Researchers at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine, Barcelona, have developed photo-switchable molecules that may act as wonderful non-invasive drugs.

This new breakthrough, published online in the German journal Angewandte Chemie, has been recognized as a 'Very Important Paper.'

Headed by senior professor at the University of Barcelona Dr Giralt, who headed the 'Design, synthesis and structure of peptides and proteins,' the team developed two new peptides which possess the ability to change shape on exposure to light, which further allowed or prevented a specific protein-protein interaction.

The association between these two proteins was important, as it allowed molecules to cross the cell membrane and enter the cell, an important process for drug delivery.

"Photo-sensitive peptides act like traffic lights and can be made to give a green or red light for cell endocytosis. They are powerful tools for cell biology," Dr Giralt explained.

"These molecules allow us to use focalized light like a magic wand to control biological processes and to study them," Pau Gorostiza, a physicist and a professor, and the head of the Nanoprobes and Nanoswitches lab, added.

This new discovery may help develop new ways to modify biological processes by means of light, which may further help develop cutting edge tools in the fields of medicine and biology.

They may open up a totally new door to the personalized treatment of various medical conditions, involving the application of these light-controlled drugs and external devices. Chances are, these new treatments may also be devoid of side-effects and unwanted post-treatment conditions which usually show up post surgeries or after long-term use of certain drugs.

There may be some limitations involved with these new light-controlled drugs, however. "Prolonged illumination with ultraviolet light is toxic for cells and is therefore a clear limitation as well has having little tissue penetration capacity," Dr Giralt explained.

Also, these light-controlled drugs may require impeccable storage conditions and improved stability to ensure that their effectiveness doesn't wear away,

"On demand, design them in such a way that they relax rapidly when irradiation with light stops or that they 'remember' for hours or days the light stimulation received," Gorostiza added.

The effects of these drugs would also be limited to a given region, and would work at a specific time, which may be an added plus.