LEXINGTON, Mass., March 13, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Voyager Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: VYGR), a biotechnology company dedicated to advancing neurogenetic medicines, today announced the appointment of Toby Ferguson, M.D., Ph.D., as Chief Medical Officer (CMO), effective March 25, 2024. Ferguson is a skilled and experienced healthcare executive with a proven record in advancing portfolios of novel therapies across diverse indications in central nervous system (CNS), neuromuscular, and rare diseases. He most recently served as Vice President, Head of Neuromuscular Development Unit at Biogen, Inc.
“Voyager is advancing rapidly toward the clinic, with one IND filing targeted each year through 2026 for our wholly-owned programs,” said Alfred W. Sandrock, Jr., M.D., Ph.D., Chief Executive Officer of Voyager. “Toby brings an exceptional set of skills in the design and running of clinical programs, particularly in neurological diseases, and we believe his expertise will be immediately beneficial as we work to file our first IND with VY-TAU01, our antibody targeting pathological tau in Alzheimer’s disease, in the first half of this year.”
Joining Biogen in 2013, Ferguson held positions of increasing responsibility, including as Medical Director, Senior Medical Director, Executive Medical Director, and culminating his time at Biogen as Vice President, Head of Neuromuscular Development Unit. During his tenure, he built and developed teams focused on neuromuscular and movement disorders, overseeing strategy for these areas across Biogen R&D. Notably, he led the team that developed QALSODY® (tofersen), the first genetically targeted therapy for SOD1 amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS); this therapeutic received the first accelerated approval based on reduction of neurofilament, a surrogate biomarker pioneered by Ferguson, his team, and the broader ALS community. Overall, his teams at Biogen were responsible for nine successfully executed INDs and three proof-of-concept clinical trials and filings. Prior to joining Biogen, Ferguson was Assistant Professor of Neurology, Shriners Pediatric Research Center and Temple University School of Medicine. He received his M.D. and Ph.D. from University of Florida College of Medicine and his B.S. from University of Florida, Gainesville. He also completed a residency in neurology and a neuromuscular fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania.
“I am excited to join Voyager, a company leading the development of neurogenetic medicines through its innovative approach to developing novel AAV capsids and delivering therapies across the blood-brain barrier,” said Ferguson. “In my career, I have always been driven to seek out new modalities that can profoundly impact patients’ lives. Voyager represents for me an extraordinary opportunity to fulfill this mission.”
About Voyager Therapeutics
Voyager Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: VYGR) is a biotechnology company dedicated to leveraging the power of human genetics to modify the course of – and ultimately cure – neurological diseases. Our pipeline includes programs for Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson’s disease, and multiple other diseases of the central nervous system. Many of our programs are derived from our TRACER™ AAV capsid discovery platform, which we have used to generate novel capsids and identify associated receptors to potentially enable high brain penetration with genetic medicines following intravenous dosing. Some of our programs are wholly owned, and some are advancing with partners including Alexion, AstraZeneca Rare Disease; Novartis Pharma AG; Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.; and Sangamo Therapeutics, Inc. For more information, visit www.voyagertherapeutics.com.
Voyager Therapeutics® is a registered trademark, and TRACER™ is a trademark, of Voyager Therapeutics, Inc.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements for the purposes of the safe harbor provisions under The Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and other federal securities laws. The use of words such as “will,” “expect,” “continue,” “anticipate,” or “potential,” and other similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements.
For example, all statements Voyager makes regarding the timing of the effective date of the appointment of Ferguson, the contributions Ferguson may make in his role with the Company, and Voyager’s ability to advance its AAV-based gene therapy programs and tau antibody program, including expectations for Voyager’s achievement of preclinical and clinical development milestones for its potential development candidates such as IND filings, are forward looking.
All forward-looking statements are based on estimates and assumptions by Voyager’s management that, although Voyager believes such forward-looking statements to be reasonable, are inherently uncertain. All forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those that Voyager expected. Such risks and uncertainties include, among others, the ability of Ferguson to commence his role and perform his duties successfully; the continued development of Voyager’s technology platforms, including Voyager’s TRACER platform and its antibody screening technology; the initiation, timing, conduct and outcomes of Voyager’s preclinical studies; and the sufficiency of cash resources to fund its operations and pursue its corporate objectives.
These statements are also subject to a number of material risks and uncertainties that are described in Voyager’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. All information in the press release is as of the date of this press release, and any forward-looking statement speaks only as of the date on which it was made. Voyager undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise this information or any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
Contacts
Trista Morrison, NACD.DC, tmorrison@vygr.com
Investors: Adam Bero, Ph.D., abero@kendallir.com
Media: Brooke Shenkin, brooke@scientpr.com
