PsychoGenics Announces Extension of Ongoing Drug Discovery Collaboration with Karuna Therapeutics

PARAMUS, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PsychoGenics Inc. (“PsychoGenics” or the “Company”), a leader in AI-enabled phenotypic drug discovery and preclinical CRO services, today announced that clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company Karuna Therapeutics, Inc., (NASDAQ: KRTX) has extended its drug discovery collaboration with the Company aimed at identifying potential novel drug candidates for the treatment of severe neuropsychiatric disorders.

The initial multi-year agreement, announced in July 2020, allowed Karuna to leverage Psychogenics proprietary screening platforms, which utilize computer vision and machine learning to identify and evaluate new drug candidates to further its pipeline of differentiated neuropsychiatric drugs.

“We are encouraged by the progress of the ongoing research efforts in collaboration with Karuna. This extension in our partnership has the potential to produce the next new generation of neuropsychiatric treatments,” said Emer Leahy, Ph.D., CEO of PsychoGenics. “We have enjoyed working with the talented Karuna discovery team and look forward to advancing much needed and improved treatments for severely disabling conditions.”

“We are eager to continue our partnership with PsychoGenics, which has made notable progress in advancing our understanding of potential new and novel targets for the treatment of psychiatric conditions,” said Steve Paul, M.D., chief executive officer, president, and chairman of Karuna Therapeutics. “Our partnership is fueled by our shared mission of providing new and meaningful treatment options for patients living with serious mental illness, which would not be possible without novel and collaborative approaches to drug discovery.”

About PsychoGenics

PsychoGenics Inc. and its discovery arm, PGI Drug Discovery LLC (collectively known as PsychoGenics), have pioneered the translation of rodent behavioral and physiological responses into robust, high-throughput and high-content phenotyping. PsychoGenics’ drug discovery platforms SmartCube®, NeuroCube®, PhenoCube® and eCube™ have been used in shared-risk partnerships with major pharmaceutical companies, including Sunovion, Roche and Karuna, resulting in the discovery of several novel compounds now in clinical trials or advanced preclinical development. PsychoGenics’ capabilities also include standard behavioral testing, electrophysiology, translational EEG, molecular biology, microdialysis and quantitative immunohistochemistry. In addition, the Company offers a variety of in-licensed transgenic mouse models that support research in areas such as Huntington’s disease, autism spectrum disorders, psychosis/schizophrenia, depression, PTSD, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, muscular dystrophy, ALS and seizure disorders. For more information, visit PsychoGenics.com.

About Karuna Therapeutics

Karuna Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company driven to create and deliver transformative medicines for people living with psychiatric and neurological conditions. At Karuna, we understand there is a need for differentiated and more effective treatments that can help patients navigate the challenges presented by serious mental illness. Utilizing our extensive knowledge of neuroscience, we are harnessing the untapped potential of the brain in pursuit of novel pathways to develop medicines that make meaningful differences in peoples’ lives. For more information, please visit www.karunatx.com.