Nanoscope secures new US patent for Multi-Characteristic Opsin (MCO) technology platform

Nanoscope has received a new patent (US Patent No. 12459977) from the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for the company’s Multi-Characteristic Opsin (MCO) technology platform as a novel and innovative synthetic opsin for optogenetic modulation.

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). The company states that by activating highly dense bipolar retinal cells to become light sensitive, MCO utilizes the remaining visual circuitry following photoreceptor death.

The new patent for Nanoscope provides broad protection for methods of using the MCO platform to restore vision in patients who have lost photoreceptors due to retinal degenerative diseases. With the patent, intellectual property protection is granted through 2039, with the potential for additional patent term extension following FDA approval of therapeutic products based on the technology.

Sulagna Bhattacharya, CEO of Nanoscope Therapeutics, commented on the patent, saying, "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. 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."

Nanoscope has also secured corresponding patents in Australia and Japan, with patents in China and the EU pending.

Recently, the company released positive long-term safety results from its EXTEND study, a 5-year follow-up of participants who received a single intravitreal injection of MCO-010 in a previously conducted phase 1/2a² trial, as well as positive 3-year follow-up data from its REMAIN study, the long-term extension of the phase 2b/3 RESTORE trial (NCT04945772) evaluating MCO-010 in retinitis pigmentosa (RP).³

According to the company, results from EXTEND showed that a single intravitreal injection of MCO-010 is safe and well-tolerated over 5 years, with no serious adverse effects or new safety signals. The safety profile of MCO-010 remained consistent between the phase 1/2a trial and the long-term follow-up period.²

According to the company, results from the REMAIN study showed patients maintained an average best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) gain from baseline of approximately 0.3 LogMAR through week 152. Additionally, BCVA-Area Under the Curve (AUC) profiles across both the RESTORE and REMAIN trials show five times greater vision gains when compared to sham treatment.³

References:

1. Nanoscope Therapeutics Granted New U.S. Patent Covering Its Proprietary Multi-Characteristic Opsin Platform for Vision Restoration. Published January 7, 2026. Accessed January 9, 2026. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/nanoscope-therapeutics-granted-new-us-patent-covering-its-proprietary-multi-characteristic-opsin-platform-for-vision-restoration-302655126.html

2. Harp MD. Nanoscope Therapeutics releases positive long-term safety results from EXTEND study. Published November 5, 2025. Accessed January 9, 2026. https://www.ophthalmologytimes.com/view/nanoscope-therapeutics-releases-positive-long-term-safety-results-from-extend-study

3. Harp MD. Nanoscope Therapeutics releases positive 3-year follow-up data from REMAIN study. Published October 24, 2025. Accessed November 4, 2025. https://www.ophthalmologytimes.com/view/nanoscope-therapeutics-releases-positive-3-year-follow-up-data-from-remain-study