Scientists at the University of Geneva (UNIGE) have developed a tool that uses light to precisely control where and when a drug becomes active, ensuring it works exactly where it’s needed.

For medical treatments to be effective and minimize side effects, they must act at the right place and time—a challenge that remains difficult to achieve. Now, a team of biologists and chemists at UNIGE has created a system that allows a molecule to be activated with a brief pulse of light lasting just a few seconds. Tested on a protein essential for cell division, this method could be applied to other molecules, with promising applications in both research and medicine. It may even improve existing treatments, such as those for skin cancer. These findings were recently published in Nature Communications.

The challenge of systemic drug effects.