By Wanni Davis PhD, MBA
Chief Operating Officer, Electrome
Electrome is advancing bioelectric medicine to transform cancer care by harnessing tumors’ unique electrical signatures to deliver personalized, non-invasive therapies that complement existing treatments and reduce costs.
Introduction
Cancer remains one of the most complex challenges in modern medicine, defined by multifactorial origins, heterogeneous progression, and resistance to many therapies (1,2). While decades of oncology research have focused on genetic abnormalities and immunologic responses, an emerging frontier highlights tumors’ unique bioelectric properties. Electrically, cancer cells are fundamentally distinct from their healthy counterparts, marked by altered membrane voltages, irregular ion channel activity, and disrupted communication networks. Bioelectric medicine, which modulates these patterns with targeted electrical interventions, represents a transformative opportunity to address cancer’s vulnerabilities beyond genetics or immunology (3,4).
Electrome’s translational strategy builds on advanced discovery engines and machine learning, enabling clinicians to access customizable electric-based therapies designed to match each tumor’s unique bioelectric fingerprint.
Cancer’s bioelectric signature, from discovery to clinic
Healthy tissue maintains both chemical and electrical order. Ion gradients, supported by pumps and channels, are critical for cell growth, division, and differentiation. Tumor cells depolarize their membranes, alter ion channel expression, and sever communication with healthy tissue (2,4,5). These changes form a new “bioelectric state” that promotes proliferation, invasion, and resistance to conventional therapies (2,4).
Advances in imaging, biosensors, and computational modeling allow researchers to map these bioelectric signatures. This capacity enables diagnostic strategies and therapeutic interventions that employ electric fields as both biomarkers and precision weapons against malignancy (2,6).
Mechanisms: how bioelectric modulation disrupts cancer
Unlike chemotherapy, which broadly targets proliferating cells, bioelectric interventions focus on the distinct electrical behaviors of tumors (4,6,7,8). Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) apply alternating low-intensity fields through external electrodes, inhibiting microtubule assembly during cell division and impairing tumor growth (4). Modulated electro-hyperthermia (mEHT) employs thermal and nonthermal mechanisms, raising tumor tissue temperature while altering conductivity to sensitize cancers to chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and immune recognition (6,8). Nanotechnology-based platforms are being developed to deliver nanoparticles into tumors, which can then be activated by external electromagnetic fields to produce hyperlocal field effects (6,8,9).
“Bioelectric medicine represents the future of oncology. By decoding tumors’ electrical signals, we open new frontiers in precision therapy where every intervention adapts to the patient’s unique biology.” Erik Nilsen, PhD, CTO, Electrome
Electrome’s pathways in oncology
Electrome’s oncology pipeline integrates bioelectric mapping, AI-driven analytics, and real-world clinical partnerships. The Electrome Knowledge Graph links thousands of tumor profiles, waveform-response datasets, and patient outcomes, enabling physicians to match each case with optimized therapeutic protocols (2). Collaboration with academic and community cancer centers ensures rapid deployment and continuous improvement through real-world data.
Synergy with modern oncology and outcomes
Bioelectric therapies are designed to complement, not replace, standard oncology. Integrated approaches combining bioelectric modulation with chemotherapy, immunotherapy, or surgical resection demonstrate enhanced tumor targeting, improved drug penetration, reversal of resistance, reduced systemic toxicity, and improved immune infiltration into tumor environments (6,7,8).
Technological foundations and safety
Safety and adaptability remain core to Electrome’s approach. Devices incorporate in vivo biomarker feedback and AI-guided adjustments, ensuring targeted therapy while minimizing off-target effects. Patients benefit from remote monitoring, adaptive protocols, and continuous support, allowing treatments to be delivered in both clinical and home settings (2,10).
Data, impact, and future potential
The cost of cancer care continues to escalate, driven by expensive biologics and combination regimens (11). By enabling outpatient use and reducing reliance on systemic drugs, bioelectric oncology introduces a two-fold benefit: reducing financial strain and improving patient quality of life. Electrome’s next-generation platforms will integrate digital pathology, genomic data, and real-time patient monitoring, producing multidisciplinary care models that increase efficiency and personalization (2,11).
Expanding the pipeline
Future programs include AI-personalized bioelectric prescriptions, minimally invasive bioelectric approaches for metastatic disease, and international collaborations to integrate patient-reported outcomes and biomarker data into discovery engines (2,11).
Conclusion
The bioelectric code of cancer is being decoded and leveraged to transform therapy. With Electrome’s leadership, oncology is entering an era where healing electricity, guided by analytics and delivered with precision, becomes a central pillar of cancer treatment (2,4,6,7,8,10,11).
References
- Electrome | Precision Bioelectric Therapeutics for Pain, Infection, and Cancer. https://electrome.io
- Arun Kumar Singh, Rajendra Awasthi, Rishabha Malviya, Bioelectronic medicines: Therapeutic potential and advancements in next-generation cancer therapy,Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) – Reviews on Cancer, Volume 1877, Issue 6, 2022,188808,ISSN 0304-419X,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbcan.2022.188808.
- Carvalho, J. A bioelectric model of carcinogenesis, including propagation of cell membrane depolarization and reversal therapies. Sci Rep 11, 13607 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-92951-0
- WVU researchers investigate bioelectricity to better understand breast cancer. WVU Today. 2018. https://wvutoday.wvu.edu/stories/2018/01/24/researchers-investigate-bioelectricity-to-better-understand-breast-cancer
- Moreddu R. Nanotechnology and Cancer Bioelectricity: Bridging the Gap Between Biology and Translational Medicine. Adv Sci (Weinh). 2024 Jan;11(1):e2304110. doi: 10.1002/advs.202304110. Epub 2023 Nov 20. PMID: 37984883; PMCID: PMC10767462.
- DCTD’s Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Bioelectricity and Cancer Conference. NCI/DCTD/NIH. 2025. https://dctd.cancer.gov/NewsEvents/20241209_occam_bioelectricity_and_cancer_conference.htm
- 8 Companies Developing Bioelectronic Devices. Nanalyze. 2021. https://www.nanalyze.com/2021/03/fda-approved-bioelectronic-devices/
Electroceuticals/Bioelectric Medicine Market to Reach $40.5 Billion Globally by 2032. Allied Market Research. 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/electroceuticalsbioelectric-medicine-market-to-reach-40-5-billion-globally-by-2032-at-7-4-cagr-allied-market-research-302124096.html