A neurotechnology company that seeks to develop brain-computer communication, NeuralinkPre-clinical research is being conducted on animals before being tested on humans. Neuralink, which he founded Elon MuskWorks in conjunction with the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), which is responsible for supervising Ethical use of animals in research. The IACUC reviews and votes on study protocols before any animal studies begin.
Neuralink It uses certain types of animals, which serve different purposes in order to mimic human anatomy and physiology. The animal models Neuralink uses in its preclinical research are pigs, sheep, and monkeys.. this The company explained on its blogon March 15, 2024.
Pig, sheep and monkey
The pig is used in studies of skull size, thickness, and recovery time. Sheep, unlike pigs, have more natural brain movements than pigs, allowing them to better represent human surgical cases.
On the same side, The monkey is the animal most similar to the human conditionFor this reason it is used in performance tests of computer interfaces. The monkey is selected to perform computer tasks such as Mind Pong game After brain-computer interface (BCI) implantation. The goal of these tests is for the BCI to allow people with paralysis to use their brains to quickly operate computers and mobile devices.
In addition, The IACUC consists of the veterinary medicine, animal care, pathology, engineering and surgery teams.. Key priorities for Neuralink In preclinical research are animal care and scientific rigor, therefore, collaborative work with IACUC allows us to provide a balanced perspective for designing more complete research protocols.
