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Neuralink Starts Recruiting for Human Trials · Elon Musk Podcast

• 0:01
  Hi and welcome back to another episode of the Elon Musk Podcast
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  where we explore the latest developments in technology,
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  science and the world of startups.
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  And I think we have an intriguing story that takes us
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  to the frontier of biotechnology and human machine interfaces.
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  We'll be discussing neural links.
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  Groundbreaking announcement, the start of their first human
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  clinical trial, known as the PRIME Study.
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  Now, with the green light from an independent review board,
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  Neuralink is set to implant their brain, computer interface
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  and paralysis patients to assess the device's safety and
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  functionality. And it's a big step for a
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  startup from Elon Musk that's been under both scrutiny and
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  highly anticipated. This is the moment many have
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  been waiting for, the pivot from animal testing to human testing.
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  According to Nerling's own blog, the prime study, short for
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  Precise Robotically Implanted Brain Computer Interface, will
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  be conducted over six years. The initial phase consists of 18
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  months of at home and clinic visits, followed by regular
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  followups over the next five years.
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  The target demographic includes individuals with quadriplegia
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  due to cervical spinal cord injuries, or lateral sclerosis,
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  commonly known as a LS. In this trial, they will have a
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  chip surgically inserted into the part of the brain that
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  controls the intention to move. This chip, placed by a robot,
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  will then transmit brain signals to an app, with the primary goal
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  of enabling the individual to control a computer cursor or a
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  keyboard solely through their thoughts.
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  Now let's break down what the PRIME study actually entails.
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  After getting the nod from the independent review board,
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  Neuralink is moving forward with this initiative Focused on the
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  practical application of brain computer interfaces, the
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  implanted chip is designed to communicate with an app which
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  will capture brain signals and translate them into actions.
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  The immediate objective here is to get paralysis patients a way
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  to control computer interfaces like cursors and keyboards
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  without physical input, just by thinking about it.
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  And the chip will be inserted by a robot into a specific region
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  of the brain that's responsible for the intention to move.
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  And it will be interesting to see how the technology evolves
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  as the study proceeds over the next six years.
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  Now the recruitment is open to people suffering from
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  quadriplegia due to spinal cord injuries or a LS.
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  The study is structured in such a way that it will be including
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  eighteen months of clinic visits and at home monitoring, followed
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  by five years of periodic follow up visits.
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  And Neurolink has chosen A gradual approach, which could be
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  a prudent decision given the sensitive nature of brain
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  implants in the required FDA oversight.
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  From what we've gathered, interested candidates can sign
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  up through a patient registry on Neurolink's website, providing
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  them a chance to be part of this experimental and potentially
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  life altering technology. Now, this announcement also puts
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  Nerlink in the limelight as a forerunner in the brain computer
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  interface arena. And despite the controversy
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  surrounding animal testing and the death of a monkey earlier
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  this year, the transition to human trials could be a pivotal
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  moment for both the company and the field of biotechnology.
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  And while the initial goal is somewhat modest, enabling
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  individuals to control a computer cursor or a keyboard,
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  what we're looking at here could be the cornerstone of something
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  much larger. And the technology has the
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  potential to help us better understand the human brain and
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  possibly provide breakthroughs in treating neurological
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  disorders, among other applications.
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  Though Neuralink has been in the works for approximately 5 years,
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  it's experiments so far have been limited to animal testing,
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  and these experiments have not been without controversy.
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  In 2022, one of the test monkeys died during project testing,
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  leading to increased scrutiny of Neuralink's practices.
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  And Elon Musk's inspiration for Neuralink, as reported in a book
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  by Walter Isaacson, comes from science fiction writers like
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  Lane Banks. There isn't is for a neural lace
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  technology that allows for seamless brain machine
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  interaction. Now, last May, the company
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  announced FDA clearance for its human clinical trials and
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  approval confirmed by the FDA Now.
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  Additionally, Neural Link raised $280 million in funding round
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  led by the Founders Fund. And Neural Link didn't have an
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  easy time getting approval for human testing.
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  Though. The FDA initially rejected
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  Neural Links request in 2022 due to concerns about implant
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  migration and potential brain tissue damage, and despite
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  previous announcements, it was only this year that they
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  obtained the green light for trials after addressing many of
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  the FD A's concerns. However, internal voices within
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  Neural Link have raised concerns that the company is hurrying its
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  technology to market, which they argue has resulted in negligent
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  animal testing in even a federal investigation.
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  Now ethical questions loom large, especially when it comes
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  to the treatment of test animals.
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  An advocacy group for ethical science research, the Physicians
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  Committee for Responsible Medicine, has called for an SEC
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  investigation into Elon Musk for possible securities fraud
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  related to his claims about the safety of neuro links.
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  Animal trials. Publicly disclosed health
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  records of the test monkeys showed significant health issues
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  post implant, including infections, brain swelling, and
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  more. Furthermore, Musk's claimed that
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  the monkeys were close to death have been criticized as
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  misleading or even blatantly false.
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  While the technology is captivating, Nur Lake has a long
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  journey ahead filled with challenges.
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  From securing additional FDA approvals to addressing ethical
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  concerns, the path isn't straightforward.
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  Other companies like Synchron Inc have already implanted
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  devices into the human brain, showing that neural link is not
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  alone in this high stakes race. The future of brain computer
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  interfaces is slowly materializing, but it remains a
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  complex insensitive area that demands the utmost caution.
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  Thank you for tuning into this episode of the Elon Musk
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  podcast. Say we've covered quite a lot
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  today discussing the promising yet controversial steps Neural
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  Link is taking toward human clinical trials.
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  To continue getting updates on all things related to Elon Musk,
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  including his ambitious projects and the challenges they face,
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  hit the subscribe or follow button on your favorite podcast
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  platform. Remember, subscribing's free and
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  it only takes a moment and it helps this show continue to be
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  free for you. So please, take care of
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  yourselves and each other and I'll see you in the next one.