New book summarizes precision science of bioelectronic medicine in the words of its pioneers

MANHASSET, N.Y., July 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Scientists, journalists and others fascinated by the rapid developments that characterize the emergent field of bioelectronic medicine have a new resource in a book published July 25 by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press (Cold Spring Harbor, NY). Bioelectronic medicine is a new approach to treating and diagnosing disease and injury that emerged from the labs of The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research.

"Bioelectronic Medicine: A Subject Collection From Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine" is an anthology of articles about the new precision science of bioelectronic medicine, which, as the book notes in its preface, "is a new field at the convergence of molecular medicine, neuroscience, and biomedical engineering." The book summarizes recent developments in the words of many of the pioneering leaders in the field who have contributed in notable ways to preclinical and clinical research, technology development, and therapeutic applications. 

The book was co-edited by Valentin A. Pavlov, PhD, and Kevin J. Tracey, PhD, from the Feinstein Institutes. The editors explain that bioelectronic medicine, "exploits specific molecular mechanisms of neural regulation and technological advances that have allowed us to develop novel approaches to disease diagnosis and treatment. It is a field," the preface continues, "driven by innovative work that brings together multidisciplinary teams in research laboratories and the clinic and faces head-on the needs of patients."

"Because publication drives science, it is timely for this book to showcase the rapid advances in the new field of bioelectronic medicine," said Dr. Tracey. "The Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press produced an outstanding book promising significant impact for the field."

Bioelectronic medicine uses device technology to read and modulate the electrical activity within the body's nervous system, opening new doors to real-time diagnostics and treatment options for patients. The editors point out that bioelectronic medicine therapies currently are being applied successfully to inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, paralysis, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, neurodegenerative diseases and other debilitating disorders and conditions.

Chapters previously were published as reviews in Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Perspectives in Medicine's special collection on bioelectronic medicine. Many of Drs. Pavlov and Tracey's colleagues at the Feinstein Institutes and Northwell Health contributed. Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Medicine is an online publication platform covering everything from the molecular and cellular bases of disease to translational medicine and emerging therapeutic strategies.

Dr. Pavlov is a professor at the Feinstein Institutes' Institute of Bioelectronic Medicine. He is also a professor at the Department of Molecular Medicine, Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. His current research focusses on the role of the brain and the vagus nerve in the regulation of inflammation and metabolism in sepsis and obesity-driven disorders.

Dr. Tracey is president of the Feinstein Institutes and professor of molecular medicine and neurosurgery at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell. He is a leader in the study of the molecular basis of inflammation. He and his colleagues identified the neural mechanism ("inflammatory reflex") for controlling the immunological responses to infection and injury, and developed devices to replace anti-inflammatory drugs.

Northwell Health and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) formed a strategic affiliation in 2015, which is focused on moving discoveries from the lab bench into the clinic.

About the Feinstein Institutes
The Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research is the research arm of Northwell Health, the largest health care provider and private employer in New York. Home to 50 research labs, 2,500 clinical research studies and 4,000 researchers and staff, the Feinstein Institutes is raising the standard of medical innovation through its five institutes of behavioral science, bioelectronic medicine, cancer, health innovations and outcomes, and molecular medicine. We're making breakthroughs in genetics, oncology, brain research, mental health, autoimmunity, and bioelectronic medicine – a new field of science that has the potential to revolutionize medicine. For more information about how we're producing knowledge to cure disease, visit feinstein.northwell.edu.

SOURCE Northwell Health

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