Funded by the ERC project enLIGHT, created at the Scuola Normale Superiore to improve the efficacy of antidiabetic therapies.
 

PISA, 16 July 2025. The enLIGHT project has received an ERC Proof of Concept grant to improve the stability, bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy of drugs.

To assess with precision the composition and capacity of drugs, in particular those against diabetes, to improve their stability, bioavailability and therapeutic efficacy: this is the aim of the enLIGHT project by Professor Francesco Cardarelli, of the Scuola Normale Superiore, who has received European “Proof of Concept” funding: an opportunity reserved for researchers who have already won an ERC prize, to explore the innovative potential of their discoveries and assess  their commercial feasibility and social impact.

“We wish to develop an innovative optical technology leading to a rapid, quantitative and non-invasive analysis of the physical state, encapsulation efficiency and stability of nano-formulated drugs”, explains Cardarelli, professor of Physics for the life sciences, the environment and cultural heritage. “The novelty of our approach lies in the use of the intrinsic signal, the luminescence, of the active ingredient of drugs in order to study them without the need for labelling or invasive procedures, offering a rapid and inexpensive alternative to traditional techniques”.

The project focusses in particular on the nanoformulations of antidiabetic drugs such as  insulin, analogues of GLP-1 and baricitinib (an emerging JAK inhibitor for the treatment of diabetes).Thanks to the analysis of the lifespan of the luminescence and the use of a rapid and intuitive graphic method not requiring fitting models, the enLIGHT technology enables the precision assessment of the composition and the capacity of drugs within the nanostructured vectors, also in physiological conditions.

“The technology, currently based on a complex laboratory system, has already shown its capacity for revealing unexpected behaviours of drugs approved by the FDA, such as Doxil® and Onivyde®, revealing instabilities and losses not detected so far”, adds Cardarelli. “These results have given life to new developments and applications thanks partly to the ongoing collaborations with FLIM LABS S.R.L., an Italian company specialising in analyses based on fluorescence and optical tools. The project is now working towards the development of a compact, easy-to-use device suitable for daily use in pharmaceutical and research laboratories”.

The multidisciplinary team will be operating at the NEST Laboratory of the Scuola Normale Superiore, involving experts in the subjects of biophysics, nanomedicine, chemistry and advanced imaging, together with  DayOne,  an innovation studio specialising in technology transfer and the development of innovative products and startup companies, with a long history of experience in the enhancement of research through European programmes, which will be co-ordinating the business and commercialisation aspects. 

enLIGHT, an emanation of Cardarelli’s “CAPTUR3D” project, which started up in 2021 with an ERC Consolidator Grant of 2 million euros, presents itself as a revolutionary tool for accelerating the development and quality control of nanomedicines, with sizeable potential impacts on the research into and production of more efficacious and safer drugs for the treatment of diabetes and other diseases.