diff --git a/src/db/db/dbCell.cc b/src/db/db/dbCell.cc
index 1a465f47c..629ae4e92 100644
--- a/src/db/db/dbCell.cc
+++ b/src/db/db/dbCell.cc
@@ -777,6 +777,7 @@ Cell::get_pcell_parameters (const instance_type &ref) const
 Cell::instance_type 
 Cell::change_pcell_parameters (const instance_type &ref, const std::vector<tl::Variant> &new_parameters)
 {
+  tl_assert (mp_layout != 0);
   cell_index_type new_cell_index = mp_layout->get_pcell_variant_cell (ref.cell_index (), new_parameters);
   if (new_cell_index != ref.cell_index ()) {
 
@@ -790,6 +791,61 @@ Cell::change_pcell_parameters (const instance_type &ref, const std::vector<tl::V
   }
 }
 
+Cell::instance_type
+Cell::change_pcell_parameters (const instance_type &ref, const std::map<std::string, tl::Variant> &map)
+{
+  tl_assert (mp_layout != 0);
+
+  const db::PCellDeclaration *pcd = pcell_declaration_of_inst (ref);
+  if (! pcd) {
+    return Cell::instance_type ();
+  }
+
+  const std::vector<db::PCellParameterDeclaration> &pcp = pcd->parameter_declarations ();
+
+  std::vector<tl::Variant> p = get_pcell_parameters (ref);
+  bool needs_update = false;
+
+  for (size_t i = 0; i < pcp.size () && i < p.size (); ++i) {
+    std::map<std::string, tl::Variant>::const_iterator pm = map.find (pcp [i].get_name ());
+    if (pm != map.end () && p [i] != pm->second) {
+      p [i] = pm->second;
+      needs_update = true;
+    }
+  }
+
+  if (needs_update) {
+    return change_pcell_parameters (ref, p);
+  } else {
+    return ref;
+  }
+
+}
+
+const db::PCellDeclaration *
+Cell::pcell_declaration_of_inst (const db::Cell::instance_type &ref) const
+{
+  tl_assert (mp_layout != 0);
+  return mp_layout->cell (ref.cell_index ()).pcell_declaration ();
+}
+
+const db::PCellDeclaration *
+Cell::pcell_declaration () const
+{
+  tl_assert (mp_layout != 0);
+  std::pair<bool, db::pcell_id_type> pc = mp_layout->is_pcell_instance (cell_index ());
+  if (pc.first) {
+    db::Library *lib = mp_layout->defining_library (cell_index ()).first;
+    if (lib) {
+      return lib->layout ().pcell_declaration (pc.second);
+    } else {
+      return mp_layout->pcell_declaration (pc.second);
+    }
+  } else {
+    return 0;
+  }
+}
+
 void 
 Cell::sort_inst_tree (bool force)
 {
diff --git a/src/db/db/dbCell.h b/src/db/db/dbCell.h
index 044f917f3..2a64cdf23 100644
--- a/src/db/db/dbCell.h
+++ b/src/db/db/dbCell.h
@@ -57,6 +57,7 @@ class Library;
 class ImportLayerMapping;
 class CellMapping;
 class LayerMapping;
+class PCellDeclaration;
 
 /**
  *  @brief The cell object
@@ -473,6 +474,27 @@ public:
    */
   instance_type change_pcell_parameters (const instance_type &ref, const std::vector<tl::Variant> &new_parameters);
 
+  /**
+   *  @brief Changes the PCell parameters of a PCell instance using a dict
+   *
+   *  @return A reference to the new instance. The original reference may be invalid.
+   */
+  instance_type change_pcell_parameters (const instance_type &ref, const std::map<std::string, tl::Variant> &new_parameters);
+
+  /**
+   *  @brief Gets the PCellDeclaration object of the instance if the instance is a PCell instance
+   *
+   *  If the instance is not a PCell instance, 0 is returned.
+   */
+  const db::PCellDeclaration *pcell_declaration_of_inst (const db::Cell::instance_type &ref) const;
+
+  /**
+   *  @brief Gets the PCellDeclaration object of the cell is the cell is a PCell variant
+   *
+   *  If the cell is not a PCell variant, 0 is returned.
+   */
+  const db::PCellDeclaration *pcell_declaration () const;
+
   /**
    *  @brief The cell index accessor method
    *
diff --git a/src/db/db/gsiDeclDbCell.cc b/src/db/db/gsiDeclDbCell.cc
index 31b693cd8..6bcb72581 100644
--- a/src/db/db/gsiDeclDbCell.cc
+++ b/src/db/db/gsiDeclDbCell.cc
@@ -3321,7 +3321,8 @@ Class<db::Cell> decl_Cell ("db", "Cell",
     "\n"
     "This method has been introduced in version 0.24.\n"
   ) + 
-  gsi::method ("change_pcell_parameters", &db::Cell::change_pcell_parameters, gsi::arg ("instance"), gsi::arg ("parameters"),
+  gsi::method ("change_pcell_parameters", static_cast<db::Cell::instance_type (db::Cell::*) (const db::Cell::instance_type &ref, const std::vector<tl::Variant> &new_parameters)> (&db::Cell::change_pcell_parameters),
+               gsi::arg ("instance"), gsi::arg ("parameters"),
     "@brief Changes the parameters for an individual PCell instance\n"
     "@return The new instance (the old may be invalid)\n"
     "If necessary, this method creates a new variant and replaces the given instance\n"