Photo-controlled delivery of molecules in targeted brain areas – PHOTOBRAIN

The aim of the project is to implement a new technology for the controlled delivery of molecules in the brain. Several brain disorders are not efficiently treated, due to the very low accessibility of the drugs to the diseased brain area. To encounter these limitations, intracranial pharmacotherapy is increasingly used, however, this approach does not control over time the release of drugs. In parallel, the field of neuroprosthetics (brain stimulation, optogenetics, brain-machine interface) is under intense development, in order to target precise pathological brain areas. However, neuroprosthetics are not designed for the time-controlled delivery of molecules in the brain. Here, I conceived a neurotechnology that combines efficiency of drugs and precision of neurostimulation technologies with the use of controllable encapsulation and release. It consists in employing photoactivable microparticles that enable the local delivery of encapsulated molecules into the brain through light activation, precisely controlled in time, space and concentration. Particularly encouraging results have been obtained for the photorelease of bioactive molecules at a given wavelength. The objective of the present ANR JCJC proposal is to optimise this neurotechnology in vivo and to implement it in a model of glioblastoma.
This project is highly innovative and multidisciplinary, bringing together two sophisticated technologies, microparticles for encapsulation and light-based control of brain circuits. This neurotechnology ambitions to be a breakthrough in the therapeutic options for localised brain diseases, such as brain tumour, epilepsy, stroke or Parkinson’s disease. Since conceiving this project, I have been coordinating a multidisciplinary consortium composed of internationally renowned chemists and biologists who will participate in the ANR project. This project will in turn be a cornerstone for the development of my carrier. My ambition in research for the next years is to accomplish this project and deploy it in clinic, in order to propose a new therapeutic option for brain disorders.