ThaXonian - Magnetic Axon Therapy
Physician Prof. Richard Funk (right) and physicist Dr. Thomas Herrmannsdörfer are the driving forces behind the project to develop magnetic-field-based therapeutic methods and devices for treating neurodegenerative diseases.
Source: HZDR / A. Garbe
ThaXonian is an interdisciplinary research project with the aim of developing magnetic field-supported therapy methods and devices for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. These devices will use electromagnetic fields to mediate therapeutic effects in specific nerve cells, particularly motor neurons and their axonal extensions. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) serves as the most severe disease model for this research.
The development and optimization of the therapy system is based on the results of cell biological investigations on cultured human motor neurons. These studies have revealed that deficient motor neurons are reactivated by alternating electromagnetic fields at a specific frequency and even regain their original physiological performance.
The pioneers behind this entirely new therapeutic approach are physician Prof. Richard Funk and physicist Dr. Thomas Herrmannsdörfer, who have been driving this project forward with great dedication and enthusiasm for about ten years now.
- Current state
- ThaXonian technology: prototype therapy system
- Scientific background: Infographic
- Interim conclusion
- About ALS disease
- ThaXonian movie clip
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- Donation account
Dr. Arun Pal and Katja Peter assess the structural integrity of the cytoskeleton, for example the microtubules, under the influence of magnetic fields on the screen.
Source: HZDR / A. Garbe
Current state
To advance our research on the magnetic-field-mediated reactivation of motor neurons and facilitate its clinical translation, the Saxon State Ministry for Science, Culture and Tourism (SMWK) has been supporting the ThaXonian-M2M project since July 2024 with approximately two million € in funding over a three-year period.
Cell biologist Dr. Arun Pal uses a laser microscope to study the influence of magnetic fields on key transport processes of healthy and diseased cells with ALS mutations.
Source: HZDR / A. Garbe
Ongoing in vitro studies (cell culture experiments) since the project’s inception, are being continued and expanded. Thanks to a newly acquired state-of-the-art laser microscope, researchers can explore the effects of magnetic fields on human neurons with even greater precision. This advanced imaging technology allows for real-time, high-resolution visualization of living cells. Researchers are investigating and comparing the influence of magnetic fields on the metabolic activity of both healthy neuronal cells and those carrying ALS-related mutations. Initial findings support the hypothesis that oscillating or pulsed magnetic fields can improve essential transport processes and metabolic activity in ALS-affected motor neurons. The team is analyzing the exact cause-and-effect relationships between the magnetic fields and diseased neurons to develop a targeted therapeutic approach. This involves systematically varying individual magnetic field parameters and directly observing the responses in the cultured neuronal cells.
Magnetic coil on the sample holder of the laser microscope. This advanced imaging technology allows for real-time, high-resolution visualization of living cells. Researchers are investigating and comparing the influence of magnetic fields on the metabolic activity of both healthy and diseased cells carrying ALS-related mutations.
Source: HZDR / A. Garbe
In parallel, transcriptomic analyses were conducted in close collaboration with the DRESDEN-concept Genome Center at the Center for Regenerative Therapies Dresden (CRTD). The team led by cell biologist Dr. Arun Pal investigated how magnetic fields alter gene activities in damaged motor neurons. The rationale was the hypothesis that the disrupted transport processes along the axons observed in the neurodegenerative disease ALS are based on damages to the cytoskeleton, which in turn stem from a dysregulation of the underlying genes (i.e., gene expression). The comprehensive analyses of RNA transcript levels has uncovered that exposure to magnetic fields induces a new gene expression profile that activates numerous processes critical for the regeneration and function of nerve cells. These include, among others, the formation and stabilization of microtubules, the organization of the extracellular matrix as a scaffold for the outgrowth of nerve cells, the formation of new mitochondria, and their efficient transport along the microtubules in the axons. This could improve the energy supply of the nerve cells and restore their function.
The analysis of the data therefore provides important insights into the mechanism of action of magnetic field therapy. Rather than acting directly on microtubules or motor proteins, the magnetic field appears to first activate voltage-gated ion channels in the cell membrane. The resulting signal cascades ultimately alter gene activities in the cellular nucleus which subsequently mediate the observed regeneration processes. This work model will now be tested in further experiments for validation. To this end, the researchers plan to specifically expose only the axons to tightly focused magnetic fields and then analyze only their gene activity. The goal is to identify the primary molecular magnetic field sensor and the underlying signaling pathways in order to further develop magnetic field therapy for future clinical application. The results of the comprehensive transcriptome analysis were submitted for publication in a renowned scientific journal in July 2026.
Moreover, the team is assessing the broader applicability of these findings. While current studies focus on motor neurons from ALS patients and healthy controls, the ThaXonian team is exploring whether the principles of the novel approach can be translated to other neurodegenerative disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, and age-related or diabetic polyneuropathy. Given that the underlying mechanism targets fundamental cell biological processes, the ThaXonian team is optimistic to uncover a broader translational potential across other diseases as well.
The video shows the organelle traffic (mitochondria) in fast motion in axons of healthy motor neurons within the microchannels. The long-range transport of mitochondria in the long axons of spinal motor neurons is particularly critical for the survival and functioning of these nerve cells because this type of organelle is responsible for the entire energy supply. If mitochondria are no longer delivered correctly to the distal regions of the axons due to pathological transport defects, the resultant energy shortage presumably leads to the dying of motor neurons typical of ALS. The video microscopy of this model allows the therapeutic potential of different magnetic field settings to be evaluated directly in vitro.
A further aim of the project is the transition to investigations in vivo. Findings previously obtained from cell cultures above were examined in an animal experiment using a mouse model. In collaboration with the Hanover Medical School, the team demonstrated the extent to which the in vitro results obtained in human neuronal cell cultures can be applied to the significantly more complex tissue in vivo, in which motor neurons are surrounded, for example, by glial cells and blood vessels. The goal of the mouse experiments was to verify the safety and efficacy of magnetic field stimulation. This is a necessary prerequisite to apply for the forthcoming first clinical trials with human patients.
The study was conducted on mice recapitulating ALS symptoms. The results indicate a positive effect of the magnetic field. The disease progression in these animals was significantly slowed down along with an extension of their lifespan by about ten percent. The final analysis and publication of the study are expected by the end of 2026.
ThaXonian technology: prototype therapy system
The demonstrator for safe generation and control of the therapeutically necessary magnetic fields as determined in the in vitro and in vivo experiments.
Source: HZDR / A. Garbe
Over the past few years, Dr. Thomas Herrmannsdörfer’s team has developed a prototype therapy device harboring various solenoids designed to deliver the stimulating magnetic fields to relevant regions of the body. Preparing this demonstrator for potential use in clinical trials with human patients requires extensive technical validation and further engineering to ensure compliance with the European Medical Device Regulation (MDR). The ultimate objective is to generate and precisely control the therapeutic magnetic fields that were identified through both in vitro and in vivo experiments. Achieving this goal requires significant engineering innovation to accommodate necessary field strengths, their spatial distribution, integration into clinical settings, and the ergonomic constraints imposed by neurodegenerative conditions. In addition, regulatory requirements are already being addressed to facilitate the approval of forthcoming clinical trials. The High Field Magnetic Laboratory Dresden (HLD) offers excellent and optimal conditions to develop a prototype of an alternating and pulsed field therapy device for neuronal diseases.
The team proceeded accordingly with the planning of the structural design, power electronics, the monitoring and control electronics, and the software of the ThaXonian therapy system. The optical design and the overall construction of the therapy system were mastered with the support of the Chair of Technical Design at the TU Dresden. The team has already conducted initial pilot experiments with components of the therapy apparatus, again demonstrating the efficacy of transient magnetic fields for stimulating cultured motor neurons.
In the forthcoming years, the necessary prerequisites for advancing the project to clinical trials will be established; the start of these trials depends on further experiments, grant applications, and fundraising measures. To this end, the ThaXonian team has successfully reached out to the Department of Neurology at the Carl Gustav Carus University Hospital in Dresden to initiate a first clinical trial with human patients to test — using a relatively simple study design — if alternating electromagnetic fields have a beneficial, therapeutic effect in the human body in vivo as well. The required application has already been submitted to the Ethical Committee of the TU Dresden. The researchers anticipate that the first clinical trial can begin in 2027.
A dedicated project like ThaXonian is only possible with an interdisciplinary team. Experts from the fields of medicine and cell biology, engineering, physics and project management have been working closely together for years to develop the demonstrator.
Source: HZDR / A. Garbe
Scientific background: Infographic
Damaged connections of motoneurons to muscles are restored by alternating magnetic fields
Schematic illustration of the experimental setup to restore cellular defects in cultured motoneurons
Source: Arun Pal
Center: the cell bodies of motoneurons in the spinal cord are projecting long axons wrapped in myelin sheaths along arms and legs to control the contraction of muscle fibres via neuromuscular junctions.
Top gallery: in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), axonal trafficking – i.e. the long-range transport of mitochondria and other organelles in axons driven by motor proteins along microtubules – is severely hampered. The underlying cause is the compromised stability of microtubules. Specifically, the microtubules as underlying roads are damaged themselves in their structural integrity. Furthermore, the axonal mitochondria are damaged in their structure and function, therefore the cellular respiration is ceased (mitochondrial morphology). Altogether, the mitochondria no longer function as crucial power stations and fail to deliver energy. As a result, the axons a dying back and lose their connections to the muscle fibers (neuromuscular junctions). The clinical outcome is a progressive muscle shrinking (atrophy and sclerosis) and paralysis in the ALS patient.
Left: Petri dishes with cultured motoneurons from ALS patients are placed within a magnetic coil to investigate the therapeutic impact of alternating magnetic fields. In the shown configuration, the axons of the motoneurons in the Petri dish are oriented in a perpendicular fashion with respect to the homogeneous magnetic field within the central bore of the coil.
Bottom gallery: the ThaXonian team has systematically optimized the technical parameters of the magnetic field stimulation to restore axonal trafficking, microtubular stability, mitochondrial function and morphology as well as the connectivity across neuromuscular junctions back to levels similar to healthy motoneurons.
Reactivation of motor neurons by alternating electromagnetic fields: In healthy people, the motor neurons move completely normally; in ALS patients, they stand still. But the alternating magnetic field reactivates the motor neurons and at a specific frequency they even regain their original efficiency.
Interim conclusion
The laser microscope can be used to investigate whether the microtubules are repaired by exposure to the magnetic field, thus enabling organelle motility to be restored. For this purpose, the microtubules are stained for visualization.
Source: HZDR / A. Pal
The experimental data obtained so far allow us to make the following general statements:
- The project has clearly demonstrated the in vitro efficacy of transient alternating and pulsed magnetic fields in stimulating axonal organelle transport, regeneration of axonal growth cones and DNA repair in the genome.
- These three biological processes are crucial for neuronal functionality.
- These vital functions can be sustainably restored in cell experiments by magnetic field exposure of motor neurons suffering from significant impairments as a consequence of advanced ALS disease.
- The required magnetic field frequencies and threshold values of the magnetic field amplitudes could be repeatedly verified in experiments on several cell lines from different ALS patients.
- The beneficial effects of magnetic field exposure have also been demonstrated in experiments with mice.
The interdisciplinary ThaXonian project team has succeeded in laying the foundations for a treatment approach to neurodegenerative diseases using innovative experimental methods with both cell biological and physical backgrounds. If the findings obtained in the cell experiments are also confirmed in studies with the prototype therapy system, this will lay the foundation for a promising novel treatment of severe nerve diseases that is foreseeably free of pain and pharmaceutical substances as it is solely based on tailored sequences of transient magnetic field exposures to nerve tracts.
This would be invaluable for patients suffering from ALS and other neurodegenerative diseases. ALS is currently not considered curable and typically leads to death after only a few years after diagnosis. The project team now intends to intensify the cell biological studies and extend them to other neuronal diseases, as well as to validate and further develop the therapeutic system.
About ALS disease
In healthy people, so-called motor neurons – special nerve cells in the cerebral cortex, brain stem and spinal cord – send signals to skeletal muscles to trigger movement. In amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, these neurons are severely damaged and no longer send signals. As a result, the muscles do not receive instructions, can no longer contract and gradually dwindle. Usually, movement deficits in the arms and legs are the first symptoms, whereas in other ALS subtypes the disease predominantly manifests as speech or swallowing impairments.
Although ALS has been known for about 100 years, there is still no prospect of a cure. Available drug therapies only alleviate the symptoms and slow down the disease progression rather marginally. Around 8,000 patients are currently suffering from ALS in Germany, and around 800,000 people and their families are affected worldwide.
ThaXonian movie clip
The team produced a film to draw attention to the research and hopes that this will also open up new sources of funding to continue the project “ThaXonian”.
Download video/mp4 - 144,8 MB / 1280x720 px
Download video/mp4 - 562,9 MB / 1920x1080 px
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Dr. Thomas Herrmannsdörfer and his team receive inquiries about this project almost on a daily basis, mostly from patients or their relatives. Unfortunately, the scientists are not able to talk to each and everyone personally at the moment. The current state of research is well reflected, for example, on this website.
At the moment, the scientists are intensively looking for cooperation and funding partners to continue the research project and to build and test the prototype therapy system. In parallel, they are examining the possibilities of a clinical trial.
If you would like to be informed about further project progress in the future, we will be happy to add you to our database and keep you up to date by e-mail in the event of new developments.
Please sign up for this at this link.
Donation account
In order to advance the research project as well as to be able to prepare a clinical study, financial donations are welcome. If you would like to support the "ThaXonian" project, we would be pleased to receive your donation.
Förderverein des Helmholtz-Zentrums Dresden-Rossendorf e. V.
Ostsächsische Sparkasse Dresden
IBAN: DE19 8505 0300 0221 2684 99
Payment reference: ThaXonian
If you need a donation receipt, please email to foerderverein@hzdr.de with "Donation Receipt" in the subject line and provide us with your name and address.
We sincerely thank all supporters, among others the ALS-Hilfe-Bayern e.V. .
Contact
You can reach the Thaxonian team at: thaxonian-info@hzdr.de
Further Information
Press Response
Oiger
Notiulti
Scienmag- Science Magazine
Medical Xpress
Das DeutscheGesundheitsPortal
pro-physik.de
ALS news today
Physics World
