Neuralink, Elon Musk’s brain-implant company, said on Thursday evening that it has regulatory approval to conduct the first clinical trial of its experimental device in humans.

Elon Musk's brain-implant company Neuralink on Thursday said it had received the US Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) approval to launch its first in-human clinical study.

The FDA approval comes as U.S. lawmakers urged regulators earlier this month to investigate whether the make-up of a panel overseeing animal testing at Neuralink contributed to botched and rushed experiments. Neuralink has already been the subject of federal Investigation.

The company announced the decision on Twitter, saying the approval "represents an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people."

The goal of the company is to develop chips that can be implanted in peoples' brains to treat neural disorders.

The implants may one day be powerful enough to put humanity on a more even footing with possible future superintelligent computers.

Neuralink isn't the only company in the field of what is known as the brain-computer interface or BCI industry.

Scientists across different companies are working to develop an artificial intelligence for the brain so people with severe spinal injuries, for example, can talk or type using brain waves.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg bought CTRL-labs, a startup developing non-invasive neural interfaces, in 2019.

On at least four occasions since 2019, Musk has predicted that his medical device company would soon start human trials of a brain implant to treat intractable conditions such as paralysis and blindness.

But the company, which was founded in 2016, did not seek approval until early 2022.

In a tweet on Thursday, Neuralink said that the company is not yet open for a clinical trial.

"This is the result of incredible work by the Neuralink team in close collaboration with the FDA and represents an important first step that will one day allow our technology to help many people," Neuralink said in a tweet on Thursday.

Neuralink is developing a brain implant it hopes will help paralysed people walk again and cure other neurological ailments.