DALLAS, Nov. 7, 2024  — Nanoscope Therapeutics Inc., a late-stage clinical biotechnology company developing gene therapies for inherited retinal diseases and age-related macular degenerations (AMD), today announced that Sunil Gupta, MD, has joined the Company’s Board of Directors. Dr. Gupta is a nationally recognized retinal surgeon and a successful entrepreneur who brings deep experience in all phases of drug development and medical devices, including commercialization and manufacturing.

“Dr. Gupta possesses an extraordinary combination of medical and entrepreneurial expertise around the treatment of inherited retinal diseases and dry age-related macular degeneration. He is a renowned, patient-focused physician, as well as an effective leader in executing clinical trials and operations. Dr. Gupta has truly advanced care for retina patients across the world. He will be an invaluable member of Nanoscope’s board as we advance towards commercialization of our mutation-agnostic therapies to restore vision in millions of people blinded by retinal diseases and dry-AMD,” said Sulagna Bhattacharya, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Nanoscope.

“Nanoscope continues to advance work on its groundbreaking gene therapies for inherited retinal diseases such as retinitis pigmentosa (RP) and Stargardt, offering hope to patients for whom no cure currently exists,” said Dr. Gupta. “The company’s recent announcements highlighting the efficacy and safety results from its randomized Phase 2b trial in RP with subsequent BLA submission are revolutionary. With a Phase 3 registrational trial for Stargardt and a BLA filing in RP on the horizon, Nanoscope is closer to helping address serious unmet needs. Nanoscope has assembled a world-class team of scientists, physicians and business leaders, and I am excited to contribute.”

“I want to extend a warm welcome to Dr. Gupta and look forward to working with him. He joins us at a pivotal moment in Nanoscope’s journey,” said Glenn Sblendorio, Chairman of the Board. “With an enhanced regulatory pathway, we look forward to utilizing his strategic expertise as well as his network with the retinal community.”

Dr. Gupta is founder and clinical principal investigator at Retina Specialty Institute (RSI), one of the largest retinal research organizations in the United States serving patients in clinics across the south. He was also the founder and chief medical officer of USRetina—one of the largest associations of retina physicians in the United States specializing in drug distribution, GPO, and clinical operational processes and software development prior to its recent exit to McKesson. He founded and serves as chairman and chief medical officer of Intelligent Retinal Imaging Systems (IRIS), an FDA-cleared, cloud based, telemedicine platform for assessment of retinal eye disease in the primary care setting. Dr. Gupta’s IRIS team is working to end preventable blindness due to diabetic retinopathy and other conditions around the world. Dr. Gupta was the past chairman of the Andrews Institute Sports Medicine Center and served on the board of the Andrews Research & Education Institute. In these efforts and beyond, he bridges industry and clinical care delivery organizations to optimize patient experience and outcomes. Dr. Gupta earned his medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine and completed his residency in Ophthalmology at the Cullen Eye Institute at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. He completed a Fellowship in Vitreoretinal Diseases & Surgery at the University of Iowa.

About Nanoscope Therapeutics Inc.
Nanoscope Therapeutics is developing gene-agnostic, sight-restoring optogenetic therapies for the millions of patients blinded by retinal degenerative diseases, for which no cure exists. The company’s lead asset, MCO-010, recently reported topline results from the RESTORE Phase 2b multicenter, randomized, double-masked, sham-controlled clinical trial in the U.S. for retinitis pigmentosa (NCT04945772). The company has completed the Phase 2 STARLIGHT trial of MCO-010 therapy in Stargardt patients (NCT05417126) and recently announced plans to initiate a Phase 3 registrational trial in Q1 2025. MCO-010 has received FDA Fast Track designations and FDA orphan drug designations for both retinitis pigmentosa and Stargardt. Preclinical assets include non-viral laser-delivered MCO-020 gene therapy for geographic atrophy.

Investor Contact:
Argot Partners
(212) 600-1902
[email protected]

SOURCE Nanoscope Therapeutics