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t This is from big article on gene therapy which claims gene therapy is due for major breakthrough for many diseases: would you like to invest? Voyager Therapeutics’ lead treatment is for Parkinson’s. It aims to treat the progressive nerve disease by stimulating production of an enzyme that helps the brain synthesize dopamine, a process that gets badly impaired in the later stages of the disease. It is administered through brain surgery and differs from other gene therapies that seek to provide a cure. Voyager reported encouraging Phase 1 trial results earlier this month that showed clinical benefits in patients with advanced disease. It plans to move the treatment to a pivotal Phase 2/3 treatment later this year. Evercore ISI’s Schimmer has been bullish on Voyager, whose shares doubled to $17 in the wake of the Parkinson’s news, given the high unmet needs of patients with the advanced disease. In a client note after the Voyager news, Schimmer reiterated an Outperform rating and $21 price target, writing that “our leading candidates for the ‘next big thing in gene therapy’ are Voyager, Regenxbio, and Audentes.” Private companies also are active in replacement gene therapy, including Agilis Biotherapeutics and Solid Biosciences. As one of the most promising areas of biotechnology, gene therapy might bring significant benefit or even cures to patients with a range of serious genetic disorders, and alleviate diseases such as Parkinson’s and macular degeneration. Given the potential, both near and long term, investors might want to gain exposure through stocks such as AveXis, Regenxbio, and Spark Therapeutics. Ray Rayilyn Brown Past Director AZNPF Arizona Chapter National Parkinson Foundation ---------------------------------------------------------------------- To sign-off Parkinsn send a message to: mailto:[log in to unmask] In the body of the message put: signoff parkinsn