At a Glance
- Scientists discovered that electrical stimulation can reprogram human macrophages, a type of immune cell, to promote faster and more effective tissue repair in the body.
- The stimulation was shown to significantly impede the inflammatory activation of these macrophages, reducing harmful inflammation that can often complicate the natural healing process.
- Electrically stimulated macrophages also exhibited increased expression of genes that promote angiogenesis, a crucial process in the formation of new blood vessels in regenerating tissue.
- These reprogrammed immune cells were then able to enhance the migration of stem cells and encourage the formation of blood vessel networks in other human cell models.
- These findings support the use of electrical stimulation as a viable and safe therapeutic strategy to modulate the body’s immune response and enhance repair across various types of injuries.
Scientists from Trinity College Dublin have discovered that applying electrical currents can reprogram key immune cells, potentially leading to faster and more effective healing for a wide range of injuries and diseases. The study, published in the journal Cell Reports Physical Science, shows for the first time in human cells that electrical stimulation can switch immune cells from a state that causes inflammation to one that actively repairs tissue. This breakthrough could pave the way for new therapies that harness the body’s own healing mechanisms.
At the heart of this research are macrophages, a type of white blood cell that serves as the immune system’s first line of defense. Macrophages play a crucial role in patrolling the body, consuming pathogens and cellular debris. However, their response can sometimes trigger excessive inflammation, which can hinder recovery and cause further damage in conditions from chronic wounds to degenerative diseases. The challenge for scientists has been to control this inflammatory response without compromising the macrophage’s essential healing duties.
In their study, the Trinity team isolated human macrophages from donated blood samples and treated them with electrical currents inside a custom-built device called a bioreactor. The results were compelling: the stimulated macrophages shifted to an anti-inflammatory state, reducing the chemical signals that drive inflammation. Furthermore, these “reprogrammed” cells began to express genes associated with angiogenesis—the formation of new blood vessels, a critical step in tissue regeneration—and were more effective at recruiting stem cells to a simulated wound.
These findings suggest that electrical stimulation could become a powerful and relatively simple therapeutic tool. Because the experiments were conducted using primary human cells, the results are directly relevant to patient treatment. “Not only does this study show for the first time that electrical stimulation can shift human macrophages to suppress inflammation, we have also demonstrated the increased ability of macrophages to repair tissue,” said Dr. Sinead O’Rourke, the study’s first author, in a college press release. The research team is now focused on refining the technology to create therapies for a wide range of injuries and diseases.
References
- O’Rourke, 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, 102795. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xcrp.2025.102795
- Trinity College Dublin. (2025, September 2). Electrical stimulation can reprogram immune system to heal the body faster. Medical Xpress; Trinity College Dublin. https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-electrical-reprogram-immune-body-faster.html
