Voyager presents positive safety data for Alzheimer's gene therapy VY1706
Voyager Therapeutics Inc. (NASDAQ: VYGR) reported positive three-month toxicology data for VY1706, its investigational tau silencing gene therapy for Alzheimer's disease, at the American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy's 2026 Annual Meeting in Boston.
The study showed VY1706 was well tolerated with no adverse clinical pathology or histopathological findings up to the highest dose tested of 5E13 vg/kg in non-human primates. The single intravenous dose reduced tau protein by up to 64% in key brain regions at 13 weeks following treatment.
The company's FDA investigational new drug application process for VY1706 remains on track for the second quarter of 2026, with first-in-human dosing in Alzheimer's patients projected for the second half of 2026.
"These latest 3-month GLP toxicology data with tau silencing gene therapy VY1706 are consistent with the robust preclinical data package we have established to date, and we look forward to advancing into clinical trials for Alzheimer's disease later this year," said Todd Carter, Chief Scientific Officer of Voyager Therapeutics.
The treatment resulted in dose-dependent reductions of up to 51-75% MAPT mRNA and 48-64% tau protein in key brain regions. VY1706 delivered a potent vectorized MAPT siRNA with broad central nervous system distribution via a single IV dose, using ALPL as its primary blood-brain barrier receptor.
Voyager also presented seven additional presentations at the conference demonstrating capsid innovation in muscular and neuromuscular targeting, immune evasion, and manufacturability aspects of its gene therapy platform.
