UC Davis has publicly admitted that 15 of the 23 monkeys experimented on have died.-- Elias Dickey, 9th Grade
Neuralink Admits the Death of Multiple Rhesus Monkeys in Neuralink Experiments
Recently, SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been under fire for the mistreatment of Rhesus Macaques by his company Neuralink, the brain-computer interface startup. While Neuralink has publicly stated that they are “absolutely committed to working with animals in the most humane and ethical way possible,” UC Davis, where the experiments are being conducted, has publicly admitted that 15 of the 23 monkeys experimented on have died. All of the animals were euthanized (put to death humanely) at the medical advice of UC Davis veterinary staff, two due to hemorrhaging of nerve tissue on the brain due to exposure to the non-approved substance “BioGlue.”
A Brief History of Neuralink
Neuralink was co-founded in 2016 by Elon Musk and several others. The company was founded to treat brain diseases via microchips, with the goal of human enhancement in mind for the future. The chip aims to log and assess brain damage and make up for any resulting cerebral inability through its technology. The company was named “Neuralink” and announced to the public in 2017. By 2019, Neuralink had gained 158 million in funding (of which Musk contributed 100 million). In the same period, they announced that they were working on a machine that could implant thin threads into the brain, which they tested on a lab rat and filmed for the public.
Fast forward to August 2020, when only three of the original eight founding scientists were still employed at the company, thanks to years of conflict between members and pressure around deadlines. In April of 2021, the company publicly released a video of a Rhesus Monkey playing the game Pong using the Neuralink chip. In May of the same year, co-founder Max Hodak announced that he was leaving the company, leaving only two original founders.
Also in 2021, the PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) filed a series of lawsuits against the company for its use of the experimental surgical adhesive BioGlue in the experiments, neglect from UC Davis employees, and mistreatment of the animals by screwing steel posts into their skulls and the resulting “facial trauma” seizures. In 2022, Neuralink published its public response regarding the treatment of the primates and commitment to animal welfare.
BioGlue Controversy
One factor involved in the experimentation and eventual deaths of some of the monkeys was the experimental product BioGlue, a surgical adhesive designed to seal anastomoses (surgical connections between structures) and to reinforce and adhere tissues. Categorized as “surgical complications”, at least two Rhesus Macaques experienced hemorrhaging of nerve tissue on the brain due to exposure to the experimental adhesive, and one suffered for days before being euthanized. In the company’s official statement, they summarize the primate casualties, stating “two animals were euthanized at planned end dates to gather important histological data, and six animals were euthanized at the medical advice of the veterinary staff at UC Davis.” Th reasons they cited included “one surgical complication involving the use of the FDA-approved product (BioGlue), one device failure, and four suspected device-associated infections.” For the latter, it is a risk inherent with any surgical device. Notably, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has also criticized Neuralink’s methods.
Negligence from Employees
One of the animal rights lawsuits posed by the PCRM arose from the lackluster treatment some of the employees gave the rhesus monkeys. Addressing Neuralink, they said, “staff failed to provide dying monkeys with adequate veterinary care.” In addition to this, Neuralink and UC Davis euthanized monkeys before they were even used in the planned experiment due to deteriorating health due to their living conditions. In the face of all of this, Neuralink continues to insist that they “did and continue to meet federally mandated standards,” and continue to run all animal procedures by UC Davis’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee in compliance with federal law.
What Happens Next
Neuralink has since terminated their partnership with UC Davis, which was ended in 2020, and continues to push back against the PCRM’s allegations. Neuralink also plans to begin human trials for their device in the future, and currently, Musk is in the process of hiring a clinical trial director, indicating that human testing could be sooner than anticipated. However, the initial projection for human trials was said to be in 2020, when Neuralink obtained an “FDA breakthrough device” designation which allows “limited human testing under the FDA guidelines for medical devices”. Currently, the future of Neuralink is unknown, but this lawsuit will certainly put some of their plans on hold.
Recently, SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has been under fire for the mistreatment of Rhesus Macaques by his company Neuralink, the brain-computer interface startup. While Neuralink has publicly stated that they are “absolutely committed to working with animals in the most humane and ethical way possible,” UC Davis, where the experiments are being conducted, has publicly admitted that 15 of the 23 monkeys experimented on have died. All of the animals were euthanized (put to death humanely) at the medical advice of UC Davis veterinary staff, two due to hemorrhaging of nerve tissue on the brain due to exposure to the non-approved substance “BioGlue.”
A Brief History of Neuralink
Neuralink was co-founded in 2016 by Elon Musk and several others. The company was founded to treat brain diseases via microchips, with the goal of human enhancement in mind for the future. The chip aims to log and assess brain damage and make up for any resulting cerebral inability through its technology. The company was named “Neuralink” and announced to the public in 2017. By 2019, Neuralink had gained 158 million in funding (of which Musk contributed 100 million). In the same period, they announced that they were working on a machine that could implant thin threads into the brain, which they tested on a lab rat and filmed for the public.
Fast forward to August 2020, when only three of the original eight founding scientists were still employed at the company, thanks to years of conflict between members and pressure around deadlines. In April of 2021, the company publicly released a video of a Rhesus Monkey playing the game Pong using the Neuralink chip. In May of the same year, co-founder Max Hodak announced that he was leaving the company, leaving only two original founders.
Also in 2021, the PCRM (Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine) filed a series of lawsuits against the company for its use of the experimental surgical adhesive BioGlue in the experiments, neglect from UC Davis employees, and mistreatment of the animals by screwing steel posts into their skulls and the resulting “facial trauma” seizures. In 2022, Neuralink published its public response regarding the treatment of the primates and commitment to animal welfare.
BioGlue Controversy
One factor involved in the experimentation and eventual deaths of some of the monkeys was the experimental product BioGlue, a surgical adhesive designed to seal anastomoses (surgical connections between structures) and to reinforce and adhere tissues. Categorized as “surgical complications”, at least two Rhesus Macaques experienced hemorrhaging of nerve tissue on the brain due to exposure to the experimental adhesive, and one suffered for days before being euthanized. In the company’s official statement, they summarize the primate casualties, stating “two animals were euthanized at planned end dates to gather important histological data, and six animals were euthanized at the medical advice of the veterinary staff at UC Davis.” Th reasons they cited included “one surgical complication involving the use of the FDA-approved product (BioGlue), one device failure, and four suspected device-associated infections.” For the latter, it is a risk inherent with any surgical device. Notably, PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) has also criticized Neuralink’s methods.
Negligence from Employees
One of the animal rights lawsuits posed by the PCRM arose from the lackluster treatment some of the employees gave the rhesus monkeys. Addressing Neuralink, they said, “staff failed to provide dying monkeys with adequate veterinary care.” In addition to this, Neuralink and UC Davis euthanized monkeys before they were even used in the planned experiment due to deteriorating health due to their living conditions. In the face of all of this, Neuralink continues to insist that they “did and continue to meet federally mandated standards,” and continue to run all animal procedures by UC Davis’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee in compliance with federal law.
What Happens Next
Neuralink has since terminated their partnership with UC Davis, which was ended in 2020, and continues to push back against the PCRM’s allegations. Neuralink also plans to begin human trials for their device in the future, and currently, Musk is in the process of hiring a clinical trial director, indicating that human testing could be sooner than anticipated. However, the initial projection for human trials was said to be in 2020, when Neuralink obtained an “FDA breakthrough device” designation which allows “limited human testing under the FDA guidelines for medical devices”. Currently, the future of Neuralink is unknown, but this lawsuit will certainly put some of their plans on hold.
