Voyager Therapeutics, Inc._December 31, 2025
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UNITED STATES
SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION
Washington, DC 20549
FORM 10-K
(Mark One)
For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025
OR
For the transition period from to
Commission File Number: 001-37625
Voyager Therapeutics, Inc.
(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)
75 Hayden Avenue,Lexington, Massachusetts 02421
(Address of Principal Executive Offices) (Zip Code)
(857) 259-5340
(Registrant’s Telephone Number, Including Area Code)
Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:
Title of each class Trading Symbol(s) Name of each exchange on which registered
Common Stock, $0.001 par value VYGR Nasdaq Global Select Market
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☐No☒
Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes☐No☒
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days. Yes☒ No☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files). Yes☒ No☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company, or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.
Large accelerated filer ☐ Accelerated filer ☒
Non-accelerated filer ☐ Smaller reporting company ☐
Emerging growth company ☐
If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒
If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements.☐
Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to § 240.10D-1(b). ☐
Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act). Yes☐ No☒
The aggregate market value of common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant computed by reference to the price of the registrant’s common stock as of June 30, 2025, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter, was approximately $144.2 million (based on the last reported sale price on the Nasdaq Global Select Market as of such date).
As of March 2, 2026, there were 59,599,375 shares of the registrant’s common stock, par value $0.001 per share, outstanding.
DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE
Portions of the registrant’s definitive Proxy Statement relating to its 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders are incorporated by reference into Part III of this Annual Report on Form 10-K where indicated. Such Proxy Statement is expected to be filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission not later than 120 days after the end of the fiscal year to which this report relates.
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Page
PART I.
Item 1. Business 8
Item 1A. Risk Factors 51
Item 1B. Unresolved Staff Comments 120
Item 1C. Cybersecurity 120
Item 2. Properties 121
Item 3. Legal Proceedings 121
Item 4. Mine Safety Disclosures 121
PART II.
Item 7A. Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures about Market Risk 136
Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data 137
Item 9A. Controls and Procedures 137
Item 9B. Other Information 141
PART III.
Item 10. Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance 141
Item 11. Executive Compensation 141
Item 14. Principal Accountant Fees and Services 141
PART IV.
Item 15. Exhibits and Financial Statement Schedules 142
Signatures
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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements that involve substantial risks and uncertainties. All statements other than statements of historical facts contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including statements regarding our strategy, future operations, future financial position, future revenue, projected costs, prospects, plans, objectives of management and expected market growth, are forward-looking statements. These statements involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other important factors that may cause our actual results, performance, or achievements to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements.
The words “anticipate,” “believe,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend,” “may,” “might,” “plan,” “predict,” “project,” “target,” “potential,” “contemplate,” “anticipate,” “goals,” “will,” “would,” “could,” “should,” “continue,” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements, although not all forward-looking statements contain these identifying words. These forward-looking statements include, among other things, statements about:
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These forward-looking statements are only predictions, and we may not actually achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in our forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on our forward-looking statements. Actual results or events could differ materially from the plans, intentions and expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements we make. We have based these forward-looking statements largely on our current expectations and projections about future events and trends that we believe may affect our business, financial condition and operating results. We have included important factors in the cautionary statements included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, particularly in “Part I, Item 1A - Risk Factors” that could cause actual future results or events to differ materially from the forward-looking statements that we make. Our forward-looking statements do not reflect the potential impact of any future acquisitions, mergers, dispositions, strategic collaborations, licenses, joint ventures or investments we may make or enter into.
You should read this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the documents that we have filed as exhibits to the Annual Report on Form 10-K with the understanding that our actual future results may be materially different from what we expect. We do not assume any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.
We obtained the statistical and other industry and market data in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the documents we have filed as exhibits to the Annual Report on Form 10-K from our own internal estimates and research, as well as from industry and general publications and research, surveys, studies and trials conducted by third parties. Some data is also based on our good faith estimates, which are derived from management’s knowledge of the industry and independent sources. This data involves a number of assumptions and limitations, and you are cautioned not to give undue weight to such estimates. In addition, while we believe the market opportunity information included in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the documents we have filed as exhibits to the Annual Report on Form 10-K are reliable and are based upon reasonable assumptions, such data involves risks and uncertainties and are subject to change based on various factors, including those discussed under “Risk Factors” and in the documents we have filed as exhibits to the Annual Report on Form 10-K. In addition, statements that “we believe” and similar statements reflect our beliefs and opinions on the relevant subject. These statements are based upon information available to us as of the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K, and while we believe such information forms a reasonable basis for such statements, such information may be limited or incomplete, and our statements should not be read to indicate that we have conducted an exhaustive inquiry into, or review of, all potentially available relevant information. These statements are inherently uncertain, and investors are cautioned not to unduly rely upon these statements.
We own various U.S. federal trademark registrations and applications and unregistered trademarks, including our corporate logo. This Annual Report on Form 10-K and the documents filed as exhibits to the Annual Report on Form
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10-K contain references to trademarks, service marks and trade names referred to in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the information incorporated herein, including logos, artwork, and other visual displays, that may appear without the ® or TM symbols, but such references are not intended to indicate, in any way, that we will not assert, to the fullest extent under applicable law, our rights or the rights of the applicable licensor to these trademarks, service marks or trade names. We do not intend our use or display of other companies’ trade names, service marks or trademarks to imply a relationship with, or endorsement or sponsorship of us by, any other companies. All trademarks, service marks and trade names included or incorporated by reference into this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the documents filed as exhibits to the Annual Report on Form 10-K are the property of their respective owners.
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RISK FACTOR SUMMARY
Investment in our securities involves risk and uncertainties that you should be aware of when evaluating our business. The following is a summary of what we believe to be the principal risks facing our business, as more fully described under “Part I, Item 1A - Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The risks and uncertainties described below are not the only risks and uncertainties we face. Additional risks and uncertainties not presently known to us or that we presently deem less significant may also impair our business operations.
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PART I
ITEM 1. BUSINESS
We are a biotechnology company whose mission is to leverage the power of human genetics to modify the course of and ultimately cure neurological diseases. Our pipeline includes programs for Alzheimer’s disease, or AD; Friedreich’s ataxia, or FA; Parkinson’s disease, or PD; and multiple other diseases of the central nervous system, or CNS. Many of our programs are derived from our TRACERTM (Tropism Redirection of AAV by Cell-type-specific Expression of RNA) adeno-associated virus, or AAV, capsid discovery platform, which we have used to generate novel capsids, or TRACER Capsids, and identify associated receptors to potentially enable high brain penetration with genetic medicines following intravenous, or IV, dosing. Some of our programs are wholly-owned, and some are advancing with licensees and collaborators, including Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease, or Alexion; Novartis Pharma AG, or Novartis; Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc., or Neurocrine; and Transition Bio, Inc., or Transition Bio.
We are advancing our own proprietary pipeline of drug candidates for neurological diseases, with a focus on AD. Our wholly-owned prioritized pipeline includes two tau targeting programs: VY1706, a tau silencing gene therapy for AD, and VY7523, an anti-tau antibody for AD. VY1706 is a gene therapy that leverages an intravenously delivered TRACER Capsid containing a vectorized small interfering RNA specifically targeting tau mRNA. In a non-human primate, or NHP, study, a single 1.3E13 vector genomes per kilogram, or vg/kg, dose of VY1706 delivered intravenously resulted in reductions in tau mRNA levels of 50% to 73% across the cerebral cortex, including in areas of the brain where tau accumulates during the progression of AD. We expect to complete a good laboratory practices, or GLP, toxicology study in the first quarter of 2026. Having had a Type C communication with the FDA in the first quarter of 2026, we anticipate the submission of an investigational new drug, or IND, application in the second quarter of 2026 and initiation of a clinical trial for the VY1706 program in the second half of 2026. VY7523 is an IV-administered, recombinant, humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody developed to inhibit the spread of pathological tau, which is closely correlated with disease progression and cognitive decline in AD. The murine version of VY7523 reduced tau spread by approximately 70% in preclinical studies. VY7523 demonstrated an acceptable safety, tolerability, and immunogenicity profile as well as expected pharmacokinetic results in a Phase 1, single ascending dose, or SAD, clinical trial in healthy volunteers. In February 2025, we initiated a Phase 1 multiple ascending dose, or MAD, clinical trial of VY7523 in early AD patients. We expect initial tau positron emission tomography, or PET, imaging data in the second half of 2026.
Our proprietary pipeline also includes an early research initiative to develop a non-viral therapeutic that leverages our proprietary Voyager NeuroShuttleTM platform for the treatment of an undisclosed neurological disease. We paused investment in our apolipoprotein E, or APOE, gene therapy program to prioritize other programs. The decision is unrelated to data from the program, which have demonstrated dose-dependent APOE4 protein reduction and APOE2 protein expression in murine studies while maintaining total APOE at physiological levels.
In addition to our wholly-owned pipeline, we are advancing three programs with collaboration partners for which we retain options to participate in future development and commercialization. Two of these programs are in collaboration with Neurocrine: a frataxin (FXN) gene therapy program for FA, which we refer to as the FA Program, and a glucosylceramidase beta 1, or GBA1, gene therapy program that will focus on Gaucher and PD, which we refer to as the GBA1 Program. Neurocrine has stated that, pending successful FDA IND clearance, it intends to initiate a clinical trial with NBIB-’223 for FA in the second half of 2026. In preclinical studies, IV-administered NBIB-’223 resulted in protein expression in the brain and heart. Neurocrine has informed us that it continues to progress the GBA1 Program in addition to three gene therapy programs for which we do not have opt-in rights. We maintain an option to co-develop and co-commercialize 40% of the FA Program and 50% of the GBA1 Program for PD in the U.S.
Our third opt-in program is our collaboration with Transition Bio to develop selective small molecules for the treatment of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS, and frontotemporal dementia with TDP-43 pathology. We have an option for an exclusive license to the worldwide rights to develop and commercialize this program.
In addition to the three partnered programs for which we retain opt-in rights, we have entered into multiple additional collaboration and licensing agreements with collaboration partners.
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We are collaborating with Neurocrine on three gene therapy programs against undisclosed targets. Two of these three programs have development candidates selected and are advancing through preclinical toxicology studies. In addition to the Neurocrine collaborations, we have partnered with Novartis on TRACER Capsid-based gene therapies for spinal muscular atrophy and Huntington’s disease. We have also licensed capsids to Alexion for one undisclosed rare neurological disease target and to Novartis for one undisclosed CNS target. In total, our partnerships have delivered more than $500.0 million in non-dilutive funding to us to date, including upfront fees, development milestone payments, option exercise fees, license fees, and research and development expense reimbursement. Looking forward, we have the potential to earn up to $6.8 billion in milestone payments across the partnered portfolio, including $2.4 billion in potential development milestone payments, as well as royalties.
All of the gene therapies in our wholly-owned and collaborative pipeline are delivered intravenously leveraging TRACER capsids. TRACER is a broadly applicable, RNA-based screening platform that enables rapid discovery of AAV capsids with robust penetration of the blood-brain barrier, or BBB, and enhanced CNS tropism in multiple species, including NHPs. We subsequently utilized these BBB-penetrant capsids to identify the receptors by which the capsids enter the BBB. We have identified multiple receptors, including alkaline phosphatase, or ALPL, that are capable of transporting a large biologic molecule, such as a capsid, across the BBB.
We have leveraged our knowledge of BBB receptors, discovered using TRACER, to develop a second delivery platform called Voyager NeuroShuttleTM. Voyager NeuroShuttle is a non-viral delivery platform leveraging novel receptor-binding molecules to transport multiple modalities of neurotherapeutics across the blood-brain barrier. The first NeuroShuttle within the platform leverages the ALPL receptor. During the third quarter of 2025, we shared the results of initial murine proof-of-concept studies of ALPL-VYGR-NeuroShuttle demonstrating in the study sustained brain expression over three weeks, compared to less than one week for transferrin receptor, or TfR, shuttles, with no impact on circulating reticulocytes or downstream measurements of anemia. In addition to the initial murine proof-of-concept data provided for the ALPL-VYGR-NeuroShuttle, a proof-of-concept study using anti-amyloid antibodies demonstrated that the ALPL-NeuroShuttle showed similar target engagement to a TfR shuttle. We initiated a discovery program using ALPL-VYGR-NeuroShuttle to target an undisclosed neurological disease.
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Overview of Our Pipeline
Our pipeline of programs is summarized in the table below:
Wholly-Owned Programs
Tau Silencing Gene Therapy (VY1706) and Anti-Tau Antibody (VY7523) for the Treatment of Alzheimer’s Disease
Disease Overview
Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disease estimated to affect over 7 million older adults in the United States (as of 2025) and up to 416 million older adults globally (as of 2022). The spread of pathological tau as identified via tau PET imaging correlates closely to AD progression as measured by Braak clinical/pathologic staging. Further, recent third-party data have established that both an antibody and an antisense oligonucleotide knockdown approach can decrease accumulation of tau in the brain and potentially impact cognition.
Treatment Approach: VY1706 (Tau Silencing Gene Therapy)
VY1706 is a gene therapy that leverages an intravenously delivered TRACER Capsid containing a vectorized small interfering RNA, specifically targeting tau mRNA.
In an NHP study, a single IV 1.3E13 vg/kg dose of VY1706 resulted in reductions in tau mRNA levels of 50% to 73% across the cerebral cortex, including in areas of the brain where tau accumulates during the progression of AD.
We expect to complete the GLP toxicology study in the first quarter of 2026. Having had a Type C communication with the FDA in the first quarter of 2026, we anticipate the submission of an IND application in the second quarter of 2026 and initiation of a clinical trial for the VY1706 program in the second half of 2026.
Treatment Approach: VY7523 (Anti-Tau Antibody)
VY7523 is an IV-administered, recombinant, humanized IgG4 monoclonal antibody developed to inhibit the spread of pathological tau, which is closely correlated with disease progression and cognitive decline in AD. We believe VY7523 is differentiated from other anti-tau antibodies based on selectivity for pathological tau and the epitope, the part of a foreign protein or antigen that is capable of generating an immune response, it targets, which is located in the C-
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terminal. Many other anti-tau antibodies are designed to target the N-terminal, mid-domain, or microtubule binding region of the tau protein.
In the P301S seeding-propagation tauopathy mouse model, our C-terminal targeting anti-tau antibody blocked the seeding/propagation of filamentous tau and demonstrated substantial (greater than 70%) reduction of induced tau pathology. We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled SAD trial to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and pharmacokinetics of single IV doses of VY7523 in 48 healthy male and female volunteers. VY7523 was generally well tolerated across all six ascending dose cohorts, meeting the primary objective of the trial, with no SAEs, severe adverse events, or infusion reactions reported. The primary endpoints for the trial were incidence of treatment-emergent adverse events and clinically relevant changes from baseline in vital signs, electrocardiograms and clinical laboratory parameters. The secondary endpoints for the trial were various serum pharmacokinetic parameters, cerebrospinal fluid, or CSF, concentrations of VY7523, and incidence, level, and characterization of treatment-emergent anti-drug antibodies. The most frequently reported adverse events were pruritus/itchy skin and scratching, headache, and chest pain. Secondary objectives of the trial were also met. Serum concentrations increased in a dose-proportionate manner, and the CSF-to-serum ratio was 0.3%, consistent with other monoclonal antibodies approved for the treatment of AD. These data were presented at the CTAD 2025 conference.
In February 2025, Voyager initiated a MAD trial of VY7523. The MAD study is a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial to evaluate VY7523 in 52 patients with early AD (mild cognitive impairment due to AD or mild AD). Initial tau PET imaging data are expected in the second half of 2026.
Collaboration Programs
Friedreich’s Ataxia Program: NBIB-’223 (formerly known as VY-FXN01)(2019 Neurocrine Collaboration)
Disease Overview
FA is a debilitating neurodegenerative disease resulting in poor coordination of legs and arms, progressive loss of the ability to walk, generalized weakness, loss of sensation, scoliosis, diabetes and cardiomyopathy as well as impaired vision, hearing and speech. The typical age of onset is 10 to 12 years, and life expectancy is severely reduced with patients generally dying of neurological and cardiac complications between the ages of 35 and 45. According to the Friedreich’s Ataxia Research Alliance, there are approximately 5,000 patients living with the disease in the United States.
FA patients have mutations of the FXN gene that reduce production of the frataxin protein, resulting in the degeneration of sensory pathways and a variety of debilitating symptoms. FA is an autosomal recessive disorder, meaning that a person must obtain a defective copy of the FXN gene from both parents in order to develop the condition. One healthy copy of the FXN gene, or 50% of normal frataxin protein levels, is sufficient to prevent the disease phenotype. We therefore believe that restoring FXN protein levels to at least 50% of normal levels by AAV gene therapy might lead to a successful therapy.
Treatment Approach
NBIB-’223 is an intravenously delivered, TRACER-derived capsid containing a functional version of the FXN gene, which is mutated in FA, which we are developing in collaboration with Neurocrine. We initially conducted preclinical studies in NHPs and achieved high FXN expression levels within the target sensory ganglia, or clusters of neurons, along the spinal region following intrathecal injection. More recently, we conducted preclinical studies in NHPs with IV injection and achieved target FXN expression levels within sensory ganglia and the heart. Neurocrine has stated that, pending successful FDA IND clearance, it intends to initiate a clinical trial with NBIB-’223 for FA in the second half of 2026.
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GBA1 Gene Replacement Program for the Treatment of PD and Gaucher Disease (2023 Neurocrine Collaboration)
Disease Overview
Mutations in GBA1, the gene encoding the lysosomal glucocerebrosidase enzyme, or Gcase, are responsible for Gaucher disease and are also the most common genetic risk factor for synucleinopathies such as PD. Gaucher disease affects approximately 6,000 patients in the U.S., and there are currently no treatments available for neurological involvement in Type 2 and Type 3 Gaucher disease. PD is among the most common neurodegenerative diseases, affecting about one million patients in the United States and more than 10.0 million patients worldwide. Up to 10% of PD patients have a GBA1 mutation, and these mutations increase the risk of PD by approximately 20-fold.
Treatment Approach
We and Neurocrine are developing a gene therapy leveraging a BBB-penetrant, CNS-tropic TRACER Capsid to treat diseases linked to GBA1 mutations via a gene replacement approach. We have presented data from mouse studies with respect to three potential development candidates. Each demonstrated significant improvement in several efficacy biomarkers, and additional data from an NHP study demonstrated that the administration of a reporter transgene via a single, IV dose using two novel BBB-penetrant AAV capsids substantially improved biodistribution and gene expression compared to conventional AAV9 in the putamen and substantia nigra, two areas of the brain that are affected in PD. This program is progressing in preclinical development.
HD Program (2023 Novartis Collaboration Agreement)
Disease Overview
Huntington’s disease, or HD, is a fatal, inherited neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive decline of motor and cognitive functions and a range of behavioral and psychiatric disturbances. HD is caused by mutations in the huntingtin, or HTT, gene. HD is an autosomal dominant disorder, which means that an individual is at risk of inheriting the disease if only one parent is affected. While the exact function of the HTT gene in healthy individuals is unknown, it is essential for normal development before birth. Mutations in the HTT gene ultimately lead to the production of abnormal intracellular huntingtin protein aggregates and expansions in the gene in neurons that may cause neuronal cell death.
Program Status
On December 28, 2023, we entered into a license and collaboration agreement with Novartis, or the 2023 Novartis Collaboration Agreement. Under the 2023 Novartis Collaboration Agreement, we and Novartis have agreed to collaborate to develop AAV gene therapy products and product candidates intended for the treatment of HD, which we refer to as the Novartis HD Program. The Novartis HD Program is currently in preclinical development. From and after the first IND application filing for the Novartis HD Program, we and Novartis have agreed that Novartis will assume sole responsibility for the development and commercialization of gene therapy products and product candidates under the Novartis HD Program, including all further preclinical and clinical development and any commercialization of the Novartis HD Program products and product candidates.
Collaboration Programs and Licensing Agreements
2023 Novartis Collaboration Agreement
On December 28, 2023, or the 2023 Novartis Collaboration Agreement Effective Date, we entered into the 2023 Novartis Collaboration Agreement, with Novartis to (a) provide rights to Novartis with respect to certain TRACER Capsids for use in the research, development, and commercialization by Novartis of AAV gene therapy products and product candidates, comprising such TRACER Capsids and payloads intended for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy, or the Novartis SMA Program, and (b) collaborate to develop AAV gene therapy products and product
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candidates under the Novartis HD Program, in each case, leveraging TRACER Capsids and other intellectual property controlled by us.
Novartis SMA Program and Novartis HD Program Licenses
Under the terms of the 2023 Novartis Collaboration Agreement, we granted to Novartis and its affiliates:
Governance
We and Novartis have agreed to manage the Novartis HD Program through a Joint Steering Committee until dissolved after the first IND application filing for a Novartis HD Program Product. We and Novartis have further agreed that day-to-day activities of both the Novartis SMA Program and the Novartis HD Program shall be managed through designees from each of us and Novartis, acting as alliance managers.
Development, Regulatory Approval, Commercialization and Diligence.
Under the 2023 Novartis Collaboration Agreement, Novartis is solely responsible for, and has sole decision-making authority with respect to, at its own expense, the exploitation of a Novartis SMA Program Product.
With respect to the Novartis HD Program, the parties have agreed to conduct research and pre-clinical development of Novartis HD Program Products pursuant to a research plan, with Novartis reimbursing us for our activities thereunder in accordance with the agreed-to budget. From and after the first IND application filing for the Novartis HD Program, the parties have agreed that Novartis will assume sole responsibility for the development and commercialization of Novartis HD Program Products, including all further preclinical and clinical development and any commercialization of the Novartis HD Program products and product candidates.
With respect to each of the Novartis SMA Program Products and Novartis HD Program Products, Novartis is obligated to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and obtain regulatory approval for at least one of each such product in the United States and in certain other international markets specified in the 2023 Novartis Collaboration Agreement.
Intellectual Property
Under the terms of the 2023 Novartis Collaboration Agreement, each party owns the entire right, title, and interest in and to all patents or know-how controlled by such party and existing as of or before the 2023 Novartis Collaboration Agreement Effective Date, or invented, authored, discovered, developed, created or acquired solely by or
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on behalf of such party after the 2023 Novartis Collaboration Effective Date outside of its activities under the 2023 Novartis Collaboration Agreement.
We and Novartis have further agreed that all know-how created by either or both parties in the performance of the activities as undertaken pursuant to the performance of the Novartis HD Program plan or in the course of development, manufacture and commercialization of Novartis HD Program Products and all patent rights covering such know-how, or collectively, the 2023 Novartis Arising IP, is to be owned as follows: (a) we solely own all 2023 Novartis Arising IP comprised of know-how or other intellectual property rights related to any TRACER Capsid, including the use or manufacture of any TRACER Capsid, and that is created jointly by our representatives and representatives of Novartis or created solely by representatives of Novartis through the use of our confidential information; and (b) with respect to all other 2023 Novartis Arising IP, (i) we solely own all such 2023 Novartis Arising IP created solely by our representatives, (ii) Novartis solely owns all such 2023 Novartis Arising IP created solely by Novartis representatives; and (iii) the parties jointly own all such 2023 Novartis Arising IP created jointly by representatives of both Novartis and us.
Exclusivity
Subject to certain limitations and exceptions, we have agreed during the 2023 Novartis Collaboration Term not to (a) conduct any wholly-owned program or program on behalf of a third party that is directed to the development or commercialization of any capsids for use in any therapeutic product containing a capsid in combination with a payload designed to have therapeutic effect on the gene agreed between the parties as the target of the Novartis SMA Program when packaged into a capsid and delivered to the appropriate cells; (b) develop or commercialize any competing Novartis HD Program Product intended to have a therapeutic effect on genes agreed between the parties as the targets of the Novartis HD Program; or (c) grant any third party any right, license, option, covenant not to assert or similar right, under any patents or know-how controlled by us or our affiliates (excluding an acquiring entity) as of the 2023 Novartis Collaboration Agreement Effective Date or during the 2023 Novartis Collaboration Term, that would enable a third party to do any of the foregoing.
Termination
Unless earlier terminated, with respect to any licensed product(s) under the 2023 Novartis Collaboration Agreement, on a country-by-country basis, the 2023 Novartis Collaboration Agreement expires upon the expiration of the last-to-expire royalty term with respect to such licensed product in such country in the territory, or the 2023 Novartis Collaboration Term. Subject to a cure period, either party may terminate the 2023 Novartis Collaboration Agreement, in whole or in part, subject to specified conditions, in the event of the other party’s uncured material breach. Novartis may also terminate the 2023 Novartis Collaboration Agreement, in whole or in part, subject to specified conditions, for our insolvency, for the occurrence of a violation of global trade control laws, or for our non-compliance with certain anti-bribery or anti-corruption covenants. Novartis may terminate the 2023 Novartis Collaboration Agreement, in whole or in part, for any or no reason upon ninety days’ written notice to us. In the event that Novartis has the right to terminate the 2023 Novartis Collaboration Agreement as a result of an uncured material breach by us that materially impairs the ability of Novartis to exploit one or more licensed products, Novartis may, in lieu of such termination, elect for the 2023 Novartis Collaboration Agreement to remain in full force and effect, and all milestone payments and royalties that would have otherwise been payable by Novartis under such licenses had the 2023 Novartis Collaboration Agreement not been breached would be substantially reduced.
Financial Terms
Under the 2023 Novartis Collaboration Agreement, Novartis paid us an upfront payment of $80.0 million. We are eligible to receive specified development, regulatory, and commercialization milestone payments of up to an aggregate of $200.0 million for the Novartis SMA Program and up to an aggregate of $225.0 million for the Novartis HD Program, in each case for the first corresponding product to achieve the corresponding milestone. We are also eligible to receive (a) specified sales milestone payments of up to an aggregate of $400.0 million for the Novartis SMA Program and up to an aggregate of $375.0 million for the Novartis HD Program and (b) tiered, escalating royalties in the high single-digit to low double-digit percentages of annual net sales of the Novartis SMA Program Products and the
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Novartis HD Program Products. The royalties are subject to potential customary reductions, including patent claim expiration, payments for certain third-party licenses, and biosimilar market penetration, subject to specified limits.
2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement
Summary of Agreement
On March 4, 2022, or the 2022 Novartis Option and License Effective Date, we entered into an option and license agreement with Novartis, or the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement. Pursuant to the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement, we granted Novartis options, or the Novartis License Options, to license TRACER Capsids, or the Novartis Licensed Capsids, for exclusive use in programs targeting three specified genes, or the Initial Novartis Targets, to develop and commercialize AAV gene therapy candidates comprised of Novartis Licensed Capsids and payloads directed to such targets, or the Novartis Initial Licensed Products. Effective as of March 1, 2023, Novartis exercised its Novartis License Options to license TRACER Capsids for use in gene therapy programs against two undisclosed programs targeting specified genes, or the Initial Novartis Targets. Upon Novartis’ exercise of the two Novartis License Options for Initial Novartis Targets, we granted Novartis a target-exclusive, worldwide license, with the right to sublicense, under certain of our intellectual property, the rights to develop and commercialize the applicable Novartis Licensed Capsid as incorporated into Novartis Initial Licensed Products. We also agreed to provide certain additional know-how to enable Novartis to exploit the Novartis Licensed Capsid and a payload directed to the applicable Initial Novartis Target for use in an Initial Novartis Licensed Product. Novartis elected not to license a capsid for one Initial Novartis Target prior to the expiration of the applicable Novartis License Option. As a result, the non-exclusive research license that we granted to Novartis in connection with this third Initial Novartis Target terminated, and all capsid rights with respect to that Initial Novartis Target returned to us.
On September 3, 2024, we entered into an amendment, or the Novartis Amendment, to the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement. Pursuant to the Novartis Amendment, we agreed to amend the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement to incorporate the grant to Novartis of a direct license, or the Novartis Direct License, to a TRACER Capsid, or the Novartis Direct Licensed Capsid, for exclusive use with a certain gene, or the Novartis Direct License Target, to develop and commercialize the Novartis Direct Licensed Capsid as incorporated into AAV gene therapy candidates comprised of the Novartis Direct Licensed Capsid and a payload directed to the Novartis Direct License Target, or Novartis Direct Licensed Products. We refer to (a) the two Initial Novartis Targets for which Novartis has exercised its Novartis License Options and the Novartis Direct License Target collectively as Novartis Licensed Targets, and (b) the Novartis Initial Licensed Products and Novartis Direct Licensed Products collectively as Novartis Licensed Products. As a result of the Novartis Amendment, the Novartis Direct License Target was deemed a Licensed Target under the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement, as such term is defined therein, and the Novartis Direct License became subject to all other terms and conditions applicable to other licenses granted to Novartis under the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement. In connection with the Novartis Amendment, the parties acknowledged that Novartis’ prior rights to exercise options for any initial targets and additional targets as described in the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement, other than those that had previously been exercised, had expired as of the effective date of the Novartis Amendment.
Under the terms of the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement, Novartis has the right to terminate the agreement, in whole or in part, for any or no reason upon ninety days’ written notice to us. In October 2025, Novartis notified us of its partial termination of the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement with respect to one Initial Novartis Target and the Novartis Direct License Target, in each case effective February 1, 2026, or the Effective Partial Termination Date.
Following the termination of the two programs, the licenses we granted to Novartis regarding the applicable Initial Novartis Target and the Novartis Direct License Target expired, and all intellectual property rights that we licensed to Novartis with respect to such programs reverted to us in accordance with the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement. As of the Effective Partial Termination Date, we are no longer eligible to receive the milestone payments or royalties associated these programs. The 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement remains in full force
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and effect for, and we remain eligible to receive milestone payments in the amount of up to $300.0 million as well as mid- to high-single-digit royalties in connection with, the remaining program under the agreement.
Governance
Subject to our disclosure obligations described above, we and Novartis have agreed to conduct our respective research and evaluation activities independently, with communications being managed by two alliance managers comprised of a designee from each of the parties.
Development, Regulatory Approval, and Commercialization
Under the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement, Novartis is solely responsible for, and has sole decision-making authority with respect to, development and commercialization of the Novartis Licensed Products. Novartis is required to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and obtain regulatory approval for at least one Novartis Licensed Product for each Novartis Licensed Target in (a) the United States and (b) at least three of the following countries: the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Japan, each of which we refer to as a Novartis Major Market Country, subject to certain limitations. Novartis is also required to use commercially reasonable efforts to commercialize each Novartis Licensed Product in the United States and at least three Novartis Major Market Countries where Novartis or its designated affiliates or sublicensees has received regulatory approval for such Novartis Licensed Product, subject to certain limitations.
The Novartis Research Term under the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement expired in March 2025.
Financial Terms
Under the terms of the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement, Novartis paid us an upfront payment of $54.0 million. Effective as of March 1, 2023, Novartis exercised its Novartis License Options to license TRACER Capsids for use in gene therapy programs against two undisclosed Initial Novartis Targets. With Novartis’ option exercise on two Initial Novartis Targets, we received a $25.0 million option exercise payment in April 2023. Novartis paid us a one-time fee of $15.0 million in consideration for the rights granted under the Novartis Amendment, which we received in October 2024. Following the partial termination of the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement by Novartis in October 2025, the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement remains active with respect to one gene therapy program for one Initial Novartis Target. We are eligible to receive specified development, regulatory, and commercialization milestone payments of up to an aggregate of $125.0 million for the first Novartis Initial Licensed Product for the remaining Initial Novartis Target for which a Novartis License Option has been exercised to achieve the corresponding milestone. We are eligible to receive (a) specified sales milestone payments of up to an aggregate of $175.0 million per Novartis Licensed Product directed to the remaining Initial Novartis Target and (b) tiered, escalating royalties in the mid- to high-single-digit percentages based on annual net sales of each Novartis Licensed Product directed to the remaining Initial Novartis Target. The remaining Initial Novartis Target is distinct from targets in our wholly-owned and partnered pipeline.
Intellectual Property
Under the terms of the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement, each party owns the entire right, title, and interest in and to all patents or know-how controlled by such party and existing as of or before the 2022 Novartis Option and License Effective Date, or invented, developed, created, generated or acquired solely by or on behalf of such party after the 2022 Novartis Option and License Effective Date. Subject to certain specified exceptions, any patents and know-how that are invented or otherwise developed jointly by or on behalf of the parties during the term of the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement and in the course of the parties’ activities under the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement will follow inventorship under U.S. patent law.
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Exclusivity
Subject to certain limitations and exceptions, we agreed (a) during the Novartis Research Term, which expired in March 2025, not to conduct any internal program or program on behalf of a third party that is directed to the development or commercialization of any of our capsids, or grant any third party or affiliate any right or license under our rights in such capsids, to exploit any therapeutic product containing a capsid in combination with a payload designed to have therapeutic effect on any of the Novartis Licensed Targets; and (b) not to grant any third party or affiliate any right or license under our patents to exploit the Novartis Licensed Capsid for the Novartis Licensed Target.
Termination
Unless earlier terminated, the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement expires on the expiration of the last-to-expire royalty term with respect to all Novartis Licensed Products in all countries. Subject to a cure period, either party may terminate the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement, in whole or in part, subject to specified conditions, in the event of the other party’s uncured material breach. Novartis may also terminate the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement, in whole or in part, subject to specified conditions, for our insolvency, the occurrence of a violation of global trade control laws, or for our non-compliance with certain anti-bribery or anti-corruption covenants. Novartis may terminate the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement, in whole or in part, for any or no reason upon ninety days’ written notice to us. In October 2025, Novartis notified us of its partial termination of the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement, for Novartis’ convenience and in accordance with the terms of the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement, with respect to one Initial Novartis Target and the Novartis Direct License Target as of the Effective Partial Termination Date.
Upon certain terminations for cause by Novartis, the licenses granted by us to Novartis under the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement shall become irrevocable and perpetual, and all milestone payments and royalties that would have otherwise been payable by Novartis under such licenses had the 2022 Novartis Option and License Agreement remained in effect would be substantially reduced.
2023 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement
Summary of Agreement
On January 8, 2023, we entered into the 2023 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement for the research, development, manufacture and commercialization of the GBA1 Program, and three new programs focused on the research, development, manufacture and commercialization of gene therapies designed to address CNS diseases or conditions associated with rare genetic targets, or the 2023 Discovery Programs and, collectively with the GBA1 Program, the 2023 Neurocrine Programs.
Collaboration and License
Under the 2023 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement, we and Neurocrine have agreed to collaborate on the conduct of the 2023 Neurocrine Programs. The 2023 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement became effective upon the expiration of all applicable waiting periods under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976, as amended, which occurred on February 21, 2023, or the Neurocrine Effective Date. Under the terms of the 2023 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement, subject to the rights retained by us thereunder, we granted to Neurocrine, as of the Neurocrine Effective Date, an exclusive, royalty-bearing, sublicensable, worldwide license, under certain of our intellectual property rights, to research, develop, manufacture and commercialize gene therapy products, or the 2023 Collaboration Products, arising under the 2023 Neurocrine Programs.
Pursuant to mutually-agreed development plans, during the period beginning on the Neurocrine Effective Date and ending on the third anniversary of the Neurocrine Effective Date, which period may be extended upon mutual written agreement of us and Neurocrine, or the 2023 Discovery Period, and as overseen by the Joint Steering Committee that oversees our ongoing collaboration with Neurocrine, we are responsible for identifying capsids meeting target criteria, producing development candidates, and conducting other non-clinical activities regarding the 2023
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Collaboration Products. The 2023 Discovery Period expired on February 21, 2026. With the exception of one preclinical study where we agreed to share costs, Neurocrine has agreed to be responsible for all costs we incur in conducting preclinical development activities for each 2023 Neurocrine Program, in accordance with JSC-agreed upon workplans and budgets. If we breach our development responsibilities or, in certain circumstances, upon a change of control, Neurocrine has the right, but not the obligation, to assume the conduct of our activities under such 2023 Neurocrine Program.
We have been granted the option, or a 2023 Co-Co Option, to co-develop and co-commercialize 2023 Collaboration Products in the GBA1 Program in the United States upon the occurrence of a specified event, or a 2023 Co-Co Trigger Event. Should we elect to exercise our 2023 Co-Co Option, we and Neurocrine agree to enter into a cost- and profit-sharing arrangement, or a 2023 Co-Co Agreement, whereby we and Neurocrine agree to jointly develop and commercialize 2023 Collaboration Products in the GBA1 Program, or 2023 Co-Co Products, in the United States and share equally in the GBA1 Program’s costs, profits and losses in the United States, with each party entitled to or responsible for 50% of profits and losses with respect to each 2023 Co-Co Product in the United States, subject to specified exceptions. The parties have agreed that the 2023 Co-Co Agreement will provide us the right to terminate the 2023 Co-Co Agreement for any reason upon prior written notice to Neurocrine and provide Neurocrine the right to terminate or amend the 2023 Co-Co Agreement upon a change of control under certain circumstances. In the event we exercise our 2023 Co-Co Option, the parties have also agreed that Neurocrine is entitled to receive (in addition to its 50% share of profits) 50% of our share of profits until our obligation to repay 50% of all development costs incurred by Neurocrine in connection with the GBA1 Program prior to such exercise have been paid off. The 2023 Co-Co Trigger Event is the date on which we receive topline data from the first clinical trial for a product candidate being developed for PD pursuant to the GBA1 Program or if none, then another indication under the GBA1 Program.
Governance
Our research and development activities under the 2023 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement are to be conducted pursuant to plans agreed to by the parties, on a 2023 Neurocrine Program-by-2023 Neurocrine Program basis, and overseen by the JSC, which is composed of an equal number of representatives from each of us and Neurocrine. The JSC may delegate matters within its authority to subcommittees of the JSC. In addition, the 2023 Collaboration Agreement establishes working groups to handle specified matters on a subject matter-by-subject matter basis. If a working group or subcommittee cannot agree on a matter within its purview within a specified time, such matter is to be referred sequentially to the JSC and then the executive officers of the parties. If the executive officers are not able to resolve the matter, then (a) with respect to the GBA1 Program, subject to specified exceptions, (i) Neurocrine has the right to resolve such matter prior to our exercise of our 2023 Co-Co Option for the GBA1 Program or in the event we elect not to exercise our 2023 Co-Co Option, and (ii) following the exercise by us of our 2023 Co-Co Option for the GBA1 Program, depending on the subject of such matter, either Neurocrine, in certain instances, or the parties jointly or the JSC, in other instances, would have the right to resolve such matter, and (b) with respect to the 2023 Discovery Programs, subject to specified exceptions, Neurocrine has the right to decide any unresolved matters relating to a 2023 Discovery Program that are within the JSC’s authority.
Candidate Selection
Either party may notify the JSC of any gene therapy product candidate that includes a Voyager capsid and a payload that is being developed under a 2023 Neurocrine Program, or a Collaboration Candidate, that it desires to nominate as a development candidate. In such event, the JSC shall determine whether such nominated Collaboration Candidate meets certain development criteria. There will be a maximum of four potential development candidates for which development is being performed under any 2023 Neurocrine Program at any given time during the 2023 Discovery Period, which expired in February 2026. If a Collaboration Candidate fails to meet criteria established by the JSC and is removed from consideration to become a development candidate or is named a development candidate, then a new Collaboration Candidate may be nominated to be a potential development candidate to replace the Collaboration Candidate that has failed or succeeded such that not more than four potential development candidates per program are under consideration at any one time during the 2023 Discovery Period.
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Manufacturing
The parties have agreed that the applicable development plans shall specify the allocation between us and Neurocrine of responsibilities for the manufacturing of Collaboration Candidates associated with the applicable 2023 Neurocrine Program during the 2023 Discovery Period. In accordance with the 2023 Collaboration Agreement, the parties have also agreed that, if we conduct any portion of the manufacturing of a Collaboration Candidate, the applicable development plan shall include an obligation for us to assist with the technology transfer of such manufacturing responsibilities to Neurocrine or a third-party contract manufacturing organization, as reasonably requested by Neurocrine, on terms to be mutually-agreed by us and Neurocrine. Following the end of the 2023 Discovery Period, which expired in February 2026, Neurocrine shall be responsible for the manufacturing of all Collaboration Candidates and products.
Financial Terms
Under the terms of the 2023 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement, Neurocrine paid us an upfront payment of approximately $136.0 million and approximately $39.0 million as consideration for an equity purchase of 4,395,588 shares of our common stock in February 2023. The 2023 Collaboration Agreement provides for aggregate development milestone payments from Neurocrine to us for 2023 Collaboration Products under (a) the GBA1 Program of up to $985.0 million; and (b) each of the three 2023 Discovery Programs of up to $175.0 million for each 2023 Discovery Program. We may be entitled to receive aggregate commercial milestone payments for up to two 2023 Collaboration Products under the GBA1 Program of up to $950.0 million per 2023 Collaboration Product and for one 2023 Collaboration Product under each 2023 Discovery Program of up to $275.0 million per 2023 Discovery Program. We agreed to forfeit certain milestones and royalties on net sales in the United States if we exercise the 2023 Co-Co Option. The JSC’s selection of the lead development candidate for the GBA1 Program in April 2024 triggered a $3.0 million milestone payment, which we received in May 2024. Additionally, the JSC’s selection of the development candidate for a 2023 Discovery Program in September 2024 triggered a $3.0 million milestone payment, which we received in October 2024. An additional development candidate for a 2023 Discovery Program was selected by the JSC in October 2025, triggering another $3.0 million milestone payment, which we received in November 2025.
Neurocrine has also agreed to pay us tiered royalties, based on future net sales of the 2023 Collaboration Products. Such royalty percentages, for net sales in and outside the United States, range from (a) for the GBA1 Program, the low double-digits to twenty and the high single-digits to mid-teens, respectively, and (b) for each 2023 Discovery Program, high single-digits to mid-teens and mid-single digits to low double-digits, respectively. On a country-by-country and 2023 Neurocrine Program-by-2023 Neurocrine Program basis, the parties have agreed royalty payments would commence on the first commercial sale of a 2023 Collaboration Product in such country and terminate upon the latest of (x) the expiration, invalidation or the abandonment of the last patent covering the composition of the 2023 Collaboration Product or its approved method of use in such country, (y) ten years from the first commercial sale of the 2023 Collaboration Product in such country and (z) the expiration of regulatory exclusivity in such country, or the 2023 Royalty Term. Royalty payments may be reduced by up to 50% in specified circumstances, including expiration of patent rights related to a 2023 Collaboration Product, approval of biosimilar products in a given country, or required payment of licensing fees to third parties related to the development and commercialization of any 2023 Collaboration Product. Additionally, the licenses granted to Neurocrine shall automatically convert to a fully-paid, perpetual, irrevocable royalty-free license on a country-by-country and 2023 Collaboration Product-by-2023 Collaboration Product basis upon the expiration of the 2023 Royalty Term applicable to the 2023 Collaboration Product in such country.
Intellectual Property
Under the terms of the 2023 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement, each party owns all right, title and interest in and to all patent rights or know-how controlled by such party and existing as of or before the Neurocrine Effective Date or created or acquired solely by or on behalf of such party (including through its or its affiliate’s representatives) after the Neurocrine Effective Date outside of its activities under the 2023 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement. The parties have further agreed that all know-how created by either or both parties in the performance of the activities as undertaken pursuant to a development plan during the 2023 Discovery Period or in the course of development, manufacture and commercialization of Collaboration Candidates or products and all patent rights covering such know-how, or collectively
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the 2023 Neurocrine Arising IP, is to be owned as follows: (a) we solely own all 2023 Neurocrine Arising IP created jointly by representatives of us and Neurocrine that constitutes capsid know-how and capsid patent rights, and 2023 Neurocrine Arising IP created solely by representatives of Neurocrine through the use of our confidential information, including unpublished sequence information for our capsids; and (b) with respect to all other 2023 Neurocrine Arising IP, (i) we solely own all such 2023 Neurocrine Arising IP created solely by our representatives, (ii) Neurocrine solely owns all such 2023 Neurocrine Arising IP created solely by Neurocrine representatives; and (iii) the parties jointly own all such 2023 Neurocrine Arising IP created jointly by representatives of both Neurocrine and us. 2023 Neurocrine Arising IP owned by us is included in the license granted from us to Neurocrine described above.
Exclusivity
During the term of the 2023 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement, neither party nor any of its respective affiliates is permitted to directly or indirectly develop, manufacture or commercialize any other gene therapy product directed to a target under any 2023 Neurocrine Program, or grant any affiliate or third party a license or sublicense to enable any third party to do so, subject to specified exceptions, including the parties’ conduct of certain basic research, provided that Neurocrine or its affiliates may develop competitive products that do not contain an adeno-associated virus as the viral vector.
Termination
Unless earlier terminated, the 2023 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement expires on the later of (a) the expiration of the last-to-expire 2023 Royalty Term with respect to all 2023 Collaboration Products worldwide or (b) the expiration or termination of any 2023 Co-Co Agreement. Neurocrine may terminate the 2023 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement in its entirety or on a 2023 Neurocrine Program-by-2023 Neurocrine Program and/or country-by-country basis by providing at least (x) 180-day advance notice if such notice is provided prior to the first commercial sale of any 2023 Collaboration Product to which the termination applies or (y) one-year advance notice if such notice is provided after the first commercial sale of any product to which the termination applies. Neurocrine may terminate the 2023 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement with respect to a given 2023 Collaboration Product by providing written notice of termination to us within thirty days after complete readout of any clinical trial if the results of such clinical trial fail to meet the pre-specified primary endpoint(s) set forth in the applicable protocol or if there is a safety finding during the clinical trial relating to such 2023 Collaboration Product that either (i) is substantially irreversible or not monitorable in patients or (ii) results in Neurocrine’s decision to designate such 2023 Collaboration Product as a terminated product under the 2023 Collaboration Agreement.
We may terminate the 2023 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement with respect to a particular patent right of ours, if Neurocrine challenges the validity or enforceability of such patent right. Subject to a cure period, either party may terminate the 2023 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement in the event of a material breach in whole or in part, subject to specified conditions.
2019 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement
In January 2019, we entered into the 2019 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement for the research, development and commercialization of certain of our AAV gene therapy products. Under the 2019 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement, we agreed to collaborate on the conduct of four collaboration programs, which we refer to collectively as the 2019 Neurocrine Programs: the NBIb-1817 (VY-AADC) program for the treatment of PD, or the VY-AADC Program; the FA Program; and other undisclosed programs, or the 2019 Discovery Programs. On February 2, 2021, Neurocrine notified us that it had elected to terminate the 2019 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement solely with regards to the VY-AADC Program, effective as of August 2, 2021, which we refer to as the Neurocrine VY-AADC Program Termination Effective Date. As a result of the termination, as of the Neurocrine VY-AADC Program Termination Effective Date, the license granted by us to Neurocrine thereunder regarding the VY-AADC Program expired and we regained worldwide intellectual property rights regarding the VY-AADC Program.
On April 30, 2025, as a result of Neurocrine no longer prioritizing the two 2019 Discovery Programs, the JSC mutually agreed to discontinue the activities associated with such programs, and to return the rights to the undisclosed
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targets to us. As a result of the discontinuation, the licenses granted by us to Neurocrine thereunder regarding the 2019 Discovery Programs terminated and we regained worldwide intellectual property rights regarding such programs. The 2019 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement remains in full force and effect for the FA Program.
Collaboration and Licenses
Under the terms of the 2019 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement, subject to the rights retained by us thereunder, we agreed to collaborate with Neurocrine on, and to grant, exclusive, royalty-bearing, non-transferable, sublicensable licenses to certain of our intellectual property rights, for all human and veterinary diagnostic, prophylactic, and therapeutic uses, for the research, development, and commercialization of gene therapy products, which we refer to as the 2019 Collaboration Products, under (a) the VY-AADC Program on a worldwide basis; (b) the FA Program, in the United States and, all countries in the world in which the 2019 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement remains in effect with respect to the FA Program; and (c) each of the 2019 Discovery Programs, on a worldwide basis. Licenses related to the VY-AADC Program terminated in August 2021. Licenses related to the two 2019 Discovery Programs terminated in April 2025.
In connection with the June 2019 termination of the collaboration agreement with Sanofi Genzyme Corporation, we gained ex-U.S. rights to the FA program. We subsequently transferred the ex-U.S. rights to the FA Program to Neurocrine pursuant to the 2019 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement. To facilitate our transfer of the ex-U.S. rights to the FA Program to Neurocrine, we and Neurocrine amended the 2019 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement, and we received a $5.0 million payment from Neurocrine.
Pursuant to development plans to be agreed by the parties, which are overseen by the JSC, we have operational responsibility, subject to certain exceptions, for the conduct of each 2019 Neurocrine Program prior to the occurrence of a specified event for each 2019 Neurocrine Program, or a 2019 Transition Event, and are required to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop the 2019 Collaboration Products. Neurocrine has agreed to be responsible for all costs incurred by us in conducting these activities for each 2019 Neurocrine Program, in accordance with an agreed budget. If we breach our development responsibilities or in certain circumstances upon a change in control of us, Neurocrine has the right but not the obligation to assume the activities under such 2019 Neurocrine Program.
Upon the occurrence of a 2019 Transition Event for each 2019 Neurocrine Program, Neurocrine agreed to assume responsibility for development, manufacturing and commercialization activities for such 2019 Neurocrine Program from us and to pay milestones and royalties on future net sales as described further below. For the FA Program, we were granted the option, or the 2019 Co-Co Option, to co-develop and co-commercialize the FA Program upon the occurrence of a specified event, or the 2019 Co-Co Trigger Event. We agreed, were we to exercise the 2019 Co-Co Option, to enter into a cost- and profit-sharing arrangement with Neurocrine, or the 2019 Co-Co Agreement, and (a) jointly develop and commercialize 2019 Collaboration Products for the FA Program, or 2019 Co-Co Products, (b) share in its costs, profits and losses, and (c) forfeit certain milestones and royalties on net sales in the United States during the effective period of the 2019 Co-Co Agreement. The 2019 Transition Event with respect to the FA Program is our receipt of topline data for the initial Phase 1 clinical trial for an FA Program product candidate. The 2019 Co-Co Trigger Event is the achievement of milestones or metrics specified in the applicable development plan, as determined by the JSC.
Under the 2019 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement, subject to exceptions specified, we and Neurocrine agreed that profits and losses under the 2019 Co-Co Option would be allocated 60% to Neurocrine and 40% to us for a 2019 Collaboration Product. The parties agreed that the 2019 Co-Co Agreement would provide us the right to terminate for any reason upon prior written notice to Neurocrine and Neurocrine the right to terminate in certain circumstances upon our change of control.
Governance
Our research and development activities under the 2019 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement are to be conducted pursuant to plans agreed to by the parties, on a program-by-program basis, and overseen by the JSC, which is composed of an equal number of representatives from the parties. The JSC may delegate matters within its authority to subcommittees of the JSC. In addition, the 2019 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement establishes working groups to handle specified matters on a subject matter-by-subject matter basis. If a working group or subcommittee cannot agree
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on a matter within its purview within a specified time, such matter is to be referred sequentially to the JSC and then the executive officers of the parties. If the executive officers are not able to resolve the matter, then with respect to the FA Program, subject to specified exceptions, (i) Neurocrine has the right to resolve such matter prior to our exercise of the 2019 Co-Co Option with regard to an applicable 2019 Co-Co Product or if the 2019 Co-Co Option expires or goes unexercised and (ii) following the timely exercise by us of the 2019 Co-Co Option, depending on the subject of such matter, either Neurocrine, in certain instances, or the parties jointly or the JSC, in other instances, would have the right to resolve such matter.
Manufacturing
Prior to the 2019 Transition Event for a 2019 Neurocrine Program, we are responsible for the manufacture of any 2019 Collaboration Products for the 2019 Neurocrine Program. Following the Transition Event, the parties shall negotiate the manufacturing and supply responsibilities, subject to the terms of the 2019 Co-Co Agreement, if applicable.
Financial Terms
Under the terms of the 2019 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement, Neurocrine paid us an upfront payment of $115.0 million. In connection with the 2019 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement, Neurocrine also paid us $50.0 million as consideration for an equity purchase of 4,179,728 shares of our common stock. The 2019 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement provides for aggregate development milestone payments from Neurocrine to us for 2019 Collaboration Products under the FA Program of up to $195.0 million. We may be entitled to receive aggregate commercial milestone payments for each 2019 Collaboration Product of up to $275.0 million, for a total of up to $550.0 million under the FA Program. The JSC’s selection of the development candidate for the FA Program in February 2024 triggered a $5.0 million milestone payment, which we received in March 2024. We are no longer eligible to receive milestone or royalty payments for the VY-AADC Program or the two 2019 Discovery Programs in light of the partial termination of the 2019 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement with respect to such programs.
Neurocrine has also agreed to pay us royalties, based on future net sales of the 2019 Collaboration Products. Such royalty percentages, for net sales in and outside the United States, as applicable, range from the low-teens to high-teens and high-single digits to mid-teens, for the FA Program. On a country-by-country and program-by-program basis, royalty payments would commence on the first commercial sale of a 2019 Collaboration Product and terminate on the later of (x) the expiration of the last patent covering the 2019 Collaboration Product or its method of use in such country, (y) 10 years from the first commercial sale of the 2019 Collaboration Product in such country and (z) the expiration of regulatory exclusivity in such country, or the 2019 Royalty Term. Royalty payments may be reduced by up to 50% in specified circumstances, including expiration of patents rights related to a 2019 Collaboration Product, approval of biosimilar products in a given country or required payment of licensing fees to third parties related to the development and commercialization of any 2019 Collaboration Product. Additionally, the licenses granted to Neurocrine shall automatically convert to fully paid-up, non-royalty bearing, perpetual, irrevocable, exclusive licenses on a country-by-country and product-by-product basis upon the expiration of the 2019 Royalty Term applicable to such 2019 Collaboration Product in such country.
Intellectual Property
Under the terms of the 2019 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement and subject to specified exceptions therein, each party owns the entire right, title and interest in and to all intellectual property rights made solely by its employees or agents in the course of the collaboration. The parties jointly own all rights, title and interest in and to all intellectual property rights made or invented jointly by employees or agents of both parties.
Exclusivity
During the term of the 2019 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement, neither party nor any of its respective affiliates is permitted to directly or indirectly exploit any AAV-based gene therapy products directed to a target to which a 2019 Collaboration Product is directed, subject to specified exceptions, including the parties’ conduct of basic research activities.
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Termination
Unless earlier terminated, the 2019 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement expires on the later of (a) the expiration of the last to expire 2019 Royalty Term with respect to a 2019 Collaboration Product in all countries in the relevant territory or (b) the expiration or termination of all 2019 Co-Co Agreements. Neurocrine may terminate the 2019 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement in its entirety or on a program-by-program or country-by-country basis by providing at least (x) 180-day advance notice if such notice is provided prior to the first commercial sale of the 2019 Collaboration Product to which the termination applies or (y) one-year advance notice if such notice is provided after the first commercial sale of the 2019 Collaboration Product to which the termination applies. We may terminate the 2019 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement, subject to specified conditions, if Neurocrine challenges the validity or enforceability of certain of our intellectual property rights. Subject to a cure period, either party may terminate the 2019 Neurocrine Collaboration Agreement in the event of a material breach by the other party in whole or in part, subject to specified conditions.
Upon termination in certain cases, Neurocrine has agreed to grant to us licenses to certain Neurocrine intellectual property, subject to a negotiation between the parties to establish royalty rates for use of such intellectual property. In the event of a breach by us with respect to a 2019 Neurocrine Program, if such termination were to occur after a 2019 Transition Event, then (a) if a 2019 Co-Co Agreement is in effect with respect to such program, Neurocrine can terminate the 2019 Co-Co Agreement for such program and we would no longer have co-development and co-commercialization rights with respect to the 2019 Collaboration Product and (b) subject to any license agreements, Neurocrine would no longer have any obligations with respect to any 2019 Collaboration Products resulting from such program.
Alexion Option and License Agreement (Formerly Pfizer Option and License Agreement)
Summary of Agreement
We are party to an option and license agreement, or the Alexion Agreement, with Alexion. We initially entered into the Alexion Agreement with Pfizer, Inc., or Pfizer, on October 1, 2021, or the Alexion Agreement Effective Date. However, Alexion (via Alexion Pharma International Operations Limited, or APIO) later acquired all of Pfizer’s rights under the Alexion Agreement and became the successor-in-interest to Pfizer thereunder effective upon the closing of a definitive purchase and license agreement between Pfizer and Alexion on September 20, 2023. APIO subsequently assigned the Alexion Agreement to its affiliate AstraZeneca Ireland Limited, or AstraZeneca. Neither the acquisition by Alexion nor the subsequent assignment from APIO to AstraZeneca impacted the material terms of the Alexion Agreement. Pursuant to the Alexion Agreement, we have granted Alexion an exclusive, worldwide license, with the right to sublicense, under certain of our intellectual property, the rights to develop and commercialize AAV gene therapy products for the potential treatment of a rare neurological disease comprised of a TRACER Capsid, or the Alexion Licensed Capsid, and a specified transgene, or the Alexion Transgene. We refer to such AAV gene therapy products as Alexion Licensed CNS Products.
Prior to Alexion’s acquisition of all of Pfizer’s rights under the Alexion Agreement, we had granted Pfizer the right to exercise up to two options to license TRACER Capsids to develop and commercialize certain AAV gene therapy candidates comprised of a TRACER Capsid and a specified transgene. Effective as of September 30, 2022, Pfizer exercised its option with respect to a TRACER Capsid for a specified transgene for potential treatment of a rare neurological disease. All of Pfizer’s rights in connection with such option exercise were transferred to Alexion as discussed above. Pfizer did not exercise its option with respect to any TRACER Capsid for a specified transgene for the potential treatment of a cardiovascular disease. As result, all rights to any TRACER Capsids for that cardiovascular disease reverted to us in accordance with the terms of the Alexion Agreement.
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Research Term
The Alexion Agreement provides for a research term commencing on the Alexion Agreement Effective Date and expiring on October 1, 2025 (which was initially set to expire on September 30, 2024, but was extended until such date pursuant to the first and second amendments to the Alexion Agreement effective as of September 30, 2024 and March 15, 2025, respectively), or the Alexion Research Term. Until the expiration of the Alexion Research Term, although we were not obligated to conduct additional research activities to identify additional TRACER Capsids that may have been useful for AAV gene therapies for the treatment of rare neurological diseases, we agreed to continue to disclose to Alexion, on a rolling basis, the performance characteristics identified for all such TRACER Capsids, if and when available. During the Alexion Research Term, Alexion conducted additional evaluations of such TRACER Capsids and, on October 1, 2025, exercised its right to substitute another TRACER Capsid for the TRACER Capsid that was originally licensed under the Alexion Agreement.
Development, Regulatory Approval and Commercialization
Under the Alexion Agreement, Alexion is solely responsible for, and has sole decision-making authority with respect to, development and commercialization of the Alexion Licensed CNS Products. Alexion is required to use commercially reasonable efforts to develop and obtain regulatory approval for at least one Alexion Licensed CNS Product in (a) the United States and (b) at least one of the following countries: the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Spain and Japan, each of which we refer to as an Alexion Major Market Country, subject to certain limitations. Alexion is also required to use commercially reasonable efforts to commercialize each Alexion Licensed CNS Product in the United States and at least one Alexion Major Market Country where Alexion or its designated affiliates or sublicensees has received regulatory approval for such Alexion Licensed CNS Product, subject to certain limitations.
Intellectual Property
Under the terms of the Alexion Agreement, each of the parties owns the entire right, title, and interest in and to all patents or know-how controlled by such party and existing as of or before the effective date of the Alexion Agreement, or invented, developed, created, generated or acquired solely by or on behalf of such party after such effective date.
Exclusivity
Subject to certain specified exceptions, any patents and know-how that are invented or otherwise developed jointly by or on behalf of the parties during the term of the Alexion Agreement and in the course of our and Alexion’s activities under the Alexion Agreement will follow inventorship under U.S. patent law. Subject to certain limitations and exceptions, we have agreed (a) during the Alexion Research Term, not to conduct any internal program or program on behalf of a third party that is directed to development or commercialization of any capsid candidates, or grant any third party or affiliate any right or license under our rights in such capsid candidates to exploit any therapeutic product, in combination with any Alexion Transgene, in any indication for therapeutic, diagnostic and prophylactic human and veterinary use; and (b) not to grant any third party or affiliate any right or license under our patents to exploit any licensed capsid in combination with any Alexion Transgene.
Financial Terms
Prior to Pfizer’s transfer of its rights under the Alexion Agreement to Alexion, Pfizer paid us an upfront payment of $30.0 million in October 2021, and an additional fee of $10.0 million in connection with its exercise of an option. We are eligible to receive specified development, regulatory, and commercialization milestone payments of up to an aggregate of $115.0 million for the first corresponding Alexion Licensed CNS Product to achieve the corresponding milestone. On an Alexion Licensed CNS Product-by-Alexion Licensed CNS Product basis, we are also eligible to receive (a) specified sales milestone payments of up to an aggregate of $175.0 million per Alexion Licensed CNS Product and (b) tiered, escalating royalties in the mid- to high-single-digit percentages of annual net sales of each Alexion Licensed CNS Product. The royalties are subject to potential reductions in customary circumstances including
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patent claim expiration, payments for certain third-party licenses, and biosimilar market penetration, subject to specified limits.
Termination
Unless earlier terminated, the Alexion Agreement expires on the expiration of the last-to-expire royalty term with respect to all Alexion Licensed CNS Products in all countries. Subject to a cure period, either party may terminate the Alexion Agreement, in whole or in part, subject to specified conditions, in the event of the other party’s uncured material breach. Alexion may also terminate the Alexion Agreement, in whole or in part, subject to specified conditions, for our insolvency, the occurrence of a violation of global trade control laws, or for our noncompliance with certain anti-bribery or anti-corruption covenants. Alexion may also terminate the Alexion Agreement, in whole or in part, for any or no reason upon ninety days’ written notice to us.
Upon certain terminations for cause by Alexion, the license that we have granted to Alexion under the Alexion Agreement shall become irrevocable and perpetual, and all milestone payments and royalties that would have otherwise been payable by Alexion under such license had the Alexion Agreement remained in effect would be substantially reduced.
License Agreement with Touchlight IP Limited
On November 3, 2022, we and Touchlight IP Limited, or Touchlight, entered into a license agreement, or the Touchlight License Agreement, to authorize historical use by us of a certain DNA preparation process, or the Subject DNA Preparation Process, and to authorize the prospective exploitation of TRACER Capsids created with the use of the Subject DNA Preparation Process.
The terms of the Touchlight License Agreement include a one-time, non-refundable technology access fee of $5.0 million, paid to Touchlight during the fourth quarter of 2022.
The terms of the Touchlight License Agreement also include future milestone payments and low single-digit royalties payable to Touchlight by us if we or our program collaborators or licensees choose to utilize in a therapeutic product certain TRACER Capsids that were created with the historical use of the Subject DNA Preparation Process. Additionally, we are obligated to pay low single-digit royalties to Touchlight on future payments we receive in connection with licensing of certain TRACER Capsids that were created with the historical use of the Subject DNA Preparation Process, excluding the licensing of or collaboration on any of our therapeutic programs.
License Agreement with Transition Bio
We and Transition Bio, Inc., or Transition Bio, entered into a research collaboration, option and license agreement, or the Transition Bio Agreement, with an effective date of June 26, 2025. The Transition Bio Agreement superseded a prior agreement between us and Transition Bio dated December 24, 2024. Under the terms of the agreement, Transition Bio is responsible for the discovery and optimization of small molecules targeting TDP-43 until nomination of a development candidate, upon which we will have an option to license the worldwide exclusive rights to develop and commercialize the program. The Transition Bio Agreement contains a termination for convenience clause which allows for either party to terminate the arrangement for any reason or no reason upon sixty days prior written notice. In the event that we terminate the Transition Bio Agreement due to a change in control, we are obligated to pay Transition Bio up to $2.0 million in termination fees.
We paid Transition Bio a low single-digit million dollar upfront payment during the year ended December 31, 2024 in connection with a prior agreement. During the fourth quarter of 2025, we paid Transition Bio an additional low single-digit million dollar payment for the achievement of a research milestone. Transition Bio is eligible to receive potential research, development, commercial and net sales milestone payments totaling up to $500.0 million. Transition Bio is also eligible for high single-digit to low double-digit royalties on net sales during the royalty term of up to ten years.
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Competition
The biopharmaceutical industry is characterized by intense and dynamic competition to develop new technologies and proprietary therapies. Any product candidates that we successfully develop into products and commercialize may compete with existing therapies and new therapies that may become available in the future. While we believe that our gene therapy platform, product programs, product candidates and scientific expertise in the fields of gene therapy and neuroscience provide us with competitive advantages, we face potential competition from various sources, including larger and better-funded pharmaceutical, specialty pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, as well as from academic institutions, governmental agencies and public and private research institutions.
We expect that our TRACER discovery platform, non-viral therapeutics platform, and clinical and preclinical programs will compete with a variety of therapies in development, including:
We are aware of several companies focused on developing AAV gene therapies in various indications, including Abeona Therapeutics Inc., Adverum Biotechnologies, Inc., Akouos, Inc. (acquired by Eli Lilly and Company, or Eli Lilly), Asklepios BioPharmaceutical, Inc. (acquired by Bayer AG), Astellas Gene Therapies, Inc., Beacon Therapeutics Holdings Limited, Biogen Inc., BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc., Encoded Therapeutics, Inc., GenSight Biologics S.A., LEXEO Therapeutics, Inc., LogicBio Therapeutics, Inc. (acquired by AstraZeneca), MeiraGTx Ltd., Neurogene Inc., Novartis Gene Therapies, Inc. (formerly AveXis, Inc.), Passage Bio, Inc., Pfizer Inc., Prevail Therapeutics Inc. (acquired by Eli Lilly), REGENXBio Inc., Sarepta Therapeutics, Inc., Solid Biosciences Inc., Spark Therapeutics, Inc. (acquired by Genentech, Inc.), Taysha Gene Therapies, Inc. and uniQure, Inc., as well as several companies addressing other methods for modifying genes and regulating gene expression. Any advances in gene therapy technology made by a competitor may be used to develop therapies that could compete against any of our product candidates.
Many of our competitors, either alone or with their strategic partners, have substantially greater financial, technical and human resources than we do and significantly greater experience in the discovery and development of product candidates, obtaining FDA and other regulatory approvals of product candidates and commercializing those
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product candidates. Accordingly, our competitors may be more successful than us in obtaining approval for product candidates and achieving widespread market acceptance. Our competitors’ product candidates may be more effective, or more effectively marketed and sold, than any product candidate we may commercialize and may render our treatments obsolete or non-competitive before we can recover the expenses of developing and commercializing any of our product candidates.
Mergers and acquisitions in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries may result in even more resources being concentrated among a smaller number of our competitors. These competitors also compete with us in recruiting and retaining qualified scientific and management personnel and establishing clinical trial sites and subject registration for clinical trials, as well as in acquiring technologies complementary to, or necessary for, our programs. Smaller or early-stage companies may also prove to be significant competitors, particularly through collaborative arrangements with large and established companies.
We anticipate that we will face intense and increasing competition as new product candidates enter the market and advanced technologies become available. We expect any product candidates that we develop and commercialize to compete on the basis of, among other things, efficacy, safety, convenience of administration and delivery, price, and the availability of reimbursement from government and other third-party payers.
Our commercial opportunity could be reduced or eliminated if our competitors develop and commercialize products that are safer, more effective, have fewer or less severe side effects, are more convenient or are less expensive than any products that we may develop. Our competitors also may obtain FDA or other regulatory approval for their product candidates more rapidly than we may obtain approval for ours, which could result in our competitors establishing a strong market position before we are able to enter the market.
Manufacturing
The manufacture of gene therapy, non-viral therapeutic, and other biological products is technically complex, and necessitates substantial expertise and capital investment. Production difficulties caused by unforeseen events may delay the availability of material for our clinical studies. To meet the requirements of our current and planned future AAV gene therapy trials we have developed a proprietary HEK 293 transient transfection manufacturing process that is scalable for large scale AAV manufacturing – both for preclinical research activities and clinical and commercial manufacturing. We continuously innovate and develop advanced manufacturing technologies to enable high yields and product quality, and we manufacture preclinical AAV material for large animal studies at our onsite, state-of-the-art chemistry, manufacturing, and controls, or CMC, development facility. Our current AAV gene therapy manufacturing process has been transferred to our contract manufacturing organizations to enable clinical current good manufacturing practice, or cGMP manufacturing.
We presently contract with third parties for the manufacturing of our program materials. We currently have no plans to build our own clinical or commercial scale cGMP manufacturing capabilities. The use of contract manufacturing and reliance on collaboration partners is relatively cost-efficient and we believe that it eliminates the need for our direct investment in manufacturing facilities and additional staff early in development. Although we expect to rely on contract manufacturers, we have personnel with manufacturing and quality experience to oversee our contract manufacturers.
Intellectual Property
Overview
We strive to protect the proprietary technology, inventions, and know-how to enhance improvements that are commercially important to the development of our business, including seeking, maintaining, and defending patent rights, whether developed internally or licensed from third parties. We also rely on trade secrets and know-how relating to our proprietary technology platform, on continuing technological innovation and on in-licensing opportunities to develop, improve and maintain the strength of our position in the field of neurogenetic medicines and gene therapy that may be important for the development of our business. We additionally may rely on regulatory protection afforded through data exclusivity, market exclusivity and patent term extensions where available.
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Our commercial success may depend in part on our ability to: obtain and maintain patent and other protections for commercially important technology, inventions and know-how related to our business; defend and enforce our patents; preserve the confidentiality of our trade secrets and know-how; and operate without infringing the valid and enforceable patents and intellectual property rights of third parties. Our ability to stop third parties from making, having made, using, selling, offering to sell or importing our products may depend on the extent to which we have rights under valid and enforceable licenses and patents that cover these activities. In some cases, these rights may need to be enforced by third-party licensors. With respect to both licensed and company-owned intellectual property, we cannot be sure that patents will be granted with respect to any of our pending patent applications or with respect to any patent applications filed by us in the future, nor can we be sure that any of our existing patents or any patents that may be granted to us in the future will be commercially useful in protecting our commercial products and methods of using or manufacturing the same.
We own at least 359 pending patent applications and at least 92 patents have issued in the United States and foreign jurisdictions. We co-own at least 20 pending patent applications and at least 23 patents have issued from these co-owned families in the United States and foreign jurisdictions. At least six patent applications have been filed and are pending in the United States and foreign jurisdictions by or on behalf of universities which have granted us exclusive license rights to the technology. To date, at least 28 patents have issued to our licensors which have granted us exclusive license rights to the technology. To date, at least 63 patents have issued to our licensors which have granted us non-exclusive license rights to the technology with at least 32 applications pending. Our policy is to file patent applications to protect technology, inventions and improvements to inventions that are commercially important to the development of our product candidates and business. We seek U.S. and international patent protection for a variety of technologies, including: AAV-based biological products and constructs, antibodies, non-viral therapeutic modalities, methods of delivering said AAV-based biological products and constructs, antibodies and non-viral modalities, methods of treating diseases of interest, as well as methods of engineering and manufacturing of the same. We also intend to seek patent protection or rely upon know-how and trade secret rights to protect other technologies that may be used to discover and validate targets and that may be used to identify and develop novel biological products. We seek protection, in part, through confidentiality and proprietary information agreements. We are a party to various other license agreements that give us rights to use specific technologies in our research and development.
Company-Owned Intellectual Property
Tauopathies
We own nine pending patent families directed to antibodies to tau and vectorized forms thereof with 40 pending non-provisional patent applications, two granted patents, and one provisional application. Patents that grant from these families are generally expected to commence expiration in 2037, with some later filed applications commencing expiration in 2040, 2041, 2042, 2043, 2044, and 2045 all of which are subject to possible patent term extensions.
We own five pending patent families to RNA inhibitors for treating tauopathies with 34 pending non-provisional patent applications. Patents that grant from this family are generally expected to commence expiration in 2043, 2044, 2045, and 2046, subject to possible patent term extensions.
Friedreich’s Ataxia
We own six pending patent families with six granted patents and 28 patent applications and we co-own one pending patent family with five patent applications and three granted patents directed to AAVs encoding frataxin constructs for the treatment of FA. Patents that grant from these patent families are generally expected to commence expiration in 2036, with some later filed applications commencing expiration in 2038, 2039, 2040, and 2044, all of which are subject to possible patent term extensions.
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GBA1 Gene Therapy
We own nine pending patent families with 67 pending non-provisional patent applications and one pending provisional application directed to AAVs encoding GBA1 for the treatment of PD, Gaucher disease, and dementia with Lewy Bodies. Patents that grant from this patent family are expected to commence expiration in 2041, 2042, 2043, 2044, 2045, and 2046, subject to possible patent term extensions.
Huntington’s Disease
We own two pending patent families with two granted patents directed to pharmaceutical compositions and methods for targeting HTT for the treatment of Huntington’s disease. Patents from this family are generally expected to commence expiration in 2037, all of which are subject to possible patent term extensions.
Capsids
We own two patent families pending in the United States and foreign jurisdictions that are directed to the TRACER discovery platform for selection of AAV capsids with BBB crossing and cell-specific transduction properties. In these two pending patent families directed to the TRACER discovery platform, there are five granted patents and 10 pending applications, which are generally expected to commence expiration in 2039 and 2041, respectively, subject to possible patent term extensions.
We also own 12 pending patent families comprising 82 pending U.S. and foreign applications and five granted patents, as well as two pending provisional application directed to capsid variants identified using the TRACER discovery platform showing improved properties over their wild-type AAV counterparts. Patents that grant from these patent families and pending provisional applications are generally expected to commence expiration in 2041, 2042, 2043, 2044, and 2045, subject to possible patent term extensions.
We own at least eight patent families comprising 56 pending non-provisional applications and we co-own two patent families comprising six pending non-provisional applications directed to constructs containing TRACER Capsids in combination with specific payloads for treatment of CNS and other indications. Patents that grant from these pending provisional and non-provisional applications are generally expected to commence expiration in 2042, 2043, 2044, 2045, 2046, and 2047, subject to possible patent term extensions.
We also own one patent family pending in the United States and foreign jurisdictions directed to capsid variants generated using other methodologies. In this pending patent family, there are four granted patents and 9 pending patent applications. Patents that grant from this patent family are generally expected to commence expiration in 2038, subject to possible patent term extensions.
Non-Viral Therapeutics
We own two pending patent families with eight pending non-provisional patent applications and two pending non-provisional applications directed to ligands to capsid receptors. Patents that grant from these pending non-provisional applications are generally expected to commence expiration in 2044 and 2046, subject to possible patent term extensions.
Vector Engineering
We own three patent families with 64 granted patents (including 21 patents in European countries) and 23 patent applications directed to engineering of the vector genome. Patents that grant from these patent families are generally expected to commence expiration in 2035, 2037, and 2038, which are all subject to possible patent term extensions.
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Other
We own five patent families and have four granted patents and one pending non-provisional patent applications directed to targeting SOD1 for the treatment of ALS. Patents that grant from these patent families are generally expected to commence expiration in 2035, with some applications expiring in 2038 and 2044, all of which are subject to possible patent term extensions.
We co-own two pending patent families directed to trajectory array delivery devices and methods of use. The first pending patent family has one granted patent, and the second pending patent family has four granted patents and three pending patent applications. Patents that grant from these patent families are generally expected to commence expiration in 2037 and 2038, subject to possible patent term extensions.
We own one pending patent family with one pending non-provisional patent application directed to AAVs encoding NPC1. Patents that grant from this patent family are expected to commence expiration in 2041, subject to possible patent term extensions.
We own one pending patent family with one pending provisional patent application and one pending provisional application directed to AAVs encoding a specific CNS payload. Patents that grant from this patent family are expected to commence expiration in 2046, subject to possible patent term extensions.
We co-own one pending patent family with 15 granted patents and six pending patent applications directed to AAV production and CMC. Patents that grant from this patent family are generally expected to commence expiration in 2037, subject to possible patent term extensions.
Licensed Intellectual Property
We have obtained exclusive licenses and non-exclusive licenses to patents directed to both compositions of matter and methods of use.
We have licensed three families of patents and patent applications, in the field of gene therapy for human diseases, directed to RNAi constructs as vector payloads, their design and use in the treatment of neurological disorders from the University of Massachusetts. Two of the three families of patents and applications are exclusively licensed and comprise 14 granted patents and four pending applications. One of the three families of patents and applications are non-exclusively licensed and comprise one granted patent in the United States. Patents that grant from these patent families are generally expected to expire between 2026 and 2036, subject to possible patent term extensions.
We have exclusively licensed one family of patents and patent applications directed to AAV capsids from the University of Massachusetts. In this pending patent family, there are 14 granted patents and two pending patent applications. Patents that grant from this patent family are generally expected to commence expiration in 2031, subject to possible patent term extensions.
We have non-exclusively licensed two pending patent families from Ablexis, LLC. These families of patents and patent applications are pending and/or granted in the United States and other territories and comprise 52 granted patents and one pending application. Patents that grant from these patent families are generally expected to expire between 2029 and 2031, subject to possible patent term extensions.