Centessa Pharmaceuticals Announces Poster Presentation of New Preclinical Data Supporting Expansion of Orexin Receptor 2 (OX2R) Agonist Pipeline into Neuropsychiatric Indications at the 64th ACNP Annual Meeting

Core Insights - Centessa Pharmaceuticals announced new preclinical data demonstrating that OX2R activation with a potent OX2R agonist reduced behavioral despair and enhanced wakefulness in an animal model of major depressive disorder, suggesting a potential mechanism for rapid-onset treatment of mood symptoms and hypersomnolence [1][2] Group 1: OX2R Agonist Program - The company is focused on developing a pipeline of OX2R agonists aimed at addressing excessive daytime sleepiness, impaired attention, cognitive deficits, and fatigue across various neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders [4][5] - Current investigational candidates include ORX750, ORX142, and ORX489, with ORX750 being evaluated in a Phase 2a study for sleep-wake disorders [4][5] Group 2: Leadership and Strategy - The CEO of Centessa emphasized the importance of exploring orexin pharmacology to unlock the full potential of their OX2R agonist pipeline, aiming to expand beyond rare hypersomnias into high-value indications with significant unmet clinical needs [2] Group 3: Presentation and Data Availability - The preclinical findings will be presented at the 64th Annual Meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, with a poster detailing the effects of CNT-9982 on wakefulness and behavioral despair [2][3]