Elon Musk Faces Federal Probe Over Neuralink: Report Neuralink Corp is developing a brain implant it hopes will help paralyzed people walk again and cure other neurological ailments
By Teena Jose •
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Elon Musk's Neuralink, a medical device company, is reportedly under federal investigation for potential animal-welfare violations amid internal staff complaints that its animal testing is being rushed, causing needless suffering and deaths, according to the documents reviewed by Reuters and sources familiar with the investigation and company operations.
Neuralink Corp is developing a brain implant it hopes will help paralyzed people walk again and cure other neurological ailments. The federal probe, which has not been previously reported, was opened in recent months by the US Department of Agriculture's Inspector General at the request of a federal prosecutor, according to two sources with knowledge of the investigation. The probe, one of the sources said, focuses on violations of the Animal Welfare Act, which governs how researchers treat and test some animals.
The investigation has come at a time of growing employee dissent about Neuralink's animal testing, including complaints that pressure from CEO Musk to accelerate development has resulted in botched experiments, according to a Reuters review of dozens of Neuralink documents and interviews with more than 20 current and former employees.
Such failed tests have had to be repeated, increasing the number of animals being tested and killed, the employees say. The company documents include previously unreported messages, audio recordings, emails, presentations and reports.
Reuters could not determine the full scope of the federal investigation or whether it involved the same alleged problems with animal testing identified by employees in Reuters interviews. As a whole, the company has killed about 1,500 animals, including more than 280 sheep, pigs and monkeys, following experiments since 2018, according to records reviewed by Reuters and sources with direct knowledge of the company's animal-testing operations. The animals are typically killed when experiments are completed, often so they can be examined post-mortem for research purposes.
Musk has pushed hard to accelerate Neuralink's progress, which depends heavily on animal testing, current and former employees said, as per the report. "We could enable people to use their hands and walk again in daily life." he wrote to staff at 6:37 am Pacific Time on February 8. Ten minutes later, he followed up: "In general, we are simply not moving fast enough. It is driving me nuts," the report stated.
The US Food and Drug Administration is in charge of reviewing the company's applications for approval of its medical device and associated trials. The company's treatment of animals during research, however, is regulated by the USDA under the Animal Welfare Act. The FDA didn't immediately comment, according to the report.
