Power to the Patients

Learn about clinical trial design for small molecule therapies using biomarkers in Alzheimer's research and AI in drug development. Brandon Li talks with Sacha Schermerhorn, Founder and CEO of Babylon Biosciences. They discuss why the industry needs to rethink disease pathology, how to recruit elite talent out of retirement, and the role of fine-tuned AI models in predicting clinical outcomes for...

Dr. Aaron Koenig, Chief Medical Officer at Delix Therapeutics, sheds light on a new class of medicines designed to promote neuroplasticity without the hallucinogenic effects associated with psychedelics. On this episode of Power to the Patients, Koenig explains to host Brandon Li how neuroplasticogens could provide scalable treatments for depression and other serious brain disorders, why separatin...

Postpartum depression treatment advances with psychedelic therapy. Greg Mayes of Reunion Neuroscience discusses luvesilocin drug development. This episode explores how shorter-acting psilocybin analogs offer new hope for mothers. Greg highlights the success of the RECONNECT study and the path to FDA breakthrough designation.

In this episode of Power to the Patients, host Brandon Li sits down with Ken Kramer, PhD, Vice President and Head of Neuropsychiatry Medical Affairs at Bristol Myers Squibb, to explore why psychiatry has lagged behind other therapeutic areas and what’s finally changing. Kramer explains how decades of reliance on dopamine-based antipsychotics shaped treatment, and why new mechanisms like muscarinic...

Explore how variant functionalization is driving the future of mechanism-driven medicines as host Brandon interviews Jason Coloma, CEO of Maze Therapeutics, on Power to the Patients. Jason explains why most gene-disease associations fail to become therapies, how APOL1-mediated kidney disease reveals the power of precision nephrology, and what it actually takes to build an integrated genetics-to-dr...

In this episode of Power to the Patients, host Brandon Li sits down with Dr. Ken Sharlin, neurologist, researcher, and clinical trial investigator, to explore how precision medicine, functional neurology, and emerging technologies are redefining what’s possible in neurodegenerative disease care. Dr. Sharlin challenges the traditional disease-centered model and shares why restoring biological balan...

In this episode of Power to the Patients, host Brandon Li sits down with Dr. Jacob Jacobsen, neuroscientist and CEO of Evecxia Therapeutics, to challenge some of psychiatry’s most deeply held assumptions. Dr. Seld explains why clinical novelty, not mechanistic novelty, is what truly matters to patients, and how amplifying serotonin synthesis may offer a safer, more scalable path forward for treati...

In this episode of Power to the Patients, host Brandon Li sits down with Dr. Lara Shirikjian, Medical Director at CenExel, to explore why operational excellence, not just innovation, drives progress in psychiatric drug development. Drawing on more than two decades of experience in schizophrenia and CNS research, Dr. Shirikjian explains how protocol mastery, direct sponsor communication, and commun...

In this episode of Power to the Patients, Brandon Li and Sonia Prashar, Founder and CEO of AIM Trials, sit down to discuss how hybrid and decentralized clinical trial models are reshaping mental health research. Sonia shares how her personal experience with postpartum depression inspired a mission to reduce patient burden, expand access, and improve data quality, while challenging stigma and outda...

In this episode of Power to the Patients, Brandon Li sits down with Dr. Craig Erickson, Research Director and Research Endowed Professor at Cincinnati Children’s and Chief Medical Advisor at Spinogenix, to explore how synaptic restoration is revolutionizing treatment for Fragile X, autism, ALS, Alzheimer's, and schizophrenia. From his decades of clinical experience and pioneering work at Spinogeni...

In this episode of Power to the Patients, Brandon Li sits down with Dr. Laxminarayan Bhat, Founder and CEO of Reviva Pharmaceuticals, to explore groundbreaking developments in schizophrenia treatment. Dr. Bhat shares insights on his company's innovative drug that shows promising results with fewer side effects and better patient adherence than existing treatments. Discover how their unique approac...

In this episode of Power to the Patients, Brandon Li sits down with Dr. Gabriel Vargas, Chief Medical Officer at CuraSen Therapeutics, to explore how targeting the adrenergic system could offer both symptomatic relief and disease-modifying potential for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and depression. From his two decades developing breakthrough therapies in neurology and psychiatry, including the migrai...

What if inflammation was the key to unlocking treatments for Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Long COVID? In this episode of Power to the Patients, Brandon Li sits down with Cuong Do, CEO of BioVie, to explore the fascinating intersection of these seemingly unrelated conditions. From diving into medical research at the age of 14 to leading groundbreaking clinical trials, Cuong shares invaluable insig...

In this episode of Power to the Patients, Brandon Li sits down with Dr. Chris Witowski, CEO and Co-Founder of Psilera, to explore the fascinating intersection of psychedelics and neurodegeneration. Discover how non-hallucinogenic compounds could revolutionize treatments for conditions like frontotemporal dementia, why traditional psychedelics may have overlooked neurodegenerative applications, and...

In this episode of Power to the Patients, Brandon Li and Dr. Palumbo, Chief Medical Officer at BioVie Pharma, explore the evolving landscape of neuroscience research, the critical differences between big pharma and biotech approaches, and promising new pathways for treating conditions like Parkinson's and Alzheimer's. Whether you're a researcher, clinician, or industry professional, this conversat...

What if you could learn the secrets behind one of psychiatry's most significant breakthroughs in decades? In this episode of Power to the Patients, host Brandon Li sits down with Steve Brannan, Chief Medical Officer of Karuna Therapeutics, to explore the art of clinical trial excellence, the future of precision psychiatry, and the untold story behind developing the first new-mechanism schizophreni...

In this episode of Power to the Patients, Brandon Li speaks with Dr. Anantha Shekhar, Senior Vice Chancellor for Health Sciences and Dean of the School of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Shekhar shares how his early experiences with a family member’s schizophrenia inspired a lifelong mission to bridge neuroscience, psychiatry, and translational research. They explore how psychiatry a...

In this episode of Power to the Patients, Brandon Li speaks with Ram Mukunda, CEO of IGC, about groundbreaking approaches to Alzheimer’s care. Ram shares how his team is developing an ultra-low dose THC-based therapy to reduce agitation and neuroinflammation without sedation, and how AI models may transform early diagnosis for millions worldwide. Their conversation highlights both the science and...

What if we could treat severe depression in just five days — and give patients back the cognitive control to live their true lives? This week on Power to the Patients, we sit down with Brandon Bentzley, MD, PhD, co-founder and Chief Scientific Officer at Magnus Medical, to talk about the future of precision psychiatry and the breakthrough SAINT™ protocol.

What does great clinical operations really look like? In this episode, Sarah MacCallum and Melissa Gaines of Annovis Bio share their journeys into clinops and the lessons they’ve learned leading Alzheimer’s and neurology trials. From choosing the right site partners to keeping engagement high, to navigating the unique challenges of working with vulnerable populations, they break down what it takes...

With over 25 years of experience building and investing in CNS companies, Daniel shares the story of why he placed a big bet on Acumen — from its origins as a seed-stage idea to today’s phase 2 clinical trial, Altitude AD. He explains the science behind targeting amyloid beta oligomers (rather than plaques), what makes Alzheimer’s research uniquely difficult, and why recent advances in biomarkers,...

In this episode, Brandon sits down with Dr. Michael Gold, Chief R&D Officer at Compass Pathways, to explore the art and science of running high-quality clinical trials. With nearly 30 years of experience across pharma giants like J&J and GSK, as well as small biotechs, Mike shares a masterclass on clinical operations—why the best study design means nothing without flawless execution, and how quali...

Brandon Li talks with Matt Leoni—former Senior VP of Global Clinical Development at Cerevel and now Chief Medical Officer at Merida Biosciences. Matt shares his journey from medical school to leading late-stage drug development in neuroscience. He discusses the unique challenges of neuro drug development, from the subjectivity of endpoints and high placebo response rates to the operational hurdles...

Brandon Li talks with Dr. Gerard Sanacora, Professor of Psychiatry at Yale, about his journey from molecular physiology to pioneering research on GABA, glutamate, and rapid-acting antidepressants. Gerard shares how a surprising finding in patients undergoing ECT redirected his research toward depression—and eventually to ketamine. Their conversation explores the science of neuroplasticity, the com...

Dina Burkitbayeva, CEO of Freedom Biosciences, shares how she launched one of the first venture funds focused on mental health innovation. After co-founding PsyMed Ventures, she partnered with Dr. John Krystal to advance a more durable version of ketamine for treatment-resistant depression. She discusses the rise of interventional psychiatry, the limitations of current antidepressants, and the evo...