Biology and Electronics Come Together (Full Session)

Biology and electronics are converging to create a new generation of therapies with so much potential that some wonder if they will eventually replace pharmaceuticals altogether. Bioelectronic medicine could offer a pathway to treat diabetes, hypertension, asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, and perhaps even cancer and the common cold. Building on new knowledge of how nerve cells and immune cells communicate, some especially exciting experiments stimulate the vagus nerve in order to tame the inflammatory response implicated in many diseases. If bioelectronic devices can be remotely controlled, is there a risk of “body hacking”? And could the drug industry truly be headed for extinction?

Speakers: Francis Collins, Jonathan LaPook, Moncef Slaoui, Kevin Tracey