Catalent, Nanoscope Expand MCO-010 Gene Therapy Partnership

Editor’s Take: With the increasing complexity of cell and gene therapy programs, sponsors are focusing on strategic partnerships to expand their offerings. Learn more about CGT CDMO partnerships.

Catalent Inc. and Nanoscope Therapeutics, a biotechnology company, have extended their partnership to support late-phase clinical and commercial supply of Nanoscope’s lead optogenetic gene therapy, MCO-010.

MCO-010 is being developed to restore vision in patients with advanced retinal degenerative diseases, including retinitis pigmentosa and Stargardt disease, by reprogramming retinal cells to become light-sensitive. This approach is designed to treat patients with late-stage disease who currently have limited therapeutic options.

Under the expanded partnership, Catalent will provide commercial-compliant packaging and distribution for MCO-010 and has secured the commercial packaging validation program to support Nanoscope’s Biologics License Application (BLA). A rolling submission with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is currently underway.

“Catalent is pleased to expand our collaboration with Nanoscope as MCO-010 advances toward potential commercialization,” said Ricky Hopson, Group President, Clinical & Specialty Services and Chief of Staff. “Catalent is committed to supporting Nanoscope at every stage of the journey to bring this innovative therapy to the market and help make Nanoscope’s mission of vision restoration a reality for patients around the globe.”

Sulagna Bhattacharya, Co-Founder and CEO of Nanoscope Therapeutics, said, “Catalent’s expertise and reliability give us confidence as we prepare for the next stage of this journey, and we look forward to continuing this partnership as we work to bring a much-needed treatment option to patients living with retinal degenerative diseases.”