MapLight Therapeutics

Born from a desire to illuminate a new path for patients with debilitating brain disorders, MapLight Therapeutics embarked on its journey in 2019. The company was founded by a cadre of internationally recognized leaders in psychiatry and neuroscience, individuals who had been at the forefront of groundbreaking technologies like optogenetics and STARmap. They saw a significant void in the pharmaceutical landscape: a lack of circuit-specific treatments for central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Existing therapies were often blunt instruments, carrying the legacy of decades-old mechanisms and frequently accompanied by challenging side effects. The founders envisioned a more precise approach, one that could pinpoint the exact neural circuits that misfire in conditions such as schizophrenia, Alzheimer's disease psychosis, Parkinson's disease, and autism spectrum disorder, and then selectively modulate them.

This vision materialized into MapLight's unique discovery platform, a powerful combination of proprietary technologies. This platform integrates optogenetics to understand the function of specific brain cell types, transcriptomics to identify potential therapeutic targets within those cells, and STARmap to visualize these targets within the intricate architecture of the brain's neural circuits. This multi-pronged strategy allows MapLight to move beyond the traditional, often trial-and-error, methods of drug discovery. It's a journey from broad strokes to fine-tipped precision, aiming to develop therapies that are not only more effective but also safer for patients. With a robust pipeline of product candidates and significant financial backing from major investors, MapLight is steadily advancing its clinical trials, driven by a mission to redefine the standard of care and bring transformative treatments to those whose lives are profoundly impacted by brain disorders.