Nanotechnology Now - Press Release: Nanoscope received NIH support for its first-in-class engineered mechanosensitive channel based gene therapy for glaucoma: Nanoscope received Direct Phase II SBIR grant from National Institutes of Health (NIH) for developing an innovative approach to autonomously regulate pressur

Vision loss due to glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness in America, and there is no cure (yet) for glaucoma. Glaucoma is recalcitrant to treatment and the resulting optic nerve damage is irreversible. Primary Open Angle Glaucoma (POAG) is common and is characterized by poor drainage of aqueous humor through the conventional outflow pathway. The currently available pharmacological and surgical treatments for glaucoma have significant limitations and side-effects, which include systemic reactions to medications, patient non-compliance, eye infections, surgical device failure, and damage to the eye.

EMC acts as an ideal drainage valve for trabecular meshwork (TM), because it is a relatively small homo-oligomeric channel and does not need any associated proteins or energy sources to assemble and function. Using patented gene-agnostic EMC therapy, Nanoscope researchers have demonstrated that lowering of the intraocular pressure (IOP) in animal models of glaucoma. "EMC is an engineered version of a stretch-activated channel, which directly senses tension in the membrane lipid bilayer of cells and in response, transiently opens its pore for fluid exchange. Use of EMC in the impaired TM of glaucomatous eyes as an autonomous pressure modulator is novel and has significant promise for Glaucoma", said Samarendra Mohanty, President and Chief Scientific Officer.

POAG is heterogenous, and known to be caused by different genetic mutations, however, most contributing mutations are still unknown. Therefore, Nanoscope�s approach of correcting the pathological phenotype rather than correction of genetic mutation in a gene-independent manner would be transformative in clinical ophthalmology. The development of a safe, effective, long-lasting single dose therapeutic for the treatment of POAG would improve the lives of millions of people suffering from this devastating disease.

About Nanoscope Technologies LLCNanoscope Technologies, LLC, founded in 2009 by Samarendra Mohanty, PhD., has received several SBIR awards, National Institutes of Health (NIH) R01 grants, and patents which focus on optical stimulation, gene delivery, and imaging for neural activity monitoring. It has spun off several companies Nanoscope Therapeutics Inc, Nanoscope Instruments Inc, Nanoscope Diagnostics LLC and Opsin Biotherapeutics Inc for commercialization of the platform technologies.

Contacts:Media Contact

Sulagna BhattacharyaNanoscope Technologies

Office: 626-244-5300Expert Contact

Samarendra MohantyNanoscope Technologies LLC

Office: 8177192692Cell: 9494397923 @Nanoscope Technologies LLC