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Hey welcome back to the Elon Musk podcast in today's episode,
we dive into the developing story about neurolink.
Elon musk's ambitious, brain implant Venture a recent reports
by Reuters have raised concerns about the company's animal
research oversight board highlighting potential conflicts
of interest, that may compromise research Integrity now is
neurolink conducts, critical animal experiments to gain
regulatory approval. Human trials, explore the
implications of these allegations and how they could
impact the future of this groundbreaking technology.
Now neural link has been in development for a while now and
Elon musk's neurolink has reportedly filled its animal
research oversight board with company insiders, who stand to
benefit financially as a firm reaches developmental goals.
Now, according to the company documents interviews with six
current, And former employees. And according to Reuters, this
raises questions about potential violations of conflict of
interest regulations, aimed at protecting research Integrity, a
Federal Law requires organizations experimenting.
On certain types of animals to establish oversight boards known
as institutional Animal Care and use committee, the iacuc S and
aec. You see these are responsible
for ensuring proper Animal Care, High research, standards, and
the reliability. Lady of data that helps
Regulators decide whether drugs or medical devices are safe for
human testing. Now as of late twenty twenty
two, nineteen of never links iacuc.
These 22 members were company employees according to a company
document reviewed by Reuters. Now the oversight boards chair
was a neurolink executive who led the company's Animal Care
Program and at least eleven other members were employees
directly involved with animal care.
Or research. Now, details of the panel's
membership. In its potential conflicts have
not been previously reported the animal research and bioethics
expert said, it's rare for iacuc, these to include
employees with such direct Financial stakes in the research
outcome. This is a particular problem at
startups, like neurolink because they tend to focus on a single
breakthrough product. And commonly reward employees
with volatile company. Shares now neurolink staffer is
typically Salary and stock based incentives, according to five
current and former employees and knurling job ads reviewed by
Reuters said the same. Now some senior level employees
stand to make millions of dollars, if the company secures
critical regulatory approvals in the future now.
Dr. Miguel nicolelis is a neuroscientist and physician who
has conducted brain implant research at Duke University for
nearly 30 years, said the iacuc. Is overseeing his animal
experiments never had any role in the research.
The independence of such boards is critical to protecting the
Integrity of animal research that could impact humans in the
future, clinical trials. He said it's an obvious conflict
of interest. Now many companies Outsource
animal testing and oversight University is a research
institutes with stricter rules to prevent such conflicts of
interest. Now, neurolink originally
partnered with the University of California Davis Help conducted
oversee, its animal tests. However, the company later
abandoned the partnership after a dispute viewing, the
University's processes is too slow and bureaucratic according
to one current, and one former neurolink staffer a neuro-link,
then brought the research and oversight in-house, UC Davis
declined, to comment, underlings, new oversight board,
but said in a statement, that it's conflict of interest rules
prohibit, quote, interested parties for voting or quote,
Influencing decisions on such panels.
The US Department of Agriculture.
The USDA is the lead agency enforcing Animal Welfare
regulations and the animal research experts interviewed by
Reuters included, two former top.
USDA officials describe the agency's overall enforcement's
of conflict of interest rules as lakhs.
Now, the USDA has interpreted the rule narrowly allowing a
range of potential conflicts that would never be permitted.
In human trials, conflicts such as As those under links, iacuc
are typically prohibited or avoided, an animal Trails, by
universities research institutes, and many companies,
now, in response to this inquiry from Reuters, the USDA said it
had found no conflicts of interest underlings board.
When the department inspected, its animal research operations
during 10 inspections since 2022.
And the company has passed all inspections with no citations
according to public records and a person with knowledge of the
examinations of the usda's office.
Of Inspector General is currently investigating
potential Animal, Welfare violations by neurolink and
allegedly slipshod Animal. Welfare act enforcement by the
USDA itself in a joint probe with the US Department of
Justice. Now, the USDA and justice
department declined to comment on this investigation.
And the USDA Inspector General didn't risk.
Respond to requests for comment as well.
The joint probe is examining the company or the agency's
oversight of neural link and of Animal Welfare.
More broadly in the investigation follows a long
history of USDA. Oig reports including three
since 2014. Criticizing the animals, the
agency's Animal, Welfare enforcement as ineffective.
Now, one issue is a stretch staff.
The USDA and plays 122 inspectors to inspect almost
12,000 Silat. He's ranging from zoos and
breeders to Labs, according to a congressional research service
report last July and the USDA enforcement of conflict of
interest rules are pretty rare and more than 11,000 USDA
inspections over the past, decade the agency issued, eight
citations for conflicts and research Labs, none of which
resulted in a penalty. According to a review of the
Records who by somebody, who oversees the animal law and
policy Institute at the Vermont law in graduate school.
Now, the lack of enforcement. They said poses serious risk.
That conflicted iacuc members will put their own interests
before those of the animals. Now, the same person is Winters
said USD is really only inspecting paperwork and not
looking under the hood. The overly narrow
interpretation, that USDA is giving to the conflict of
interest. It's, is it illustrates a
problem? Now, between September of 2017
and December of twenty, twenty neurolink partnered with the
University of California Davis relying on the school's
federally, funded Primate, Research lab, and it's
established iacuc. U.s.
Davis received more than one point, nine million dollars from
neural, link for experiments before the partnership ended.
No, neurolink surgeons and other staffers continued to work
directly on the experiments in consultation with the university
and a u.s. Davis or UC Davis spokesperson
told. Reuters, that the university is
monitoring of neurolink. Experiments detected, an animal
welfare incident in 2019, prompting the University's iacuc
to mandate changes, in Darlings, research, protocols and
training. And that spokesperson said the
incident didn't involve UC Davis staff, but declined to comment
further. Now, amid tensions neurolink
canceled, his partnership was UC Davis in 2020, then build its
own animal testing facilities and created its own iacuc.
The company is rushed and at times botched experiments
especially after it brought animal experiments fully in
house according than neurolink staffers and Company records.
Now, the company's iacuc allowed neural link to accelerate animal
experiments in line with musk's demands three sources familiar
with the panel's decisions, told Reuters, now in 2021 and 2022.
The company killed about two hundred and fifty sheep pigs and
primates. He's now in one instance in
2021, the company implanted, 20 out of 60 pigs with the wrong
size devices. A neuro-link employees said, the
error could have been avoided with better prep.
Preparation, several animal research experts called the role
of board chair Autumn sorel's. Also the executive heading
neural Links Animal Care problem program, a particularly
troubling conflict. So rails didn't respond to
requests for comment asset. Of the 22 iacuc members also
report to surrounds in their neurolink jobs, separate from
the board according to an internal documents and to
knurling sources with knowledge of the, committee's operation of
this Dynamic discourages those members from dissenting and
board matters. One of the sources said, now I
want to say thank you for listening to the Elon Musk
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And I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Elon Musk
podcast. Take care of yourselves and each
other and I'll see you in the next one.
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