Nanoscope President to Deliver Talk on Gene Therapy for Retinal Diseases at Association for Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics Conference

Nanoscope President to Deliver Talk on Gene Therapy for Retinal Diseases at Association for Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics Conference

Company’s lead product, an optogenetic gene therapy to restore vision for patients with retinitis pigmentosa, expected to enter seminal clinical trials in 2021

BEDFORD, Texas, March 3, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Nanoscope Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing gene therapies for treatment of inherited retinal diseases, today announced that its President, Samarendra Mohanty, Ph.D., will participate in the Association for Ocular Pharmacology and Therapeutics (AOPT) 15th Biennial (Virtual) Meeting, March 4-7, 2021.

Dr. Mohanty will deliver a presentation titled, “Ready for the Future: Refunctionalizing, Reprogramming, Revitalizing and Regenerating Retina for Restoring Vision,” during an AOPT Special Session, Saturday, March 6, at 12 pm EST.

“Hundreds of millions individuals are suffering from vision loss due to damage to the retina and optic nerve,” said Dr. Mohanty, who also serves as Nanoscope’s Chief Scientific Officer. “We are developing gene therapies to reprogram retinal cells and make them functionally active to regain vision.”

In addition, Nanoscope will participate in a session Friday, March 5, at 1:30 pm EST, and will make a presentation titled: “Low-Vision Multi-Parameter Test (LVMPT) to Quantitatively Measure Visual Level of Low-Vision Patients.”

“The LVMPT measures functional vision which can serve as a novel key endpoint for our clinical trial on Low-Vision Patients,” said Sai Chavala, M.D., Chief Medical Officer of Nanoscope.

AOPT is a global, not-for-profit organization for scientists and individuals from all disciplines related to ocular pharmacology and its therapeutic applications. Members are from academic institutions, pharma and biotech industries, device companies, and clinics.

Nanoscope’s lead product is an optogenetic gene therapy, vMCO-010, that delivers light-sensitive Multi-Characteristic Opsin (MCO) into retinal cells to restore vision in patients with retinitis pigmentosa and Stargardt disease. Both applications have received orphan drug designation from the US-FDA. If successful, the optogenetic therapy would be the first treatment aimed at correcting these conditions.

About Nanoscope Therapeutics Inc.
Nanoscope Therapeutics, Bedford, TX, is advancing gene therapy using light-sensitive molecules for giving sight to the millions of blind individuals suffering from retinal degenerative disease, for which no cure exists. Nanoscope utilizes an ambient light-sensitive MCO molecule to re-sensitize the retina toward ambient light level. The company’s pipeline includes optogenetics based retinal regeneration therapy for vision restoration in patients with retinitis pigmentosa, Stargardt disease, and dry age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Contact:
Dan Eramian
Opus Biotech Communications
danieleramian@comcast.net
425-306-8716

Nanoscope Therapeutics, Inc.
Trinity Towers
2777 N. Stemmons Fwy.
Dallas, TX 75207
(817) 857-1186
  • Dr. Samarendra Mohanty, PhD |  Co-Founder & President

    Samarendra Mohanty (Co-Founder/President) is an inventor & serial entrepreneur with 20+ years experience in Biomedical Sciences. He is Co-Founder of several Biotechs and Biomedical device /diagnostic companies (developed & commercialized $100K+ biomedical instruments.)

    Samar obtained M.Tech in Applied Optics from the Indian Institute of Technology-Delhi and a PhD in (Bio)Physics from the Indian Institute of Sciences-Bangalore.

    His extensive Biomedical Technologies experience includes serving as Professor/Senior Scientist at the University of Texas;  University of California, Irvine; Center for Adv. Tech (India); Int. Mol. Biotech (Germany); Univ. Pavia (Italy); NUS (Singapore); and University of St. Andrews (UK). He has authored over 200 international patents and publications in leading journals including Nature and Nature Photonics.

    He is the Principal Investigator for major grants from the National Eye Institute including Audacious Goal Initiative and Bioengineering Research grants. He serves on the editorial board of journals and chairs an international conference on optogenetics. He is the winner of a 2019 Healthcare Heroes award (Fort Worth Business Press), Retinal Organoid Challenge Award, Audacious Goal Initiative Award (NIH), Finalist of Tech Titan, and NIH-Director’s Innovator Award.