Nanoscope Therapeutics announced that the US Patent and Trademark Office has granted patent number 12,459,977 for the company’s multicharacteristic opsin (MCO) platform. The MCO platform is delivered in a single intravitreal injection and is intended to render bipolar retinal cells light sensitive, restoring vision in patients with photoreceptor loss from conditions like retinitis pigmentosa (RP), Stargardt disease, and geographic atrophy.

According to the company, the patent recognizes features that distinguish the MCO platform from other optogenetic approaches, including broad spectral sensitivity, rapid response kinetics, and activation by ambient light without the need for external light-amplifying devices. The patent extends US intellectual property protection for methods using the MCO technology through 2039, with the potential for additional term extension pending regulatory approval of MCO-based therapies. Nanoscope said it has secured corresponding patents in Australia and Japan, with patent applications pending in China and the European Union. The company views the expanded patent coverage as supporting long-term commercial development across multiple retinal indications.

Nanoscope has begun a rolling submission of a biologics license application to the US Food and Drug Administration for its optogenetic therapy MCO-010 for severe vision loss due to RP. The company is also pursuing development of the therapy for Stargardt disease, with a phase 3 registrational trial planned for early 2026. Nanoscope also plans to begin a phase 2 program in geographic atrophy in early 2026. RP