Innovative technology incorporated in Nanoscope's gene therapy offers hope for restoring vision in genetically caused visual impairments DALLAS , Sept. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Nanoscope Therapeutics Inc. , a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing gene therapies for inherited retinal diseases (IRDs) and geographic atrophy secondary to macular degeneration, today announced that the company has acquired a license for the CatCh technology from Max Planck Innovation, the technology transfer organization of the Max Planck Society.
Based on research findings from the Max Planck Institute for Biophysics, and the pioneering work of Prof. Ernst Bamberg in the field of optogenetics, this patented technology enhances the light sensitivity of a multi-characteristic opsin (MCO-010, a tri-protein fusion complex including CatCh) developed by Nanoscope as a gene therapy to restore vision in patients suffering from genetically caused visual impairments. Nanoscope's groundbreaking MCO platform is the first optogenetic approach to combine multiple light-sensitive components, the sum of which produces a fusion protein that is sensitive across the visible spectrum at ambient light levels with fast kinetics.
Nanoscope has already successfully completed several clinical studies on MCO-010 for the two leading inherited retinal degenerative diseases: retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and Stargardt disease. The company now plans to seek approval for the therapy and expand to broad therapeutic indicat.
