US Lawmakers Request Probe on Elon Musk’s Startup Neuralink’s Animal-Testing Panel

US lawmakers will ask regulators to research whether or not the make-up of a panel overseeing animal testing at Elon Musk‘s brain-chip startup Neuralink contributed to botched and rushed experiments.

US House Representatives Earl Francis Blumenauer and Adam Schiff, each Democrats, have signed a draft letter to the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) requesting a probe into how Neuralink oversaw its experiments, Blumenauer’s workplace mentioned.

The lawmakers have shared the draft with friends to collect extra signatures and plan to ship it to the USDA on Monday. The draft states that they’re responding to a May 4 Reuters story which revealed that Neuralink crammed its oversight board with firm staff who stand to profit financially from the start-up securing regulatory approval for its novel mind chip.

The panel authorised experiments that resulted within the pointless deaths and struggling of animals, Reuters confirmed in a December 5 story. A spokesperson for Blumenauer mentioned the USDA didn’t reply to an earlier request from lawmakers for a probe into Neuralink within the wake of that story.

“Congress has a significant interest in ensuring that all facilities using animals in research and testing — whether they are government-run, universities, or private companies — comply with the minimal standards of the Animal Welfare Act,” the draft letter states.

Musk and Neuralink representatives, and spokespeople for the USDA and the company’s inspector basic, didn’t reply to requests for remark.

Neuralink has already been the topic of federal probes. Reuters reported on December 5 that the USDA’s Inspector General was investigating, on the request of a federal prosecutor, potential violations of the Animal Welfare Act, which governs how researchers deal with and take a look at sure varieties of animals. This probe has additionally been trying on the USDA’s oversight of Neuralink.

The Inspector General and the USDA didn’t reply to a request for touch upon the progress of that investigation.

The US Department of Transportation mentioned in February it was investigating Neuralink over the motion of hazardous pathogens. An company spokesperson mentioned this probe is constant, with out offering particulars.

USDA inspectors visited Neuralink’s California and Texas services in January in response to Reuters’ reporting and the queries of lawmakers, however discovered no points, Reuters reported final week.

Neuralink has been attempting to safe clearance to advance to human trials after a previous try was rejected final 12 months by the Food and Drug Administration due to security considerations.

© Thomson Reuters 2023