Treatment Under Development for Autoimmune Diseases

Setpoint Medical, a startup company based in Boston, is developing a nerve stimulator designed to dampen the out-ofcontrol immune system that triggers autoimmune diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis. The technology is based on a decade of research that shows how the brain controls the immune system, particularly inflammation. That research has shown that inflammation is controlled in part by the vagus nerve, which carries signals between the brain and a number of visceral organs. For immune function, it makes direct connections to the spleen, which houses different types of immune cells poised for release at times of infection.

Stimulating the vagus nerve can put a brake on the immune system, stopping the rapid recruitment of immune cells to the site of injury or infection, according to numerous animal studies. The effect is similar to that of a popular class of drugs called TNF alpha blockers, used to treat arthritis and other autoimmune diseases, which block the release of an immunesignaling molecule that is central to inducing inflammation. However, while these drugs work effectively in 50 percent to 70 percent of patients, they can lose their effectiveness over time and have been linked to serious side effects such as infection and cancer.

The treatment being developed by Setpoint Medical has not yet been tested in patients, but based on animal research, scientists hope it will provide an alternative treatment that is more effective and has fewer side effects. According to James Broderick, interim president at Setpoint Medical, preliminary tests using the company’s first-generation device in 12 healthy volunteers show that the effect is potent in humans and comparable to that seen in animal research.