From discovery to a new field of medicine

Kevin J. Tracey, MD is a New York–based neurosurgeon and molecular scientist whose career has reshaped our understanding of inflammation. In the 1980s at Rockefeller University, he contributed to the identification of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) as a central driver of inflammatory disease and he was instrumental advancing the development of the first monoclonal antibodies targeting TNF—work that laid the foundation for modern biologic therapies used by millions of patients today.

In the 1990s, driven by a deeper question—what controls inflammation in the body?—Tracey began studying an experimental compound named CNI-1493, shown to suppress TNF production. This work led to a close collaboration with the Swedish immunologist and pediatrician Ulf Andersson of Karolinska Institutet. What began as a scientific partnership soon became a lifelong collaboration and friendship that would prove pivotal for an entire field.

Kevin Tracey: When science became personal

Over the past 25 years, Tracey and Andersson have continued to refine the understanding of the inflammatory reflex and explore how it can be safely activated for clinical benefit. During this time, an unexpected convergence occurred: Ulf Andersson himself developed a severe chronic inflammatory illness. Guided by their own research, Andersson chose to apply transcutaneous auricular vagus nerve stimulation to himself. Over time, his disabling symptoms gradually receded and ultimately resolved—creating a rare and powerful intersection between scientific discovery and lived experience.