Voyager Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: VYGR), a U.S.-based biotechnology company, has announced a licensing agreement with Swiss pharmaceutical giant Novartis AG (NYSE: NVS). This agreement provides Novartis with access to a novel capsid from Voyager’s TRACER capsid discovery platform for its gene therapy program targeting an undisclosed rare neurologic disease.
Under the terms of the deal, which builds upon an initial agreement signed in March 2022, Voyager is set to receive an upfront payment of USD 15 million. The company is also eligible to receive up to USD 305 million in potential payments linked to development, regulatory, and commercial milestones, in addition to tiered mid- to high-single digit royalties on sales of any product that incorporates the licensed capsid. Voyager’s TRACER platform, an RNA-based screening technology, facilitates the rapid identification of novel AAV capsids, which are crucial for advancing gene therapy treatments. The company’s capsids are designed to navigate the central nervous system’s vasculature, enabling them to cross the blood-brain barrier and effectively transduce a wide range of central nervous system regions and cell types. – Flcube.com
