Neuralink has launched its first European clinical trial in the UK. Britannica
Elon Musk’s brain-implant company Neuralink is expanding its human trials to the United Kingdom. The company announced on Thursday that it is launching a clinical study in collaboration with University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals.
The study is aimed at testing how Neuralink’s chip can help people with severe paralysis control digital and physical devices using only their thoughts.
The UK becomes the first European country to host such a study. According to Neuralink, this is a major step in its mission to bring its brain-computer interface (BCI) technology to people suffering from neurological disorders across the world.
“The launch of this study in Great Britain builds upon the successes of our trials in the US and marks an important step towards bringing our life-changing BCI technology to individuals with neurological disorders around the world,” Neuralink said in a post on X.
The clinical trial will involve seven participants who have experienced significant movement loss due to spinal cord injuries or neurological conditions such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).
The goal is to install Neuralink’s N1 chip under the skull of each patient and enable them to operate a smartphone or tablet without touching the screen.
The launch of this study in Great Britain builds upon the successes of our trials in the US and marks an important step towards bringing our life-changing BCI technology to individuals with neurological disorders around the world!
From Arizona to London: Building on previous trials
Neuralink began its first human trials in the United States in 2024 after addressing safety concerns raised by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The FDA had initially rejected the company’s application in 2022, but later gave clearance after certain issues were resolved.
Since then, five people in the US with severe paralysis have been implanted with the chip and are now using it to control devices with their minds.
One of them is Noland Arbaugh, a patient from Arizona, who became the first human to receive a Neuralink implant. He was able to control a computer and play video games using only his thoughts.
However, his chip experienced a significant setback after implantation when around 85 percent of its threads lost connection to his brain. Neuralink responded by updating its software to improve how the device reads brain signals, which helped maintain its performance.
The device itself, the N1 chip, is about the size of a 10-pence coin. It uses 128 ultra-thin threads, each finer than a human hair, to connect roughly 1,000 electrodes to the brain. These electrodes read electrical activity and translate it into digital commands such as keyboard typing or moving a cursor.
Backed by billions and bold ambitions
Neuralink was founded in 2016 and has raised about $1.3 billion in funding from investors. The most recent funding round brought in $650 million, pushing the company’s valuation to nearly $9 billion. The startup has already begun work on additional trials in Canada and the UAE.
The UK trial has been approved by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, and operations will use Neuralink’s own R1 surgical robot.
According to University College London, Neuralink’s technology could be life-changing for people affected by neurological disorders.
Professor Harith Akram, a consultant neurosurgeon at UCLH, said the launch “represents a major milestone in the development of brain-computer interface technology, with the potential to transform the lives of people living with severe neurological disorders worldwide.”
William Muirhead, a consultant neurosurgeon at the National Hospital for Neurology, added: “This study reflects our commitment to pioneering therapies that restore function, independence, and communication in patients with profound neurological disability.”
While the current focus is on helping patients with serious medical conditions, Musk has previously said that Neuralink’s chips could someday offer enhancements for healthy individuals.
He has suggested that the technology could lead to human-AI “symbiosis,” and possibly even enable memory uploading or vision restoration. On a podcast, he predicted that hundreds of millions of people might eventually receive brain implants, claiming it could give humans “superhuman abilities.”
