Reunion Neuroscience names new CEO

Formerly known as Field Trip Discovery, Reunion Neuroscience (TSX:REUN, Nasdaq:REUN) has announced the appointment of Greg Mayes as its new president and CEO.

Mayes will first focus on completing the company’s Phase 1 clinical trial of its lead asset, RE-104 (formerly FT-104), for postpartum and treatment-resistant depression.

Mayes had held several senior executive roles at pharma companies, including a stint as president, CEO and founder of Engage Therapeutics from 2017 to 2020. From December 2020 to September 2022, he served as president and CEO of the clinical-stage biopharma Antios Therapeutics. At Antios, he led Series B financing worth more than $100 million.

In a LinkedIn post, Mayes described the new role at Reunion as an “ideal opportunity.” “I will be returning to my area of greatest interest and passion – the brain – where we successfully developed a rapid epileptic seizure treatment at Engage Therapeutics through Phase 2 and ultimately sold the asset to UCB in 2020,” Mayes wrote. “My oldest son’s battle with epilepsy and his associated mental health challenges will inspire me to do more in this space each and every day.”

[Check out our interview with Reunion CEO Greg Mayes and Chief Scientific Officer Nathan Bryson]

Focused on developing novel serotonin receptor agonist compounds, Reunion Neuroscience plans to initiate a Phase 2 study of RE-104 in postpartum depression in 2023.

RE-104 is a prodrug of 4-hydroxy-diisopropyltryptamine (4-HO-DiPT), which resembles the magic mushroom compound psilocybin but has a shorter half-life.

RE-104 won patent protection on April 5, 2022.

Mayes’ predecessor is Reunion co-founder Ronan Levy, who will step down from Reunion’s board in October 2022. Ronan Levy continues to be the chair and CEO of Field Trip Health.

Field Trip Health officially spun out Reunion as an independent public company this August, with the board unanimously approving the reorganization in April.