mPOR: University of Ljubljana Spin-Off Innovates Cancer and Gene Therapy Technology

The company mPOR, founded in 2021, signed a licensing agreement with the University of Ljubljana at the beginning of 2022 for knowledge transfer in the field of electroporation technologies. At the end of 2022, the company also received funding from the P2 Fund for the launch of innovative startups.

The company currently employs two people and is producing the next series of their product: the next-generation high-frequency electroporator L-POR. This device is used in cancer treatment and gene therapy. It works by temporarily increasing the permeability of the cell membrane with electric pulses, allowing experts to deliver therapeutic agents into the cell.

Currently available electroporators generate pulses lasting 100 μs to 100 ms, which cause muscle contractions and activate pain receptors, making the treatment very uncomfortable and often painful for patients. Their device uses an innovative type of bipolar pulses lasting 1–3 μs, which significantly reduces muscle contractions and pain during therapy.

mPOR is a practical example of knowledge transfer from the university to the real world, benefiting society as a whole. Therefore, the Faculty of Electrical Engineering in Ljubljana and the University of Ljubljana have shown exceptional support and cooperation in the project, which today serves as an excellent example of best practice. The faculty is well aware of the benefits of spin-off companies for researchers, the educational process, the development of the Biocybernetics Laboratory, and, not least, the satisfaction of innovators using their innovation in society.