Macromolecules are widely acknowledged to have a large potential as therapeutic agents, and numerous clinical trials both with gene, protein and oligonucleotide therapy are underway.

In order to have a therapeutic effect, many of these molecules have to enter into a target cell and reach an intracellular target of action. This is also the case for several other classes of therapeutically interesting molecules, e.g. molecules carried in nanoparticles.

The therapeutic potential of such compounds is severely challenged by the obstacles of intracellular delivery, and many studies have been hampered by the lack of proper technologies for delivery of the therapeutic molecules to the target cells.

Advantages of the PCI technology

• PCI induces delivery of molecules into the cells by illumination.
• PCI makes drug delivery efficient exactly at the site where drug activity is desired, sparing non-target tissues from possible side effects of the drug.
• PCI is very efficient for delivery of classes of molecules where other efficient delivery systems are still lacking.
• PCI can unleash the therapeutic potential of a host of therapeutically very promising molecules.

The PCI technology can also have important uses in vitro as a general technology for delivery of macromolecules into cells, and can be used both in academic research and for industrial applications (e.g. in drug target validation). PCI Biotech has developed a light source, LumiSouce®, for use in in vitro research.