Study Supports Bioelectronic Medicine to Treat Rheumatoid Arthritis

The Feinstein Institutes CEO Kevin J. Tracey, MD, comments in Lancet Rheumatology about study that electronically stimulated the vagus nerve to treat the disease

MANHASSET, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The burgeoning scientific field of bioelectronic medicine, which features the use of electronic devices to stimulate nerves to treat disease, has shown great promise in alleviating serious health conditions. In a Lancet Rheumatology editorial published, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research president and CEO Kevin J. Tracey, MD, discussed a recent clinical study that used a hand-held battery-operated electronic device to treat patients suffering from moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Researchers in a multicenter, uncontrolled, open-label study led by Marsal S, Corominas H, et al., published their findings in Lancet Rheumatology which observed the effects of daily – up to 30 minutes – of sensory branch stimulation therapy of the vagus nerve. The results showed significant changes in the disease activity and ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed significant improvements. The authors conclude that this alternative treatment should be evaluated in larger controlled studies for RA.

In a thorough review of the research paper, Dr. Tracey, who has been heralded as the founding father of bioelectronic medicine for his discovery of the body’s inflammatory reflex, weighed in on the new findings. Some points raised include the need to better understand what part of the body this stimulation activated and the need for larger controlled clinical trials to answer important questions, including the intensity of the stimulation and optimal length.

“…initial evaluation of evolving breakthroughs should not be based on what we do not know, but rather on whether the clinical trials are well defined and described, and whether others can replicate the results using appropriate statistics and analytics,” notes Dr. Tracey in the Lancet Rheumatology editorial. “Important new data from basic science and clinical trials can accelerate the pace of its evolution from alternative quackery to clinical adoption.”

The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is known as the global scientific home of bioelectronic medicine. Bioelectronic medicine combines molecular medicine, neuroscience, and biomedical engineering to develop innovative therapies to treat various diseases and conditions through targeted stimulation of nerves, including paralysis, arthritis, pulmonary hypertension, and inflammatory bowel disease.

Feinstein Institutes researchers recently discovered that a small cluster of neurons within the brain is responsible for controlling the body’s immune response and the release of cytokines, which leads to inflammation in the body.

About the Feinstein Institutes

The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the research arm of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York State. Home to 50 research labs, 3,000 clinical research studies and 5,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes raises the standard of medical innovation through its five institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health innovations and outcomes, and molecular medicine. We make breakthroughs in genetics, oncology, brain research, mental health, autoimmunity, and are the global scientific leader in bioelectronic medicine – a new field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. For more information about how we produce knowledge to cure disease, visit http://feinstein.northwell.edu and follow us on LinkedIn.