This article was taken from the March 2014 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
Molecular biologist Kris Famm wants to develop new medicines based on the body's bioelectric signals, rather than its chemistry. "We want to use the electrical language of the body to cure it," says Famm, who heads bioelectronics R&D at GlaxoSmithKline in Brentford, Middlesex. "The nervous system runs through the entire body, regulating our organs. Disease occurs when the electrical signals are not working well."
Famm's "electroceuticals" will target individual nerve fibres to treat conditions such as asthma and diabetes by modulating the neural impulses controlling the body.
Famm's group also manages a $50m (£30m) venture fund that invests in bioelectronics startups, such as California-based SetPoint Medical. Its pill-sized microregulator electrically stimulates the vagus nerve to relieve symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease. "It's a new way of tackling disease," he says. "Molecular medicine is systemic -- it invades the whole body. Electroceuticals are much more specific. You can target a nerve and modify electrical impulses to treat the problem."