Neuralink is getting its first-ever approval to perform a clinical trial outside of the United States, about a year after the first device was implanted in a human for the first time.
After opening human trials for the first time last September, Neuralink is preparing to take its business outside the U.S. by entering the Canadian market.
The company plans to assess the safety and initial functionality of its brain implant, which aims to fix anything from paralysis to eventually things like mental health disorders.
Canadian Health University Health Network said that its Toronto Western Hospital would be the first site not in the U.S. to test the device for its effectiveness in resolving these disorders.
UHN Chief Executive Kevin Smith said (via Financial Post):
“We are incredibly proud to be at the forefront of this research advancement in neurosurgery.”
Smith also said UHN would be the first and exclusive site for the trial in Canada, but the date on which testing would begin was not yet released.
Neuralink said it was looking for its first patients in Canada and hopes to work with those who have quadriplegia due to ALS or SCI.
🇨🇦 We’re happy to announce that Health Canada has approved the launch of our first clinical trial in Canada! Recruitment is now open.
If you have quadriplegia due to ALS or SCI, you may qualify. Visit our Patient Registry to learn more and apply.https://t.co/5BySJABkkO
— Neuralink (@neuralink) November 20, 2024
ALS is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease and impacts the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord.
Neuralink implanted its first patient, Noland Arbaugh, earlier this year, and in August, it announced that its second patient, known as “Alex,” had also successfully undergone a procedure to have a device implanted.
Alex learned to play computer games and design 3D objects using CAD software within the first weeks.
Neuralink shares their second patient’s progress
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