Schizophrenia (SZ), bipolar disorder (BP), major depression (MDD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are serious mental illnesses (SMIs) that affect a significant proportion of the worldwide population. Large genome-wide association studies have pointed to overlapping genetics including both common and rare variants as cause of these SMIs. A recent study published on June 16, 2026, in Genomic Psychiatry has shed some light regarding the etiology of SMIs.
Achieving high marks in the phase II Amplify-BD trial for bipolar I and II depression, Autobahn Therapeutics Inc.’s elunetirom, a brain-penetrant central nervous system thyroid hormone receptor agonist, or thyromimetic, is moving toward a registrational path and a clinical readout in major depressive disorder.
For treating bipolar disorder, investigators have explored single strategies targeting dopamine receptors or the glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) pathway. Researchers at Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia and collaborators have used computational modeling and structure determination to improve on a prototype small molecule capable of simultaneously activating the dopamine D3 receptor while inhibiting GSK-3β.
With new and positive phase III data in treating agitation in patients – at home instead of in a clinic – with bipolar disorders or schizophrenia, Bioxcel Therapeutics Inc. is preparing to submit an sNDA in the first quarter of 2026 to expand the label of the company’s Igalmi (BXCL-501). These data also bring the company closer to having the first such treatment that is approved by the U.S. FDA for home use. The unmet need for patients is huge, Vimal Mehta, the CEO of Bioxcel, told the BioWorld Insider podcast. Watch the interview, below.
A variant burden analysis for bipolar disorder was performed using gene-based aggregation of loss-of-function variants in whole-genome sequencing data from Iceland and the UK Biobank; the association between bipolar disorder and the burden of loss-of-function variants was tested in 13,786 genes.
Mood disorders include major depressive disorder and bipolar disorder, and they affect mood and cognition. It is known that mood disorders share a genetic heritable background, but the environmental factors also play a key role here. Recent data had highlighted the potential role of micro RNAs (miRNAs) in the pathogenesis of mood disorders.
4M Therapeutics Inc. has released new preclinical data for its lead program, 4MT-2001, a novel small-molecule glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK-3β) inhibitor, demonstrating central nervous system (CNS) target engagement.
4M Therapeutics Inc. has announced the presentation of preclinical data on its small-molecule glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK-3β) inhibitors in models of bipolar disorder.
While Nrx Pharmaceuticals Inc.’s oral antidepressant NRX-101 failed, producing a not statistically significant 33% reduction in suicidality along with a 70% reduction in the symptoms of akathisia, the company said it plans to forge ahead and conduct a registrational study.
Researchers in London have cut through the complexity of the genetics underlying bipolar spectrum disorder (BSD) to discover single nucleotide polymorphisms they say are specific enough to form the basis of the first ever biomarker-based diagnostic test in psychiatry.
