7/4/2023 0 Comments Integrity animal hospital![]() ![]() The animal-research and bioethics experts said it’s rare for IACUCs to include employees with such direct financial stakes in the research outcome. The review boards are known as “institutional animal care and use committees,” or IACUCs. Musk and Neuralink didn’t respond to requests for comment for this story or previous Reuters articles about the investigations into its animal testing. It’s possible the board’s membership has changed since late last year. Reuters reported in December that some employees had grown concerned about the animal experiments being rushed under pressure from Musk to speed development, causing needless suffering and deaths of pigs, sheep and monkeys. Insight into its makeup comes in the wake of two federal investigations, first reported by Reuters, into potential animal-welfare violations by Neuralink and allegations that it improperly transported dangerous pathogens on implants removed from monkey brains. via YouTubeĭetails of the panel’s membership and its potential conflicts have not been previously reported. Bioethics experts say Neuralink staffers on the board have potential conflicts of interest. ![]() The oversight board’s chair was the Neuralink executive who led the company’s animal-care program, and at least 11 other members were employees directly involved with animal care or research.Īutumn Sorrells has chaired an oversight board approving animal experiments by Elon Musk’s brain-chip startup, Neuralink, and also run the company’s animal care program. Nineteen of the board’s 22 members were Neuralink employees as of late 2022, according to a company document reviewed by Reuters. Neuralink is conducting animal experiments as it seeks regulatory approval for human trials of a brain chip intended to help paralyzed people type with their minds, among other ambitious goals. The membership of the panel at Musk’s company, Neuralink, raises questions about potential violations of conflict-of-interest regulations aimed at protecting research integrity, a dozen animal-research and bioethics experts told Reuters. The panels are charged with ensuring proper animal care, high research standards, and the reliability of data that helps regulators decide whether drugs or medical devices are safe for human testing. Such oversight boards are required by federal law for organizations experimenting on certain types of animals. May 4 (Reuters) - Elon Musk’s brain-implant venture has filled an animal-research oversight board with company insiders who may stand to benefit financially as the firm reaches development goals, according to company documents and interviews with six current and former employees. ![]()
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