Novartis Exercises Option on Voyager’s TRACER™ AAV Platform for CNS Targets, Triggers $25 Million Payment

On March 8, 2022, Voyager Therapeutics announced an agreement with Novartis, granting the latter rights to utilize its AAV capsid discovery platform to develop innovative AAV capsids for three undisclosed central nervous system (CNS) targets, as well as options for capsids targeting two additional targets. The total potential payments could exceed $1.7 billion.

On March 6, 2023, Novartis exercised its option to use novel capsids generated by Voyager's TRACER capsid discovery platform for the development of gene therapies targeting two undisclosed neurological disease targets. Meanwhile, Voyager will receive a payment of $25 million.

Voyager Therapeutics previously received a $54 million upfront payment from Novartis for the capsid licensing of three CNS targets. Voyager will now receive an additional $25 million option exercise fee and is eligible for up to $600 million in related potential payments.

Voyager Therapeutics, Inc. is committed to breakthroughsGene TherapyAndNeurologyThe potential of these two disciplines is limited by delivery challenges. The company's TRACER™ (Tropism Redirection of AAV by Cell-type-specific Expression of RNA) capsid discovery platform is an RNA-based screening platform capable of rapidly identifying AAV capsids with strong blood-brain barrier penetration and CNS tropism.

Compared with traditional AAV capsids, TRACER™The resulting capsids exhibit widespread gene expression in the CNS, as well as cell and tissue-specific transduction, which are key selling points of this platform.The platform is advancing collaborations with companies such as Pfizer and Novartis, as well as multiple projects within Voyager's own pipeline.

Voyager's Overall Pipeline (Source: Voyager Official Website)

Dr. Alfred Sandrock, CEO of Voyager Therapeutics, said: "We believe that the capsids generated through Voyager's TRACER™ capsid discovery platform are essential for leveraging gene therapy to treat neurological diseases. We regard Novartis as a leader in the field of gene therapy, and thus we highly appreciate their use of our technology in their programs."

References:

https://ir.voyagertherapeutics.com/news-releases/news-release-details/voyager-therapeutics-receive-25-million-payment-license-next

PharmaCube Pro

New Targets, New Technologies, New Therapies

Media Cooperation: 15895423126

Copyright © 2023 PHARMCUBE. All Rights Reserved.

Welcome to forward, share, and reasonably quote. When quoting, please clearly indicate the source of the article in a prominent position; if you need to reprint, please leave a message to the WeChat Official Account's backend or send a message, and include the name and ID of the official account.

Disclaimer: The information in this WeChat article is for general reference only and should not be used directly as decision-making content. PharmaCube assumes no responsibility for any loss incurred by any party due to the use of the content herein.