
26/09/2025
โก Want faster recovery from injuries and disease? Scientists just showed itโs possible by literally reprogramming human immune cells with electricity.
In a first-of-its-kind breakthrough, researchers at Trinity College Dublin discovered that gentle electrical stimulation can shift macrophages โ the immune cells responsible for fighting infections and repairing tissues โ into a regenerative, anti-inflammatory state.
Normally, macrophages can become overactive, fueling harmful inflammation in chronic diseases. But when exposed to controlled electrical currents in a custom-built bioreactor, these cells started reducing inflammation, stimulating blood vessel growth, and even attracting stem cells โ all critical processes for healing.
Because the study used cells from real patients, and electrical stimulation is already considered a safe therapy, the findings could transform treatment for chronic wounds, inflammatory diseases, and tissue repair. The team, led by Professors Aisling Dunne and Michael Monaghan, now aims to refine the electrical โrecipesโ for practical clinical use.
This breakthrough suggests that the future of medicine may involve harnessing electricity not just for nerves and muscles โ but to retrain the immune system itself.
๐ Source: OโRourke, S. A., Suku, M., Petrousek, S., Hoey, D. A., Dunne, A., & Monaghan, M. G. (2025). Electromodulation of human monocyte-derived macrophages drives a regenerative phenotype and impedes inflammation. Cell Reports Physical Science.