Voyager Therapeutics Inc. has selected VY-1706 as its lead candidate for a tau silencing gene therapy aimed at treating Alzheimer's disease.

The company plans to file an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and a Clinical Trial Application (CTA) with Health Canada in 2026.

Alzheimer's disease currently affects approximately 7 million people in the U.S. and up to 416 million globally, with care costs in the U.S. reaching an estimated $345 billion in 2023.

The announcement of VY-1706 marks a significant advancement in Voyager Therapeutics' ongoing efforts to develop innovative treatments for Alzheimer's disease.

Voyager's TRACER™ capsid discovery platform is instrumental in the rapid development of novel AAV capsids for gene therapy, ensuring effective delivery to the central nervous system.

This innovative therapy targets tau pathology, which is closely linked to the progression of Alzheimer's, potentially offering a new therapeutic avenue.

In studies with non-human primates, VY-1706 demonstrated a significant reduction in tau mRNA levels, achieving a decrease of 50% to 73% in the cerebral cortex.

The therapy employs a potent siRNA construct delivered via Voyager's TRACER™ capsid, designed to effectively penetrate the blood-brain barrier.

Dr. Toby Ferguson, Voyager's Chief Medical Officer, highlighted the importance of targeting tau in Alzheimer's treatment, referencing supportive evidence for both tau antibodies and knockdown strategies.

Voyager Therapeutics is advancing multiple programs targeting neurological diseases, including Alzheimer's, ALS, and Parkinson's, leveraging its proprietary technologies.