The urgency to finish the device could be the cause of the deaths of 12 monkeys in Neuralink clinical trials.
Once again Elon Musk is in the crosshairs of bioethicists for the trials of the Neuralink brain interface device.
The death of twelve monkeys has been the reason why a group of doctors has reported Neurolink to the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
However, Elon Musk posted on his X (Twitter): “No monkeys have died as a result of the Neuralink experiments.” These statements were made by Elon Musk on X (Twitter) on September 10, 2023. However, a report issued by the Doctors Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) contradicts the magnate. In it you can read that up to 12 primates were sacrificed after presenting various complications derived from the placement of the company’s brain implants.
Neuralink with a history of animal abuse
The Neurolink brain-computer device with which Elon Musk wants us to be able to mentally connect to the Internet would have many future applications, almost straight out of Black Mirror. But it could also be very useful in healthcare, since it would help patients with cerebral palsy to communicate and move much more fluidly.
The device has to be implanted in the brain, it is important to have a clear understanding of its operation and safety before being implanted in humans. Therefore, since the founding of the company in 2016, Musk’s team has been carrying out various research with animals of different species.
These types of tests are normal to be done in science. However, very important ethical criteria must be followed, which include the initial study in cultured cells, to begin experiments with animals with minimal guarantees. Minimum suffering should also be sought, avoiding sacrifices as much as possible and ensuring that they are made in the least painful way possible.
It is estimated that around 1,500 animals have died since 2018. This includes monkeys, pigs, sheep and other species. Death in itself does not indicate that experimental animals have been poorly treated. At least not, according to what American laws dictate. However, dissatisfied employees themselves have on several occasions complained about bad practices that have led to avoidable sacrifices.
The bad practices have consisted of poor choice in the size of the device, or implants placed in the wrong vertebra, causing damage to the animals that have forced them to be sacrificed. Employees insist that everything is due to the rush of Musk and other Neuralink executives to finish the trials prior to its use in humans as soon as possible.
The truth is that there is competition in the market to finish as soon as possible to obtain the largest piece of the pie and these include public and private researchers working on the same track. And that, if you do not work with a cool head, is a fact that can lead some businessmen to work as quickly as possible, leaving ethics aside.
After the complaints that Neuralink already received in 2022, it is clear that this new notice can raise blisters. At this time we only have to wait for the SEC’s decision. If the entire process must stop until it is verified whether things have been done without violating the Animal Welfare Law, another company could overtake Musk on the right. And haste is not a good advisor. And even less when it comes to the lives of thousands of living beings in your hands. There shouldn’t be anything about that.