As human beings, it’s really important for us to look ahead under all circumstances. If we are not mindful about that next step, we stand to lose a lot on different fronts, but then again being forward-looking on a consistent basis is no simple task. This is because, with humans functioning among a world of elements, things can go haywire quite easily. Hence, more often than not, we end up needing a facilitator to realize our vision. Talking of the facilitator, we have actually conceived plenty over the years, but none have been as impactful as technology. You see, while technology did for what it was brought in, it also added a groundbreaking edge to our imagination, therefore elevating it beyond every known boundary. The result was sensationally good, and the same is backed up well by our entire spectrum, including the all-important medical sector. In fact, looking at the impact it has had, we can even say that the technology-healthcare link-up will go down as one of the greatest forays across human history. Notably enough, though, the outright crazy achievements are still not slowing down the sector’s progression, and we got to see another example of it in a recently-formed partnership.
Novartis and Voyager Therapeutics have officially agreed to embark upon a partnership, which is focused on scaling up the former’s gene therapy delivery. According to certain reports, the collaboration is almost entirely structured around Voyager’s TRACER technology. Using TRACER’s ability of discovering new AAV capsids that are tooled to deliver gene therapy around particular types of tissue, Novartis will address three CNS (Central Nervous System) targets. Even though the targets were not revealed to the public, Novartis does have an option to throw two more into the package. As far as the financials of this deal are concerned, Novartis is expected to pay Voyager over $54 million in upfront costs, but the potential figure here can climb up to $1.5 billion, assuming the deal hits the established milestones. Furthermore, Voyager is also slated to receive royalties from sales of any product, which uses its licensed capsids.
“Our collaboration with Novartis expands the array of therapeutic programs in which our proprietary capsids may be deployed and highlights the potential of our TRACER platform to generate future business development opportunities as our novel capsid library expands and initial TRACER-derived capsids are further refined to enhance desirable characteristics,” said Allen Nunnally, Chief Business Officer at Voyager Therapeutics.
Voyager’s TRACER technology has been on bit of a tear lately. It has lured in several big partners, including the pharmaceuticals giant, Pfizer. The two companies signed a $30 million deal last October. Nevertheless, as studies lend more and more validation to TRACER’s unmatched efficiency in regards to penetrating the blood-brain barrier, the technology can very well hope to mount greater heights.
