Elon Musk's Neuralink may have illegally transported pathogens, animal
advocates say
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[February 09, 2023]
By Rachael Levy
(Reuters) - An animal-welfare organization said it plans to ask a U.S.
government agency on Thursday to investigate Elon Musk's brain-implant
company Neuralink over records it said show potentially illegal movement
of hazardous pathogens.
The Physicians Committee of Responsible Medicine (PCRM) said in a letter
to the U.S. Department of Transportation, which was shared with Reuters,
that it has obtained emails and other documents that suggest unsafe
packaging and movement of implants removed from the brains of monkeys.
These implants may have carried infectious diseases in violation of
federal law, PCRM said.
The letter said records that the group obtained showed instances of
pathogens, such as antibiotic-resistant staphylococcus and herpes B
virus, that may have been transported without proper containment
measures.
PCRM's letter adds to the scrutiny facing Neuralink, which is developing
a brain implant it hopes will help paralyzed people walk again and cure
other neurological ailments.
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In December, Reuters reported that Neuralink has been under a federal
investigation over potential animal welfare violations and that some of
its staff made internal complaints about experiments being rushed,
causing needless suffering and deaths.
The incidents that involved potential breaches of hazardous material
transportation regulations happened in 2019, when Neuralink relied on
University of California, Davis to help carry out its experiments on
primates, according to the documents cited by PCRM.
While Neuralink's partnership with UC Davis ended in 2020, PCRM said the
company continues to employ the neurosurgeon who oversaw the experiments
and other staff involved may also still be employed.
Reuters reviewed the UC Davis records cited by PCRM in its letter. It is
unclear whether further records exist that provide a different or fuller
account of what happened. PCRM obtained the records from UC Davis
through public information requests. Neuralink messages and records not
shared with UC Davis are not subject to such information requests.
Representatives for Neuralink, including Musk, and the Department of
Transportation did not respond to comment requests. A UC Davis
spokesperson would only say that the university abides by all biohazard
and lab safety regulations.
PCRM's letter said pathogens were carried on removed implants from
monkeys after improper sanitization and packaging. The group said those
pathogens could cause serious health issues in infected humans, such as
bloodstream infections, pneumonia and severe brain damage, among other
problems.
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Neuralink logo and Elon Musk photo are
seen in this illustration taken, December 19, 2022. REUTERS/Dado
Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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PCRM, which opposes the use of
animals in medical research, did not identify any harm as a result
of these incidents, but said Neuralink's actions "may pose a serious
and ongoing public health risk."
"The company's documented track record of sloppy, unsafe laboratory
practices compel DOT to investigate and levy appropriate fines,"
PCRM said in the letter.
PCRM said it also found instances that appear to describe UC Davis
employees urging immediate biohazard training for Neuralink
employees following incidents that had caused contamination
concerns. On one occasion in April 2019, a UC Davis employee wrote
in an email that the university’s primate center is “at risk” for
“monkey contaminated hardware.”
"This is an exposure to anyone coming in contact with the
contaminated explanted hardware and we are making a big deal about
this because we are concerned for human safety," wrote the employee,
whose name was redacted from the records.
PCRM has raised concerns about Neuralink in the past. Last year, it
wrote to federal officials about alleged animal-welfare issues
during Neuralink’s research partnership with UC Davis, citing
another set of records it obtained. A federal prosecutor in the
Northern District of California referred PCRM's complaint to the
USDA Inspector General, which later launched the federal probe into
Neuralink, Reuters previously reported.
During its partnership with UC Davis, Neuralink grew frustrated with
what it regarded as the slow pace of testing on primates, current
and former company employees told Reuters, and has since built out
extensive in-house animal testing facilities. The company has missed
deadlines set by Musk to proceed to human trials, however. His
pressure on Neuralink’s staff to make progress contributed to
mistakes plaguing some experiments, Reuters reported.
(Reporting by Rachael Levy in Washington, D.C.; Editing by Greg
Roumeliotis and David Gregorio)
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