Neuralink Surgery Postponed For Brain-Implant Startup’s Second Patient

(Bloomberg) -- Neuralink Corp., the brain-implant company founded by Elon Musk, was set to implant its device in a second patient last Monday, but the surgery was halted due to the patient’s medical condition, said Michael Lawton, chief executive officer of the Barrow Neurological Institute.

The patient had health issues that made the person an unsuitable candidate for current participation in Neuralink’s study of its experimental device, Lawton said during a phone call. A replacement candidate will likely undergo the surgery next month at the Barrow facility.

“Selecting the right patient for a trial like this is important,” Lawton said. “Everybody involved, clinically and surgically, wants to get it right.”

Neuralink didn’t respond to an emailed request for comment.

can be valuable to know it works across different conditions,” Welle said. Plus, the Neuralink researchers have a wider pool of patients to recruit from.

Barrow was the site where Arbaugh underwent his surgery in January. Based in Phoenix, the facility treats patients with complex neurological conditions. Neuralink President DJ Seo praised Barrow in April as moving “with lightning speed to deliver quality care for their patients.”

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