Voyager: Voyager Presents Robust Preclinical Data from Tau Targeting Gene Therapy and Antibody Programs at AD/PD 2025

- Single IV administration of tau silencing gene therapy VY1706 significantly reduced tau mRNA and protein levels, with broad brain distribution and liver de-targeting, in NHP study -- Preclinical murine data strengthen case for specifically targeting pathologic forms of tau with the clinical-stage anti-tau antibody VY7523 -- Voyager to host live webcast on April 7 recapping key AD/PD 2025 data - LEXINGTON, Mass., March 31, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Voyager Therapeutics, Inc. (NASDAQ:VYGR), a biotechnology company dedicated to leveraging genetics to treat neurological diseases, today reported new data from its two preclinical programs targeting tau for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Data on tau silencing gene therapy VY1706 and anti-tau antibody VY7523 will be presented at the upcoming 2025 International Conference on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases and Related Neurological Disorders (AD/PD 2025), taking place April 1-5, 2025, in Vienna. Additionally, Voyager announced it will host a live webcast recapping key AD/PD 2025 data at 4:30 p.m. ET on Monday, April 7, 2025."Emerging data continue to strengthen our conviction that tau is the next critical target in Alzheimer's disease, which supports Voyager's advancement of both antibody and gene therapy approaches," said Toby Ferguson, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer of Voyager Therapeutics. "When I look across the design of these two molecules, the preclinical data each has generated, and the emerging clinical profile for our antibody, I believe our anti-tau antibody and gene therapy each have the potential to be transformative for patients."VY1706 tau silencing gene therapy:CROSS-SPECIES BBB-PENETRANT IV-DELIVERED AAV GENE THERAPY PROVIDES BROAD AND ROBUST CNS TAU LOWERING IN TAUOPATHY MOUSE AND NON-HUMAN PRIMATE. Wencheng Liu, Ph.D., ID:419.New preclinical data from a non-human primate (NHP) study show that a single, intravenous (IV) 1.3E13 vg/kg dose of Voyager's tau silencing gene therapy VY1706 resulted in dose-dependent knockdown of tau mRNA (44% to 73%) and tau protein (27% to 55%). Results were sustained up to three months following dosing, and VY1706 was well-tolerated at both the 5-week and 11-week timepoints assessed in the study. Broad distribution across the brain was achieved, including throughout areas impacted by AD such as the hippocampus, entorhinal cortex, temporal cortex, and frontal cortex regions, while the liver was de-targeted by approximately 30-fold compared to wild type AAV9. VY1706 is in Investigational New Drug (IND)-enabling studies with an IND filing expected in 2026.VY7523 anti-tau antibody:DISCRIMINATION OF ANTI-TAU ANTIBODIES TARGETING DIFFERENT TAU EPITOPES BY A P301S MOUSE HIPPOCAMPAL SEEDING MODEL OF TAUOPATHY. Wencheng Liu, Ph.D., ID:1403.New preclinical data show that the murine version of Voyager's VY7523 demonstrates selectivity for binding pathologic tau tangles. Additionally, Voyager assessed several anti-tau antibodies using a P301S mouse hippocampal seeding model of tau spread. Antibodies that bind the N-terminal of tau and previously failed to achieve their primary endpoints in clinical studies also failed to significantly reduce tau spread in the model. Conversely, the murine version of Voyager's VY7523, which targets the C-terminal of tau, reduced tau spread in the model, as did a third-party mid-domain antibody that has been shown to reduce tau accumulation in a clinical trial. Voyager is currently assessing VY7523 in a multiple ascending dose trial in patients with early AD and expects initial tau positron emission tomography (PET) imaging data in the second half ...PD 2025>Full story available on Benzinga.com