The future of medicine is electronic
Chronic inflammation is one of the biggest global health challenges of our time. It is not only linked to autoimmune diseases such as rheumatism, MS and inflammatory bowel disease - but is also behind many cardiovascular diseases, the leading cause of death worldwide. Despite the multi-billion dollar market for anti-inflammatory drugs, there are currently no methods that treat inflammation precisely without side effects. At the same time, there is a growing realisation that the body's own nervous system plays a central role in regulating the immune system.
Inflammation is one of the most significant health risks of our time
Inflammatory diseases pose a growing threat to human health. The World Health Organisation (WHO) ranks chronic inflammation as one of the greatest global health risks, not only because of its link to cardiovascular disease, but also to autoimmune conditions such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatism and inflammatory bowel disease. Today's drugs are often broad-acting and affect the whole body, leading to significant side effects for both the individual and the environment. Despite this, the market for anti-inflammatory drugs is worth over USD 100 billion a year, without offering long-term or precise solutions.
Research contribution
KTH Royal Institute of Technology is conducting research aimed at developing artificial intelligence that can understand and interact with the body's nervous system. By mapping how the body itself regulates inflammation - via reflex arcs where signals travel between body and brain - new technology is being developed that stimulates nerves with surgical precision. This represents a paradigm shift from treatments that affect the whole body to electrical stimulation that is targeted exactly where it is needed. In recent experiments, the first of their kind, researchers have shown that it is possible to decode nerve signals in real time. This opens the door to a new treatment approach where AI interprets not only human language, but also the body's own, and responds directly to biological conditions such as inflammation. The goal is not just to alleviate suffering, but to change the very basis of how we treat disease. The potential to improve quality of life, reduce healthcare costs and reduce drug use is huge.
Understanding a previously invisible 'language'
By deciphering the signals of the nervous system, we want to understand the body's electrical language - the communication that controls basic functions such as breathing, heartbeat and the immune system. By detecting and interpreting signals previously invisible to medical technology, we can create treatments that adapt in real time to the body's needs, without interfering with other systems. One concrete goal is to treat inflammation with high precision. Instead of broad drugs, targeted nerve stimulation can dampen inflammation exactly where and when it occurs. In the long term, this could change the way we look at treating chronic diseases - from autoimmune conditions to cardiovascular problems - and lay the foundation for care that works with the body, rather than overriding it.
At the same time, it creates a unique platform for interdisciplinary collaboration between engineering, medicine and computer science, with the potential to establish Sweden as an international leader in bioelectronic medicine.
