IMMUNOLOGY2026™ Conference Recordings For Attendees-From the lab to FDA-approval: clinical translation of the inflammatory reflex

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The speaker described a career focused on translating basic immunology into useful therapies. He first discussed developing anti-TNF approaches and then CNI-1493, an anti-inflammatory drug that reduced TNF, IL-1, and IL-6 without causing immunosuppression. While studying this molecule in stroke models, the team discovered that brain stimulation affected inflammation in the body through the vagus nerve, leading to the idea of an “inflammatory reflex.”<br /><br />Subsequent work showed that vagus nerve stimulation can suppress cytokine production and protect animals from endotoxin shock. The pathway involves the vagus nerve, spleen, T cells that produce acetylcholine, and alpha-7 nicotinic receptors on macrophages.<br /><br />He then described translating this science into the clinic: a vagus nerve stimulation device was tested in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Early trials and a larger randomized study showed meaningful clinical benefit, with durable responses and promising cost-effectiveness. The work is now being expanded through dedicated clinical centers.<br /><br />Finally, he shifted to brain-immune networks, presenting evidence that specific brainstem neurons can encode immune responses such as IL-1-driven sickness behavior, temperature changes, heart rate shifts, and inflammatory signals. He argued that hardwired neural circuits regulating immunity may become important future therapeutic targets, alongside growing interest in neuromodulation for inflammatory disease.

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Date April 18, 2026 10:42 AM - 11:15 AM

Room 253

Session Major Symposium E: Neuroimmune Landscapes Across the Body: Circuitry and Cytokines

Speaker Kevin Tracey

Track Neuroimmunology (NEUR)

Year 2026

Keywords

immunology

anti-TNF

inflammatory reflex

vagus nerve stimulation

cytokines

rheumatoid arthritis

neuromodulation

April 18, 2026 10:42 AM - 11:15 AM

253

Major Symposium E: Neuroimmune Landscapes Across the Body: Circuitry and Cytokines

Kevin Tracey

Neuroimmunology (NEUR)

2026