DALLAS , Oct. 21, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Nanoscope Therapeutics Inc. , a late-stage clinical biotechnology company developing gene therapies for retinal degenerative diseases today announced a breakthrough discovery in Translational Vision Science & Technology (TVST, an ARVO journal) demonstrating that MCO-010 optogenetic treatment of the inner retina arrests further retinal degeneration in an animal model of retinitis pigmentosa (RP), as assessed by optical coherence tomography and immunohistochemical analysis.
Following intravitreal MCO-010 treatment ( sonpiretigene isteparvovec ), approximately 80% of bipolar cells were transduced in the retina, and no alterations in retinal thickness were observed, unlike the control group. The results described in the publication provide evidence that the expression of MCO-010 in the retinas of mice experiencing photoreceptor degeneration halts further loss and prevents further disorganization of the retinal cell layers. "MCO-010 is the only broadband, fast, and highly sensitive opsin currently in clinical trials and has demonstrated significant improvement in vision in advanced RP patients.
In addition to restoring vision by MCO-010 intravitreal injection, measured by behavioral and electrophysiological assays, this disease-modifying aspect of MCO-010 provides a key therapeutic advantage in optogenetic therapies by targeting bipolar cells in the inner retina," said Dr. Vinit Mahajan , Professor and Vice Chair for Research, Department of O.