Whether by fine-tuning neurotransmitter signaling or silencing disease-associated genes, emerging biologic therapies are reshaping neuroscience drug development, according to presentations at the FENS Forum 2026.

At the recently opened FENS Forum 2026 in Barcelona – the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies’ flagship congress and Europe’s largest neuroscience meeting – a symposium on ectodomain shedding showcased how soluble synaptic proteins are emerging as both biomarkers and therapeutic candidates for disorders ranging from autism to schizophrenia.

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.

The “deep dive” April 8 by Ovid Therapeutics Inc. into potassium-chloride co-transporter 2 (KCC2) research included company officials and independent experts in the space, where a handful of drug developers are known to be working. New York-based Ovid owns a portfolio of potential first-in-class direct activators of KCC2, and the firm detailed pharmacodynamic results along with the translational and clinical development strategy.

Seaport Therapeutics Inc. joined Nasdaq May 1, raising gross proceeds of $254.9 million, as its parent, Boston-based Puretech Health plc moved to exit the market, opting for a sole listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) in order to reduce its cost base and cut bureaucracy.

There is broad agreement that psychiatric diagnoses in their current form are not reflective of any underlying biology, and that this is one of the things hampering psychiatric drug development. “We are still fully reliant on descriptive diagnoses that yield heterogeneous patient cohorts,” Steve Hyman told the audience at the European Congress of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) Roadmap Meeting on Precision Psychiatry in Amsterdam in January.