Neuralink Corp., Elon Musk’s brain implant company, has submitted a scientific paper to a journal describing the results from some of its patients, which would be its first peer-reviewed publication with human data.
The paper was sent to the New England Journal of Medicine and describes the first three patients who were implanted with the Neuralink device, including safety data, according to Michael Lawton, chief executive officer and president of the Barrow Neurological Institute, a Neuralink clinical trial site.
Neuralink is one of several companies developing brain-computer interfaces, which enable direct communication between the brain and electronic devices. The company has raised more than $1 billion and was valued at $9 billion in its most recent fundraising round, but it has yet to publish peer-reviewed human data. Outside scientists could use those results to independently evaluate how well its devices work.
Neuralink’s celebrity founder has drawn increased attention and investment to the field, accelerating research and development at several different companies. Other businesses and academics have published widely in the field.
Lawton shared these details in a conversation on the sidelines of a brain-implant conference in New York, hosted by Mount Sinai Health System. He declined to provide more details on the paper.
Neuralink didn’t respond to a request for comment. The company has previously disclosed that it put its implant in 12 people so far.
The company’s president, DJ Seo, said in September that the company hopes to put its device in a healthy person by 2030. So far, brain devices that patients use to control computers have only been experimentally implanted in patients with severe medical needs.
Neuralink has “a vision to apply a link to just about anybody who could have a possible need for it,” Lawton said on a panel moderated by Bloomberg News at the conference Friday. He added that the company is “a long way” from doing this in a healthy person. “They’ve been very meticulous about focusing on diseased patients with disability,” he said.
The company aims to implant its chips in 20,000 people per year by 2031, and generate at least $1 billion in annual revenue.
In addition to its device that helps people control computers, it’s also working on chips to restore vision, read speech from the brain, and treat Parkinson’s.
With assistance from Jessica Nix.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
