Interview with Kinoxis Therapeutics’ Chief Scientific Officer

Building on the momentum from Cobenfy’s success, how has the psychiatric drug development landscape evolved over the past 6 to 12 months, and what is the current state of play?

Bristol Myers Squibb’s acquisition of Karuna and the approval of Cobenfy last year marked a real inflection point—it showed that regulators are ready to reward innovation in psychiatry and confirmed renewed confidence in the CNS space. Since then, momentum has surged: more major deals have closed, novel mechanisms are gaining traction, biomarker strategies are maturing, and there’s a clear shift toward precision psychiatry. These shifts align closely with the approach we’ve taken at Kinoxis from the outset, and we’re leveraging this momentum to advance our first-in class treatments targeting social challenges and substance use disorders— areas long neglected despite their massive unmet need.

From new targets to emerging technologies, where are the most exciting areas of innovation?

We’re seeing incredible innovation at the intersection of neuroscience and technology. New tools are allowing us to examine, with unprecedented resolution, the links between targets, complex circuits, and complex phenotypes. These advances are helping bridge the translational divide–both forward and backward–and are turning the promise of precision psychiatry into a reality. Crucially, they’re enabling progress in domains that have historically been near intractable. At Kinoxis, we’re applying these innovations to develop truly differentiated therapies for addiction and agitation in dementia—areas where the need is urgent and the science is catching up.