Neuralink received approval to begin human trials, that found Neuralink failed to maintain valid records of its experiments and properly calibrate equipment. The congressman also questioned the FDA's decision to approve Neuralink for human trials despite these findings and called for an investigation into possible conflicts of interest within Neuralink's oversight board by the Agriculture Department and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in May.
According to reports, over 1,500 animals have died while under Neuralink’s care. https://t.co/zAjOGeZMRQ
Congressman slams FDA for ignoring 'troubling evidence' about Elon Musk's Neuralink https://t.co/sCqCRLYKxO https://t.co/HMrdGFKekP
Mr. Blumenauer and seven other lawmakers sent a letter to the Agriculture Department and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service in May urging the agencies to investigate Neuralink for possible conflicts of interest in its oversight board. https://t.co/zAjOGeZMRQ
He has asked the FDA to explain why it approved Neuralink for human trials despite these findings. https://t.co/zAjOGeZMRQ
The report, conducted less than a month after the company received approval to begin human testing from the agency, found that in several cases Neuralink failed to provide documentation on important aspects of the experiments and didn't correctly calibrate many of its…
The congressman's letter follows an FDA report from June that found the company failed to keep valid records of its experiments. https://t.co/zAjOGeZMRQ
“These alleged failures to follow standard operating procedures potentially endangered animal welfare and compromised data collection for human trials,” Mr. Blumenauer wrote. https://t.co/zAjOGeZMRQ
In a letter to the FDA Monday, Rep. Earl Blumenauer, Oregon Democrat, expressed concerns with those tests. He said the rushed nature of the experiments led to the needless suffering of animals and compromised the data that led to the company’s approval for human trials.…
Neuralink Told Its First Human Patient Not to Worry About Those Gruesome Monkey Deaths https://t.co/mq8WxiIAtu
Lawmaker demands answers from FDA on Neuralink animal testing https://t.co/vboRZn5QkQ
Neuralink patient said he asked about reports of botched brain-chip surgeries on monkeys https://t.co/jdtSyp38KB
Neuralink’s First Patient Heard About Brain Implant in Drunk-Dial From Friend https://t.co/Cb1QUQrMVu