Nanoscope Therapeutics Granted New U.S. Patent Covering Its Proprietary Multi-Characteristic Opsin Platform for Vision Restoration

DALLAS, Jan. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Nanoscope Therapeutics Inc., a biotechnology company committed to developing and commercializing novel, disease-agnostic therapies for patients with photoreceptor loss and vision impairment due to retinal degeneration, announced that the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has granted U.S. Patent No. 12459977, recognizing the company’s Multi-Characteristic Opsin (MCO) technology platform as a novel and innovative synthetic opsin for optogenetic modulation.

The newly issued patent provides broad protection for methods of using the MCO platform to restore vision in patients who have lost photoreceptors due to retinal degenerative diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa, Stargardt disease, and geographic atrophy.

In granting the patent, the USPTO acknowledged the distinctive attributes of Nanoscope’s MCO platform, which differentiates it from other optogenetic approaches through its broad spectral sensitivity, fast kinetics, and ability to function via ambient light activation—eliminating the need for external light amplification devices.

The patent extends intellectual property protection in the United States through 2039, with the potential for additional patent term extension following FDA approval of therapeutic products based on the technology. Nanoscope has also secured corresponding patents in Australia and Japan with patents in China and the EU pending, reinforcing its industry-leading, global intellectual property position in optogenetics and supporting long-term commercial exclusivity in major markets.

“This patent represents more than an incremental IP milestone—it reinforces the strategic value of the MCO platform as a durable, first-in-class technology with broad clinical and commercial potential,” said Sulagna Bhattacharya, CEO of Nanoscope Therapeutics. “This strengthens the foundation of our pipeline by extending market exclusivity, enhancing competitive barriers, and supporting multiple future indications built on a single, scalable optogenetic platform.”

The granting of this continuation-in-part patent further underscores the MCO platform’s potential to deliver meaningful therapeutic benefit to patients suffering from severe vision loss, supporting Nanoscope’s mission to restore sight to millions affected by retinal degenerative diseases for which no approved treatments currently exist.

About the MCO Platform
MCO is a one-time, in-office, intravitreal disease-agnostic therapy platform designed to restore vision in patients with photoreceptor degeneration, including Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), Stargardt disease (SD), and geographic atrophy (GA). By activating highly dense bipolar retinal cells to become light sensitive, MCO utilizes the remaining visual circuitry following photoreceptor death. MCO treatment does not require genetic testing, invasive surgery, or repeat dosing, enabling broad patient applicability within existing retina office workflows.

About Nanoscope Therapeutics
Nanoscope Therapeutics is developing disease-agnostic, vision-restoring optogenetic therapy for millions of patients blinded by retinal degenerative diseases. Following positive results from the RESTORE Phase 2b/3 multicenter, randomized, double-masked, sham-controlled clinical trial for retinitis pigmentosa (RP) (NCT04945772), a rolling BLA submission to the FDA has been initiated. If approved, MCO-010 has the potential to be the standard of care for RP patients, administered as a one-time, in-office injection without the need for genetic testing. The company has also shown promising results in the STARLIGHT Phase 2 clinical trial of MCO-010 in Stargardt disease (SD) (NCT05417126) and plans to initiate a Phase 3 registrational trial in early 2026. MCO-010 has received FDA Fast Track and Orphan Drug designations for both RP and SD, along with RMAT designation for SD, and EMA Orphan designations to cover non-syndromic and syndromic rod- and cone-dominant dystrophies, as well as macular dystrophies. A Phase 2 program for MCO in geographic atrophy (GA) is expected to start in early 2026. Other IND-ready programs include Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA).

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SOURCE Nanoscope Therapeutics