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Electromagnetic alternating fields can partially reverse key pathological changes in human nerve cells. This is the finding of a study led by cell biologist Dr. Arun Pal at the HZDR, in collaboration with research partners in Dresden and Rostock, now published in the scientific journal Cells (DOI: 10.3390/cells15212003). In cell cultures of human motor neurons derived from ALS patients, electromagnetic stimulation improved the transport of mitochondria and lysosomes along axons and reactivated processes involved in repairing DNA damage. At the same time, the activity of thousands of genes changed. This basic research opens up new perspectives for non-pharmacological therapeutic approaches.
In healthy individuals, so-called motor neurons – specialized nerve cells located in the cerebral cortex, brainstem, and spinal cord – send signals to skeletal muscles, thereby triggering and controlling movement. In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), these neurons become severely damaged and progressively lose their ability to transmit signals. As a result, muscles no longer receive the instructions they need to function and gradually waste away. Problems affecting the arms and legs are often among the first symptoms, although some patients initially develop speech or swallowing difficulties. ALS pathology involves disturbances in RNA metabolism, protein aggregation, cytoskeletal defects that impair organelle transport, and mitochondrial dysfunction, ultimately leading to neurodegeneration. Current treatments offer only modest extensions of survival, underscoring the urgent need for alternative therapeutic approaches.
A new research approach using electromagnetic fields
At HZDR, the ThaXonian research project (Magnetic Axon Therapy) is exploring a novel approach to treating neurodegenerative diseases, particularly ALS, using electromagnetic fields.
As part of one subproject, the research team investigated motor neurons derived from induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) obtained from individuals with familial ALS. The researchers focused specifically on the FUS gene, which plays a key role, among other functions, in DNA repair. These investigations were made possible by a high-performance laser-scanning microscope capable of capturing detailed real-time images of living cells. The cells studied carried various mutations in the FUS gene known to cause ALS. Using specialized culture chambers, the researchers were able to physically separate the cell bodies from their axons. This allowed them to observe in real time under the microscope how mitochondria and lysosomes move along the axons.
An optimum frequency of 25 hertz
The team used sinusoidal alternating currents to drive the electromagnetic coils and systematically varied the frequency, field strength, and orientation of the magnetic field. A frequency of 25 hertz proved particularly effective. Under these conditions, the previously impaired transport of organelles was markedly accelerated. The effect persisted for approximately eight days after the final stimulation session before gradually fading.
To investigate how the magnetic fields affect nerve cells, the ThaXonian team compared two experimental approaches. The results showed that a single magnetic field treatment produced no immediate effect. By contrast, following four treatment sessions, the beneficial effects persisted for up to eight days. “This suggests that the magnetic fields do not act directly on the transport machinery within nerve cells,” explains Pal. “Instead, they appear to trigger longer-lasting changes within the cells. This could be advantageous for potential future applications, as continuous treatment might not be necessary.”
Cells switch to a new gene expression program
This interpretation is consistent with the transcriptome analysis, which examines the complete set of genes being expressed at a given time. The improvements observed in the nerve cells were accompanied by substantial changes in gene activity. Before magnetic field stimulation, untreated healthy and ALS motor neurons displayed distinct gene expression patterns. After stimulation, however, the treated cells became remarkably similar, regardless of their genetic background: both groups shifted into a previously unobserved cellular state.
Among the genes activated were those associated with the formation of the extracellular matrix, cell adhesion, signaling pathways, mitochondrial biogenesis, and microtubule stability. In axons, microtubules essentially serve as a railway system along which motor proteins propel mitochondria, lysosomes, and other cellular cargo. Changes in the activity of these motor proteins may also help explain why, following treatment, the organelles not only moved faster but, in some cases, changed their direction of travel.
Furthermore, magnetic field stimulation improved the cells’ response to experimentally induced DNA damage. The FUS protein, which is altered in the form of ALS investigated, was once again recruited more efficiently to sites of DNA damage in the cell nucleus. At the same time, pathological FUS aggregates in the cytoplasm decreased. Since both axonal transport and DNA repair are essential for motor neuron survival, these findings may point towards promising avenues for future therapeutic research.
Taken together, the results suggest that magnetic field stimulation affects several cellular processes that are crucial for the function and stability of nerve cells. The research team is encouraged by the prospect that this non-invasive, drug-free approach could eventually prove relevant not only to ALS but potentially also to other neurodegenerative diseases.
Not yet evidence of a treatment for patients
The researchers emphasize, however, that the study was conducted exclusively in cultured cells. Further investigations will be needed to determine whether the observed effects can be reproduced in the complex nervous system of patients, which cellular structures detect the magnetic fields, and whether long-term stimulation is safe. The field strength required also poses a technical challenge for potential applications in the human body.
This Project is co-financed from tax revenues on the basis of the budget adopted by the Saxon State Parliament, co-funded by the European Union.
Dr. Arun Pal I Dresden High Magnetic Field Laboratory at HZDR
Email: a.pal@hzdr.de
Dr. Thomas Herrmannsdörfer I Dresden High Magnetic Field Laboratory
Phone: +49 351 260 3320 I Email: t.hermannsdoerfer@hzdr.de
A. Pal, B. P. Dash et al.: Electromagnetic modulation of the ALS transcriptome: Toward a non-drug therapeutic strategy, in Cells, 2026 (DOI: 10.3390/cells15212003)
https://www.hzdr.de/db/Cms?pOid=66741&pNid=259&pLang=de
Magnetic field treatment (left) does not directly affect impaired cell components such as mitochondr ...
Copyright: HZDR / B.Schröder
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Magnetic field treatment (left) does not directly affect impaired cell components such as mitochondr ...
Copyright: HZDR / B.Schröder
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