Nanoscope’s Optical Gene Therapies to be Featured at Optogenetics and Optical Manipulation 2021 Conference

Nanoscope’s Optical Gene Therapies to be Featured at Optogenetics and Optical Manipulation 2021 Conference

Company’s President Samarendra Mohanty will co-chair the conference, which is part of the SPIE Photonics West Digital Forum

BEDFORD, Texas, March 5, 2021 /PRNewswire/ — Researchers of Nanoscope Therapeutics Inc., a clinical-stage biotechnology company developing gene therapies for treatment of retinal diseases, will make multiple scientific presentations featuring its groundbreaking research on optical gene delivery and opsin based neuromodulation therapy at the Optogenetics and Optical Manipulation 2021 virtual conference, March 6 – 11, 20201.

Nanoscope President Samarendra Mohanty, Ph.D., is serving as a co-chair of the event, which is part of SPIE Photonics West’s week long series of online conferences and industry programs. SPIE is an international society for optics and photonics dedicated to advancing light-based technologies.

“Nanoscope is on the verge of significant breakthroughs in optical gene therapies for improving quality of life in people with retinal and neurological diseases,” said Dr. Mohanty. “We are developing both viral vector and non-viral light delivery of genes to reprogram neurons and make them light-activatable, allowing therapeutic modulation.”

Nanoscope’s lead product is an optogenetic gene therapy, vMCO-010, that delivers light- sensitive Multi-Characteristics Opsin (MCO) into retinal cells to restore vision in patients with retinal degeneration. If successful, the optogenetic therapy would be the first treatment aimed at correcting these retinal diseases.

Nanoscope also is developing an alternative, non-viral light-based gene delivery method that is designed to be more targeted with less immunogenicity.

Below are the sessions highlighting Nanoscope’s optical gene therapy research. All three sessions will be available on-demand starting March 6.

Neuroprotection by optical delivery of therapeutic gene into retina
Author(s): Subrata Batabyal, Sanghoon Kim, Michael Carlson, Houssam Al-Saad, Jazlyn Gallego, Adnan Dibas, Samarendra Mohanty

Development and functional characterization of retinal dystrophy model using targeted layer-specific laser microirradiation
Author(s): Micahel Carlson, Sanghoon Kim, Subrata Batabyal, Samarendra Mohanty

Pain modulation by multi-characteristic opsin sensitization of inhibitory network of brain
Author(s): Darryl Narcisse, Robert Benkowski, Arman Fijany, Samarendra Mohanty

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

Contact:
Charles Craig
Opus Biotech Communications
[email protected]
404-245-0591

On March 5, 2021   /   Nanoscope Press Release  
Nanoscope Therapeutics, Inc.
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  • 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.)

    Dr. Mohanty 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.