According to a study by the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the expected healthy life expectancy will rise from 71 to 83 years by 2100. In the same year, the number of people worldwide aged over 60 is expected to increase from one to three billion. With longer life expectancy comes a higher incidence of neurological diseases, which in 2020 reached a figure of 1 billion people. This means that nearly one-sixth of the world’s population suffers from neurological disorders—from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease, stroke, multiple sclerosis, and epilepsy to migraines, brain injuries, and neuroinfections. Alongside insufficient therapeutic approaches—including side effects of commonly used medications and the use of invasive methods—and a shortage of medical personnel and hospital beds, neurological diseases place a huge burden on patients, healthcare institutions, and society as a whole. Beyond the social burden—including strain on social welfare systems and negative implications for the labor market—treating patients also creates a significant financial burden on our system. The cost of medical care in the European Union alone has reached 800 billion euros annually. But the consequences extend far beyond healthcare, as neurological diseases often lead to loss of years of healthy life and independence, as well as reduced quality of life, with frequent physical dependence on informal caregivers. 

Although the past decade has seen an increase in the number of new therapeutic approaches, according to the latest study by the European Brain Council, many needs of patients and at-risk groups remain unmet. With this in mind, there is a growing need for investment in improving early diagnosis systems for neurological diseases and integrated care that supports easier access to medical services. Consequently, the problems the EMHANCE team aims to solve include insufficient therapies for patients with brain disorders and the high cost of medical care. The solution to these issues comes in the form of a single device that can be used in a home environment and uses electromagnetic fields (EMF). Because our solution is portable and designed for easy use by patients themselves, it also enables relief of hospital capacities and medical staff. 

The positive effects of low-frequency electromagnetic fields on patient health became known as early as the 1980s, when the first device for transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) was developed. TMS works by modifying electrical signals in the brain using magnetic fields, thereby activating specific anatomical and functional regions. With the arrival of the 1990s, research showed that TMS is not only safe but also highly effective as a therapy for depression. Besides depression, TMS is now also used to treat obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In addition to TMS, another example of electromagnetic applications in medical practice is deep brain stimulation (DBS), whose early foundations appear in literature as far back as the 1930s, when physicians began using electrodes to study the functions of different brain regions. Interestingly, the development of DBS is closely linked to the development and success of the cardiac pacemaker, introduced in the early 1960s, when neurosurgeons demonstrated that the technology could be adapted to treat chronic, unbearable pain. Although medications became the first line of treatment for psychiatric disorders and Parkinson’s disease (PD) at the beginning of the 20th century, drug-based treatments for various forms of chronic pain remained largely ineffective. Following successful treatment of chronic pain and epilepsy, interest in brain stimulation grew. In 1975, the first device for electrical brain stimulation appeared on the market. Today, DBS is used to treat movement disorders associated with Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, and dystonia. Although both technologies have been widely used globally for half a century, TMS can be used only in specific cases and requires the patient to stay in a medical facility during treatment, while DBS involves a neurosurgical procedure to implant electrodes. Therefore, to address existing problems and reduce the burden on patients and healthcare systems, a revision of available solutions is required. 

Our vision for solving these problems, and consequently revising available therapeutic approaches, is based on creating a non-invasive device for applying pulsed electromagnetic fields and remote monitoring of patient progress (EMHANCE). In short, EMHANCE operates on the principle of a feedback loop, where built-in sensors measure biophysical parameters and automatically adjust the therapeutic protocol. This approach enables the calculation and application of personalized treatment for each patient.