Team

Leadership Team

We’re a team of world-class scientists, medicinal chemists, inventors and leaders from top academic and biopharmaceutical institutions, tackling the hardest mental health challenges facing the world today.

Jonathan Sporn, MD

Founder, CEO

25+ years of experience in drug development (Pfizer, JNJ), Assistant Professor of Psychiatry (Columbia University), Founder of Perception Neuroscience (acquired by ATAI Life Sciences), Academic Research (Harvard and NIH)

Andrew Kruegel, PhD

Co-Founder and Head of Chemistry

Medicinal chemist, 10+ years of experience synthesizing and patenting psychedelic and ibogaine analogs, discovered MOA of the antidepressant Tianeptine, Founder and CSO of Kures Therapeutics (acquired by ATAI Life Sciences)

Gerard Marek, MD PhD

CMO

25+ years of experience in early clinical development and discovery, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry (Yale University School of Medicine), Associate Director (Pfizer), Psychiatric Disorders Discovery Biology CSO (Eli Lilly and Company), Global Medical Lead (Astellas Pharma)

Laszlo Kiss, PhD

CBO and Head of Research

20+ years of experience in drug discovery and development (Merck, Bristol-Myers Squibb), Leadership roles in corporate venture and business development (Pfizer, Biogen)

Yoni Falkson, MBA

COO

15+ years of experience focused on commercial development, payer strategy, marketing and product launches, Co-founder of SpringWorks Therapeutics, Commercial leadership roles at Pfizer and Regeneron

Scientific advisory board

Phillip Skolnick (Board Member)

Ex-Division Director, NIH
CSO Opiant Pharmaceuticals

Robert Berman (Board Member)

Biohaven Pharmaceuticals
Clinical Sciences, BMS and Pfizer
Adjunct Professor, Yale University School of Medicine

Dalibor Sames (Co-Founder, Board Observer)

Columbia University
Co-Founder KURES

Andre Fenton PhD

Professor, Neuroplasticity, Electrodynamics and Cognition
Neural Science, New York University

John Macor, PhD

Chief Scientific Officer at Sionna Tx
Ex-Global Head of Integrated Drug Discovery at Sanofi

Gerard Sanacora MD PhD

Professor, Department of Psychiatry
Yale University, School of Medicine

Jay Gingrich, MD PhD

Professor, Department of Psychiatry
Columbia University School of Medicine

Rene Hen, PhD

Professor, Neuroscience & Pharmacology Director, Division of Systems Neuroscience, Columbia University

Lisa Monteggia, PhD

Former Abbott Labs Neuroscience Lab Chief
Professor, Neuroscience, Vanderbilt University

Amit Etkin MD PhD

Professor, Stanford University
Founder of ALTO (Biomarker company in psychiatry)

Jeffrey Lieberman, MD

Chair, Department of Psychiatry
Columbia University School of Medicine

Harriet de Wit PhD

Professor, Psychiatry, University of Chicago
Director, Human Behavioral Pharmacology Laboratory

Robert Volkmann PhD

CSO Biopharmaworks, Medicinal Chemist
34 years at Pfizer with over 100 patents and publications

Jotham Coe PhD

Biopharmaworks, Medicinal Chemist
30 years at Pfizer with over 100 patents and publications

Silvia Gatti PhD

Former Head of R&D Neuroscience Pierre Fabre Laboratories, Former Vice-director of Psychiatry Research, Dept F. Hoffman La Roche, Circadian Rhythms Fellow, Oxford