Could bioelectronics help psoriasis

[Fred]

A small pilot study of a wearable device by Thync Global on psoriasis patients has encouraged them to to generate clinical data through collaborations with leading institutions.

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Thync Global, which markets wearables that help users sleep better or relax, reported the first effective use of bioelectronics to treat psoriasis in a pilot study. The noninvasive therapy “significantly” reduced psoriasis symptoms and could fill a gap in psoriasis treatment.

The pilot study involved 28 patients; 18 were treated with Thync’s device, while the remaining 10 received a placebo device. The patients used the device 10 minutes a day for four weeks.

Of the 18 patients in the treatment group, 15 (83%) reported at least a 50% reduction in redness, scaling and itchiness, compared to two patients in the control group, the company said. One-third of the treated patients reported at least a 75% reduction in symptoms, compared to none in the control group, said Sumon Pal, Thync chief scientific officer.

Worn on the neck, Thync’s device uses proprietary algorithms to deliver electrical stimulation to targeted nerves in the cervical and thoracic spine, the company said in a statement. It exploits the link between the sympathetic nervous system and the immune response.

“The nervous system plays a powerful role in modulating the immune response,” Pal said in the statement. “By creating a technology that can noninvasively manipulate the neurogenic pathways that regulate the immune system, we can provide a drug and side-effect free therapy for psoriasis.”

Source: fiercebiotech.com

[artemie]

wait, whaahat? This is... new. Is such a thing possible? It sure sounds like a snake oil salesman thingie; could this even be real? I Like the non-invasive part of it =]  is there more data on this? 
 
tnx for posting, Fred. I think Spot On might like this =]

[jiml]

I agree on first read Artemie it seems too good to be true, like a snake oil salesman’s dream product ..  but who knows what’s possible with a system like this. But I think a much larger study is needed to evaluate it properly ... sending electrical impulses to the nervous system sounds plausible. But I will certainly look out for future developments  and hope it’s the future for treatment

[Maryam]

Sounds really good, but we need a bigger cohort study, and probably not by the company who produces the wearable...

I am willing to try it if I can join such a study 

[artemie]

me too me too me too! But I guess that even if it *is* bonafide, it will take like a zillion years to reach the Netherlands.

[JohnB]

It is an interesting concept. It sounds like an updated TENS thing that they use for pain relief. Just think how quickly they came from a hospital ward only device to being able to buy a kit in your local pharmacy. 
Sadly it's something I'll never be able to try it. 

[Maryam]

I googled it, it looks like a small airplane you place on the back of your neck. You can actual join the trial... for 3 months at 49 dollar. It starts to smell fishy...

[Turnedlight]

Hmm, I've not heard of trials you pay to be on..

Took me a while to get your comment - I thought you were saying the device smells fishy!

[Caroline]

But the concepts of nerve stimulation are not new. We e.g. already know that nervus vagus stimulation in the brain helps for epilepsy. And I seem to remember that it also helps for another disease.
We humans are creatures built of cells that exchange information continuously. Our muscles would not work without electric stimulation.
The use of kalium for instance stimulates the ion paths in the cells of your muscles.
It is certainly thinkable that there is a possibility that electric stimulation also has its impact on our immune system.
It is also thinkable that this Thync organisation is a starter and does not get any subsidies or money from government or industries.
Imagine that this approach could help for Psoriasis? There is no big pharma that would invest in that.

[Turnedlight]

Good point Caroline..