(Reuters) – Neuralink, the neurotechnology start-up headed by Elon Musk, announced on Thursday that it had received approval from the US health authority, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), to begin clinical trials of its brain chips in humans.
The FDA clearance comes as US lawmakers earlier this month urged regulators to investigate whether the composition of a group overseeing animal testing at Neuralink contributed to botched and rushed experiments.
The company, launched in 2016, develops brain chips that it claims could enable paralyzed people to regain motor function or communicate again.
Reuters had reported in December that the USDA inspector general was investigating, at the request of a federal prosecutor, potential violations of the Animal Welfare Act, which governs how researchers treat and test on certain animals.
Neuralink said in a tweet on Thursday that recruitment for a human clinical trial was not yet open.
The FDA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.