BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Aug. 09, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- electroCore, Inc. (Nasdaq: ECOR), a commercial-stage bioelectronic medicine company, today announced a research collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) through the company’s funding of a MGH program targeting neuroinflammation. Within this program, electroCore’s non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS) will be studied in preclinical settings, looking at the effects of this novel therapeutic approach on neuroinflammatory mechanisms which have been associated with conditions in the central nervous system (CNS) including pain, trauma and neurodegeneration.

“We are proud to partner with a renowned research institution like Massachusetts General Hospital, whose core scientific mission aligns with our belief that it is through the deep understanding of the mechanisms of potential therapies that we learn to best help patients suffering from debilitating conditions,” said J.P. Errico, Chief Science Officer at electroCore. “We look forward to the outputs of our collaborative research efforts to better elucidate the effects of non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation on neuroinflammation, and its role in the treatment of conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease and traumatic brain injury.”

Through a research grant, electroCore intends to provide up to one million dollars over a four-year period to Massachusetts General Hospital to conduct multiple preclinical studies, including initial work initiated in the second quarter of 2018 in the following areas:

• The effects of nVNS on persistent neuroinflammation and the neurological outcomes after concussive traumatic brain injury; and
• The effects of nVNS on microglia cells and their association with the development and progression of Alzheimer’s disease.

This work follows prior preclinical studies at MGH supported by electroCore to study neuroinflammatory mechanisms associated with migraine and their modulation by nVNS.

“At Massachusetts General Hospital, we are committed to deepening our understanding of disease and novel potential therapies, and have consistently sought out partnerships that can help us do so, especially in areas with great unmet need,” said Dr. Cenk Ayata, Massachusetts General Hospital, who is the director of the newly created program. “We look forward to having the opportunity to explore the effects of this non-invasive approach to vagus nerve stimulation on neuroinflammation, which we increasingly understand to be a core aspect of neurologic disorders ranging from pain, to trauma, to degeneration.”

About electroCore, Inc.
electroCore, Inc. is a commercial-stage bioelectronic medicine healthcare company dedicated to improving patient outcomes through its non-invasive vagus nerve stimulation (nVNS) platform therapy initially focused on the treatment of multiple conditions. The company’s initial commercial focus is on the acute treatment of pain associated with migraine and episodic cluster headache in adults.

For more information, visit www.electrocore.com.