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The new psychedelic age in biotech

Recent human data has helped encourage a new brand of biotech out to use modified psychedelics to rewire the brain in search of new and better therapies for mental health. Once a marginalized, if not simply criminalized, research field, these new companies are luring investors and inspiring a range of new clinical programs. And J&J has helped drive the work with a pioneering — and still highly controversial — drug approval for esketamine that has both created new regulatory precedents while spurring debate about the future of the field.

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Robert Barrow

Robert Barrow

CEO, MindMed

Mr. Barrow is an accomplished pharmaceutical executive and clinical pharmacologist with over a decade of experience leading drug development programs in a variety of disease areas. After joining MindMed as Chief Development Officer in January 2021, he was named CEO in June 2021.

Mr. Barrow previously served as Director of Drug Development & Discovery at Usona Institute, where he oversaw preclinical, clinical and regulatory development efforts for all of Usona’s development programs. Prior to joining Usona, Mr. Barrow served as Chief Operating Officer of Olatec Therapeutics where he oversaw the execution of numerous early- and late-stage clinical trials in the fields of analgesics, rheumatology, immunology and cardiovascular disease. In addition, he has been responsible for the design and execution of preclinical research programs for new molecular entity drugs in CNS conditions such as multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease.

Mr. Barrow holds a Masters degree in Pharmacology from The Ohio State University and a Bachelor of Science degree from Wake Forest University, where he graduated summa cum laude.

Shlomi Raz

Shlomi Raz

CEO, Eleusis

Shlomi Raz is the founder and chief executive officer of Eleusis. Since founding Eleusis in 2013, Shlomi has overseen the company’s corporate and clinical development efforts. Prior to founding Eleusis, Shlomi was a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, and held a similar role at JPMorgan where he began his corporate career. Shlomi holds an MA in psychology from New York University and a BS in finance from Georgetown University.

Mark Rus

Mark Rus

Chief Executive Officer, Delix Therapeutics

Mark Rus is Chief Executive Officer of Delix Therapeutics, a preclinical neuroscience company focused on harnessing the power of psychoplastogens to heal some of the world’s most prevalent mental illnesses. A globally experienced life sciences executive, Mark previously served as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence and Advisor at Atlas Venture. Prior to Atlas, Mark served as Group Vice President of Neuroscience at Shire Pharmaceuticals. Over the course of 13 years, he led teams across the United States, Europe, Canada, and Japan, at multiple clinical and commercial stages. His teams were responsible for several in-market and PI-III pipeline assets, across a growing $2.5BN neuropsychiatry business.

Mark holds a MSc degree in Political Economics from the London School of Economics and a BA (Hons.) in Political Science & International Comparative Studies from Huron University. He also has a professional background in Canadian Federal Politics, and served for several years as a policy advisor and political aide in Canada’s Privy Council Office, on the Minister of State’s staff, and Prime Minister of Canada’s election team. Mark was nominated by Pharmaceutical Executive Magazine in 2017 as one of the top 11 Emerging Leaders in the life sciences.

Ekaterina Malievskaia

Ekaterina Malievskaia

CIO and Co‑founder, COMPASS

Dr. Ekaterina Malievskaia is the Chief Innovation Officer and Co‑founder of COMPASS Pathways, a mental health care company dedicated to accelerating patient access to evidence-based innovation in mental health.

Ekaterina received her medical degree from St Petersburg Medical Academy in St Petersburg, Russia, and then moved to the US where she completed her Internal Medicine residency training. She worked in private practice, academic medicine and public health for more than 15 years in the greater New York area. She was a Clinical Instructor of Medicine at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, as well as a Research Professor at City University of New York.

After moving to London in 2011, Ekaterina worked in global health and medical philanthropy, focusing on improving outcomes in maternal and child health. She founded COMPASS Pathways with her husband George Goldsmith in 2016, having experienced at first hand the challenges in accessing evidence-based and effective mental health care for a family member.

Berra Yazar-Klosinski

Berra Yazar-Klosinski

Chief Scientific Officer, MAPS Public Benefit Corporation

Berra Yazar-Klosinski, Ph.D., is Chief Scientific Officer of the MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC). Dr. Yazar-Klosinski is responsible for development of strategic, catalytic, and capacity-building activities to facilitate research on the risk/benefit profile of psychedelics in compliance with the global regulatory landscape. She has been actively involved in the various stages of nonclinical and clinical development of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy, LSD-assisted psychotherapy, cannabis, and ibogaine.

After gaining experience in clinical research laboratories with Geron Corporation and Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Dr. Yazar-Klosinski joined MAPS in 2009 to work with an organization where profit wouldn't dictate the agenda of scientific research. Since 2009, she has supported MAPS clinical research, she has supported MAPS clinical research and regulatory affairs through all stages of growth. Dr. Yazar-Klosinski has developed a strong track record of success with FDA, state regulatory agencies and multiple regulatory agencies outside of the USA.

Dr. Yazar-Klosinski earned her B.S. in Biology with a minor in Drama from Stanford University and her Ph.D. in Molecular, Cell, and Developmental Biology from the University of California, Santa Cruz in 2010. She is a Turkish hunter-gatherer who is supporting the growth of her family and pets in harmony with the natural world as she works tirelessly to transform the future.

Nicole DeFeudis
moderator

Nicole DeFeudis

Editor, Endpoints News