Imagine a tiny, invisible light switch implanted in the body that can be turned on from the outside using a remote. Instead of taking pills that affect your whole body, this device uses light to activate medicine or calm nerves only where it is needed. It works like a targeted flashlight that can stop a seizure or a sharp pain instantly without side effects elsewhere.
Current treatments for neuropathic pain and epilepsy suffer from systemic side effects and a lack of precise control over when and where the drug acts. This leads to reduced patient safety and lower treatment efficacy.
PhotoTheraPort implants using upconverting nanoparticles and a set of photoswitchable drugs with anti-inflammatory and neuroinhibitory activity.
If you are a device manufacturer dealing with the limitations of electrical spinal cord stimulation—which can lack specificity—this project developed PhotoTheraPorts that use infrared light to trigger local therapy. This allows for on-demand neuroinhibition with higher spatiotemporal precision.
If you are a drug developer dealing with systemic side effects of neuroinhibitory drugs, this project developed photoswitchable drugs. These compounds only become active when triggered by the implant's light, reducing toxicity and increasing safety.
If you are a biotech firm dealing with the challenge of delivering light through bone and tissue, this project developed implants based on upconverting nanoparticles. These materials convert external infrared light into visible therapeutic light locally.
Based on available project data, the specific unit cost or market price for the PhotoTheraPort implants is not provided.
The project has produced the first implants testing different materials and geometries, but data on full industrial scaling is not yet available.
Based on available project data, there is no specific mention of patent filings or licensing terms, though the project involves 8 partners across 4 countries.
The project runs from 2024-01-01 to 2026-12-31, focusing on preclinical testing of efficacy and safety in animal models.
The system integrates an external infrared light source with an internal upconverting nanoparticle implant to trigger pharmacological action.
The consortium is heavily research-oriented, consisting of 4 universities and 3 research organizations, with only 1 industry partner (an SME). This 12% industry ratio suggests the project is currently in a high-risk, high-reward discovery phase rather than a commercial rollout phase, focusing on preclinical validation across 4 countries.
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