Bioelectronics & Precision Neuromodulation: The Next Therapeutic Frontier | Dr. Robert Spoelgen, Ph.D. - Vice President and Head of Bioelectronics, Merck KGaA Darmstadt Germany

Send us Fan MailImagine a device that can sense disease in real time… and treat it instantly. That’s the promise of Bioelectronics.Dr. Robert Spoelgen, Ph.D. is Vice President and Head of Bioelectronics at Merck KGaA Darmstadt Germany ( https://www.emdgroup.com/en/the-future-transformation/healing-power-electronics.html ), where he leads one of the company’s most forward-looking initiatives at the intersection of neuroscience, medical devices, and digital health. In this role, he founded and now drives Merck KGaA Darmstadt Germany’s bioelectronics strategy, focused on developing implantable neurostimulation technologies - particularly selective peripheral nerve stimulation platforms - to treat chronic diseases and enable real-time patient monitoring.Dr. Spoelgen’s work reflects a broader shift within pharma toward “beyond the pill” modalities, combining device-based therapies with data-driven insights. His team collaborates with medtech partners to develop precision neuromodulation approaches, including vagus nerve stimulation platforms aimed at conditions ranging from hypertension to inflammatory disease.Before launching bioelectronics at Merck KGaA Darmstadt Germany, Dr. Spoelgen led Technology Foresight & Scouting, where he helped identify and incubate new innovation domains including AI-driven drug discovery, liquid biopsy, neuromorphic systems, and synthetic biology. He was also a co-founder of Merck KGaA Darmstadt Germany’s internal Business Builder unit, designed to create new ventures beyond the company’s traditional portfolio.Earlier in his career, Dr. Spoelgen held executive and R&D leadership roles across biotech and med-tech, including serving as CEO of Anteis S.A. and leading medical device R&D at Merz Pharmaceuticals. His scientific foundation is in molecular neuroscience: he completed his PhD at the Max Delbrück Center and a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard Medical School under Brad Hyman, focusing on Alzheimer’s disease and neurodegeneration.Dr. Spoelgen's early research - spanning amyloid biology, synaptic signaling, and neurogenesis - resulted in publications in leading journals such as Neuron, PNAS, and Journal of Neuroscience. This deep neuroscience background now informs his efforts to translate neural circuit insights into programmable therapeutic systems.#Bioelectronics #VagusNerve #Neurostimulation #FutureOfMedicine #DigitalHealth #PrecisionMedicine #Neuroscience #MedTech #HealthcareInnovation #Pharma #DrugDiscovery #Neurotechnology #ChronicDisease #Inflammation #AIinHealthcare #ClosedLoopSystems #Electroceuticals #MedicalDevices #Biotech #MerckKGaASupport the show