GlaxoSmithKline launches new electroceuticals research initiative

GlaxoSmithKline is allying with several US academic institutions on a new initiative that aims to target electrical signals in the body as a means of treating disease.

The company has teamed with the Feinstein Institute for Medical Research, the University of Pennsylvania and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to launch a $1 million (651.1 million pounds) fund to stimulate innovation in the field of electroceuticals.

Instead of using chemicals or biological molecules to achieve beneficial effects, this type of therapy would mimic the electrical impulses used by the nervous system, in order to treat conditions such as high blood pressure, breathing problems and brain disorders.

In addition to the $1 million funding, GlaxoSmithKline and its academic partners are also supporting up to 40 researchers working in around 20 laboratories on their research in this field.

GlaxoSmithKline's head of bioelectronics research Kristoffer Famm and colleagues wrote in the journal Nature: "At GlaxoSmithKline and in academia, we are confident that this field will deliver real medicines and we are mobilising resources for this journey."

Last month, the company announced a new education alliance with the racing team McLaren that will aim to encourage young people to take up careers in science.