Harnessing latest advances in biology and technology, a new medicinal research seeks to read electrical communication between the nervous system and organs that controls process of the human body.
If successful, the new study will unlock new information about functioning of the human body that will potentially help treat ailments.
Deciphering inner workings of the human body systems lies at the core of medical treatments. How much this reading into the signals communication shed light on the complex process of human thinking and psychology is an open proposition with a lot of possibilities.
The study will be part of a new project that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Verily Life Sciences, previously Google Life Sciences, are launching under a new company Galvani Bioelectronics. According to GSK, the company would enable the research, development and commercialization of bioelectronic medicines.
The GSK will hold a 55% equity interest in the new jointly owned company and Verily will hold 45%.
“Many of the processes of the human body are controlled by electrical signals firing between the nervous system and the body’s organs, which may become distorted in many chronic diseases,” the company said in a statement.
“Bioelectronic medicine’s vision is to employ the latest advances in biology and technology to interpret this electrical conversation and to correct the irregular patterns found in disease states, using miniaturized devices attached to individual nerves. If successful, this approach offers the potential for a new therapeutic modality alongside traditional medicines and vaccines,” the company explained.
“This agreement with Verily to establish Galvani Bioelectronics signals a crucial step forward in GSK’s bioelectronics journey, bringing together health and tech to realize a shared vision of miniaturized, precision electrical therapies. Together, we can rapidly accelerate the pace of progress in this exciting field, to develop innovative medicines that truly speak the electrical language of the body.”
Brian Otis, Verily’s Chief Technology Officer, said: “This is an ambitious collaboration allowing GSK and Verily to combine forces and have a huge impact on an emerging field. Bioelectronic medicine is a new area of therapeutic exploration, and we know that success will require the confluence of deep disease biology expertise and new highly miniaturized technologies.
Galvani Bioelectronics will be headquartered in the UK, with the parent companies contributing existing intellectual property rights and an investment of up to £540 million over seven years, subject to successful completion of various discovery and development milestones.
Bioelectronic medicine is a relatively new scientific field that aims to tackle a wide range of chronic diseases using miniaturized, implantable devices that can modify electrical signals that pass along nerves in the body, including irregular or altered impulses that occur in many illnesses, the announcement said. GSK has been active in this field since 2012 and believes certain chronic conditions such as arthritis, diabetes and asthma could potentially be treated using these devices.
