Summary: Centessa Pharmaceuticals has appointed Stephen Kanes, MD, PhD, as chief medical officer to support the development of its orexin receptor 2 (OX2R) agonist portfolio, which is in clinical trials for narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia. With over 30 years of experience in neuroscience and drug development, Kanes has held leadership roles at Sage Therapeutics and EmbarkNeuro and contributed to treatments like Zulresso for postpartum depression. Centessa is progressing its pipeline of OX2R agonists for sleep-wake, neurological, and psychiatric disorders.
Key Takeaways:
- Experienced Leadership for Orexin Program: Stephen Kanes, a neuropsychiatrist with expertise in neuroscience drug development, has been named Centessa’s chief medical officer.
- Focus on Orexin Agonists: Centessa’s clinical-stage portfolio includes OX2R agonists, such as ORX750, which is in phase 2a trials for narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia.
- Advancing Sleep and Neurological Therapies: Kanes’ appointment supports Centessa’s goal of addressing unmet needs in sleep-wake disorders and related neurological and psychiatric conditions.
Centessa Pharmaceuticals plc, a clinical-stage pharmaceutical company whose oral orexin receptor 2 agonist is in clinical trials for narcolepsy and idiopathic hypersomnia, has appointed Stephen Kanes, MD, PhD, as chief medical officer.
Kanes is a neuropsychiatrist with a career in neuroscience, clinical psychiatry, and neuroscience drug development spanning more than 30 years.
“Centessa is rapidly advancing a potential best-in-class and first-in-class portfolio of orexin receptor 2 (OX2R) agonists with a robust series of clinical milestones anticipated this year,” says Saurabh Saha, MD, PhD, chief executive officer of Centessa, in a release. “Steve is a great addition to our team and brings an exceptional set of skills in the design and execution of clinical programs across key therapeutic areas, including neurology and psychiatry. His expertise will be invaluable as we continue to progress our novel OX2R agonists for the treatment of sleep-wake, neurological, neurodegenerative, and psychiatric disorders.”
Kanes served as chief medical officer of Sage Therapeutics from 2013 to 2021, where he led the clinical development of Zulresso (brexanolone), the first treatment approved for postpartum depression, along with the buildout of the development organization and Sage Therapeutics’ neuroscience portfolio. Most recently, Kanes was chief executive officer of EmbarkNeuro, a neuroscience-focused biotech company.
Earlier in his career, Kanes was executive director in clinical development in the inflammation, neuroscience, and respiratory therapeutic areas at AstraZeneca and a faculty member of the University of Pennsylvania Department of Psychiatry where he explored both the genetics and physiology of severe mental illness.
He has authored or co-authored more than 60 peer-reviewed publications in behavioral neuroscience, behavioral pharmacology, genetics, brain imaging, clinical trials, and health economics and serves as an ad hoc reviewer for multiple journals including Neuropsychopharmacology and The American Journal of Medical Genetics and Biological Psychiatry.
“Orexin agonists are one of the most exciting emerging areas of therapeutic science, and Centessa’s potential best-in-class OX2R agonists represent an extraordinary opportunity to address unmet patient needs across multiple therapeutic areas,” says Kanes in a release. “With phase 2a clinical studies of ORX750 now underway, it’s an exciting time to be joining Centessa. I look forward to working with the team and contributing to the success of the company’s growing OX2R agonist franchise.”
Kanes received his BA from the University of Pennsylvania in the biological basis of behavior and both his PhD in molecular and cellular pharmacology and MD from the Stony Brook University Renaissance School of Medicine. He completed his psychiatry residency at Yale-New Haven Medical Center and a neuropsychiatry postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania.
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