Musk's Neuralink fills animal-testing panel with employees, raising conflict-of-interest concerns
Elon Musk's Neuralink uses animals in its quest to develop a brain-computer interface (BCI) chip to control machines with the brain. Under US Federal law, companies that use certain animals for experimental studies are required to have an oversight board. In Musk's company, this panel largely consists of employees, per a Reuters report. This has raised concerns about experimental integrity and animal welfare.
Why does this story matter?
Neuralink is one of many companies working on BCI. However, the firm's connection to Musk has always kept it in the public eye. The company has been using primates and pigs to test its device, which Musk described as "a Fitbit" in the skull. Neuralink hopes to conduct human trials this year. However, the allegations related to animal treatment could hinder its progress.
Panel is responsible for high research standards, proper animal care
Neuralink's animal-research oversight board is an 'institutional animal care and use committee' (IACUC). The panel, like other IACUCs, is tasked with ensuring high research standards, proper animal care, and data reliability. The opinions of these panels are critical in deciding whether a drug or medical device is safe for human testing. These committees aim to protect research integrity and animal welfare.
19 out of 22 board members were Neuralink employees
It is unusual for IACUCs to include employees who will benefit financially from the research outcome. That is why Neuralink's case is a peculiar one. As of late 2022, 19 out of 22 members of the panel were company employees. The board's former chair, Autumn Sorells, ran Neuralink's animal care program. At least 11 of them were directly involved in animal care or research.
Neuralink is looking at potential conflict-of-interest violations
According to Reuters, it is possible that the board's membership may have changed since last year. However, if it hasn't, it leads to many questions. The oversight board is expected to be impartial. With that many Neuralink employees as members, the chances of potential violations of conflict-of-interest regulations are high. Such composition gives the company a lot of leeway in how the board functions.
Only an impartial oversight board can prevent rushed experiments
Neuralink is pushing to reach its goal of conducting human trials this year. Per Reuters, some employees are concerned about the company rushing animal experiments under pressure from Musk. This leads to unnecessary suffering and deaths of animals. An oversight board is present to stop such rushed experiments. However, with Neuralink employees dominating the panel, an impartial assessment may not happen.
Oversight boards are necessary for regulating experiments on animals
An animal-testing oversight board in a medical company is also important from a regulatory standpoint. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) employs just over 120 animal care inspectors. They are in charge of over 11,000 facilities. How are they going to ensure animals are being taken care of in all those facilities? They cannot. That's where individual panels come into play.
There are 2 federal investigations against Neuralink
Allegations about Neuralink's oversight board add to the list of accusations against the company. The firm is already being investigated for possible unsafe transport of dangerous pathogens and potential animal welfare violations. With the company striving to become the leader in the developing field of BCI, it may flout rules to get ahead of rivals. That is why it needs an impartial oversight board.
