New cell “opening” technology could transform cancer prevention

Most biological materials used today – from dietary supplements to pharmaceutical extracts – are obtained through chemical, thermal or mechanical processing. These processes often alter the structure of the material and reduce its biological activity. A technology developed by the Lithuanian-founded company Unera proposes a different approach: “opening” a cell without destroying it. The concept has already been tested by scientists at the National Cancer Institute.

“We essentially eliminate the entire intermediary chain between raw material and the human body. Instead of digesting, heating or chemically processing the material, we prepare it in a way that preserves its native state,” explains Olegas Romaškevičius, creator of the technology and CEO of Unera, a company established in Luxembourg.

According to Dr Kęstutis Sužiedėlis, Head of the Molecular Oncology Laboratory at the National Cancer Institute, a common problem is that substances become denatured during purification and lose their biological effect. Even when placed in an unsuitable medium, such as water, active compounds may rapidly degrade and become ineffective.

“The main challenge is how to tear open the cell membrane without damaging what is inside.”

Dr Kęstutis Sužiedėlis, National Cancer Institute

This is precisely the problem Unera’s technology seeks to solve. Unlike conventional extracts, which preserve only part of the compounds, this method retains the entire contents of the cell – thousands of bioactive components. When spirulina is processed, for example, its full composition is preserved, including more than 2,500 identified substances and compounds. Equally important, the process involves no thermal or chemical treatment, preserving maximum biological activity.

Magnetic fields instead of chemistry

At the core of the technology is a specially designed, patented device that generates magnetic fields acting on the cell structure from within. According to Romaškevičius, the process resembles “undressing” a cell while keeping all of its contents intact in a different form.

Dr Sužiedėlis emphasises that while ultrasound or chemical methods can break the cell membrane, they frequently damage the molecules themselves. Magnetic fields make it possible to perform this process much more gently.

To explain the concept, Romaškevičius uses the analogy of an egg. Traditional methods effectively “cook” the cell, whereas magnetic fields allow it to be opened while it remains “raw” – that is, biologically active. A boiled egg and a raw egg may look similar, but their biological activity differs dramatically. The cell’s shell must therefore be removed carefully, without crushing what is inside.

Modelling the magnetic fields alone required approximately three to four years on a supercomputer equipped with 300 processors. Changing a single parameter in the simulation could require 28 days of computation.

Applications for spirulina

One of the first practical applications of the technology is the processing of microalgae such as spirulina. Although spirulina has long been marketed as a dietary supplement, researchers emphasise that the human body does not absorb it efficiently. Its cell wall is highly complex, gram-negative and composed of polysaccharides that humans cannot break down, as we lack the necessary enzymes. As a result, much of the valuable material remains locked inside the cell and passes through the digestive tract unabsorbed.

The issue is not unique to spirulina. Yeast and mushrooms pose similar challenges, as their chitin-containing cell walls are also difficult for the human body to digest. According to the developers, the technology could significantly impact the functional ingredient, dietary supplement, cosmetics and biotechnology sectors by providing consumers with a biologically prepared complex that is easier to utilise.

Early signals from cancer research

The technology is already being evaluated in scientific studies. Preliminary experiments at the National Cancer Institute have used cancer cell models treated with spirulina processed through Unera’s cell-opening technology.

Dr Sužiedėlis notes that in studies involving cancer cells of differing aggressiveness, the strongest effects were seen in less aggressive cells – a finding that suggests potential applications in cancer prevention.

“We see effects on less aggressive cells, but not on highly aggressive ones. This is particularly important for prevention, where the goal is to influence cells at an early stage of the cancer process, before they become highly dangerous.”

Dr Kęstutis Sužiedėlis

Dr Eglė Balčiūnaitė, Senior Researcher at the National Cancer Institute, reports that the researchers compared conventional commercial spirulina extracts with products prepared using the magnetic-field technology. The specially processed material contained several times more active substances – particularly proteins – than traditional extracts. These findings scientifically confirm that the technology opens and disrupts cells more effectively than conventional methods, enabling the extraction of a maximum concentration of bioactive compounds.

Researchers are also exploring whether such spirulina could serve as an adjunct treatment that enhances the effectiveness of radiotherapy or improves cellular responses to targeted therapies.

Although the results are described as “cautiously optimistic”, the scientists stress that the work is still at an early stage. The effect is not universal, depends strongly on the specific cell type and has so far been observed only in laboratory models. According to Dr Sužiedėlis, these early studies are nonetheless critically important: they did not rule out meaningful effects, providing a strong rationale for continued research, additional funding and the use of more advanced 3D tissue models.

Further research

Young scientist Dr Eglė Žalytė, junior researcher at the Life Sciences Center, is actively contributing to the project by identifying the most effective targeted therapy compounds using endometrial cancer cells derived from Lithuanian patients. Her objective is to identify therapeutic biomarkers and determine how spirulina prepared with Unera’s technology may influence cancer-cell responses to specific treatments. She is investigating potential combinations with targeted therapies and has received funding from the Future Biomedicine Fund.

Commercial outlook

At the same time, Unera is actively pursuing commercial opportunities and is seeking customers among Lithuania’s leading dietary supplement, cosmetics and biotechnology companies. According to Romaškevičius, the near future is expected to bring not only more advanced scientific studies but also the first commercial products; several companies are already developing prototypes and conducting trials.

While this does not yet represent a medical breakthrough, the partners in the collaboration remain optimistic. If successful, they believe the technology could become a universal platform for numerous products – from functional foods to medical applications – by delivering materials with substantially higher biological activity.