Vagus nerve stimulation for inflammation: From the back of napkin to FDA approval

Kevin J. Tracey discovered the inflammatory reflex, a neural circuit through which the vagus nerve regulates the immune system. This discovery laid the scientific foundation for bioelectronic medicine, a field that uses implanted devices to modulate nerve signaling and treat inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. His research led to the first FDA-approved bioelectronic treatment for rheumatoid arthritis, a vagus nerve stimulator developed by SetPoint Medical and approved in 2025. 

Kevin J. Tracey is President and CEO of the Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research and Executive Vice President for Research at Northwell Health in New York. He is Professor of Molecular Medicine and Neurosurgery at the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, President of the Elmezzi Graduate School of Molecular Medicine, and holds the Karches Family Distinguished Chair in Medical Research.  He is a Foreign Member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences (IVA) and holds honorary doctorates from Karolinska Institutet and the University of Fribourg.