Cerevance is focused on advancing cell type-specific therapies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases and obesity. Pulse 2.0 interviewed Cerevance CEO Craig Thompson to gain a deeper understanding of the company.
Craig Thompson’s Background
Could you tell me more about your background? Thompson said:
“I have spent over 30 years in the biotech and pharmaceutical industry, building a foundation that spans from major companies to innovative startups. During my two decades at Merck and Pfizer, I developed deep expertise in commercial strategy and a comprehensive understanding of market dynamics. From there, I moved into leadership roles, serving as the CCO of Trius Therapeutics, where I helped guide the company through its successful acquisition by Cubist Pharmaceuticals, and then as COO of Tetraphase Pharmaceuticals. These experiences laid the foundation for my later roles as CEO of Neurana Pharmaceuticals and Anthera Pharmaceuticals. In 2022, I was excited to join Cerevance as CEO. Now, I’m collaborating with some of the brightest minds in neuroscience to advance our understanding of central nervous system (CNS) disorders and to translate that knowledge into new treatments for patients.”
Focus And Goals
What are Cerevance’s focus and goals? Thompson shared:
“Cerevance’s mission is to discover, develop, and commercialize novel therapies for neurodegenerative and CNS-controlled disorders. We are driven by the urgent need to bring hope and better quality of life to patients and families affected by these debilitating conditions. Our focus is on therapies with entirely new mechanisms of action, because innovative approaches have the potential to transform the standard of care in areas where current options are insufficient for patients.”
“A major challenge in this field has been the lack of novel drug targets for brain diseases. To overcome that, we leverage our powerful NETSseq platform and our extensive collection of human brain tissue samples. By analyzing post-mortem human brain tissue—from individuals with various CNS disorders as well as those without—we can pinpoint subtle molecular changes associated with disease. This allows us to identify promising new targets and develop therapies that not only alleviate symptoms but also aim to slow or halt the progression of the disease.”
Significant Milestones
What has been Cerevance’s most impactful achievement during your tenure as CEO so far? Thompson cited:
“One milestone that stands out is advancing our lead candidate, solengepras, into a global Phase 3 clinical trial for Parkinson’s disease. Parkinson’s is the fastest-growing neurological disorder worldwide, yet nearly all available therapies work by boosting dopamine—a decades-old approach that often yields diminishing benefits over time and significant side effects. Solengepras is different. It targets a novel, non-dopaminergic pathway, which means it could avoid many of the complications patients experience with current medications. In our Phase 2 adjunctive study, when solengepras was added to patients’ existing medications, we saw improvements similar to infusion therapies – but solengepras is just a once-daily pill, making it far more convenient.”
“The significance of this achievement is tremendous, and I’m incredibly proud of our team for getting solengepras to Phase 3. It brings us closer to providing a much-needed new option for the Parkinson’s community – a real sign of hope for patients and families who have been waiting far too long for a breakthrough.”
Core Clinical Trials
What are the company’s core clinical trials focused on? Thompson explained:
“We currently have two core clinical programs at Cerevance. The first is our lead product candidate, solengepras, which is in a global Phase 3 trial (called ARISE) as an adjunctive therapy for Parkinson’s disease. This trial is evaluating how solengepras may improve patient outcomes when added to the current standard of care for Parkinson’s.”
“Our second key program is CVN293, a highly selective oral inhibitor targeting KCNK13 – a novel receptor linked to neuroinflammation. CVN293 is poised to enter Phase 2 studies and represents a new approach to treating diseases driven by neuroinflammation. We believe this compound could potentially benefit patients with conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, frontotemporal dementia, as well as obesity. We’re excited about the potential of both candidates, each bringing a novel and innovative approach to addressing unmet medical needs.”
Challenges Faced
Have you faced any challenges in your sector recently, and how did you overcome them? Thompson acknowledged:
“Developing drugs for brain disorders is inherently challenging, given their complexity and involvement of multiple cell types and pathways. A major hurdle has been identifying the right targets to effectively treat these multifactorial diseases. We’ve addressed this challenge with our NETSseq platform, which allows us to study human brain tissue at an exceptionally detailed, cellular level. This enables us to pinpoint the molecular drivers of disease within specific cell populations, guiding the development of therapies that target the root cause of disease. In short, by harnessing cutting-edge data and precision science, we’re transforming the complexity of CNS disorders into an opportunity—an opportunity to create better, more targeted treatments for patients.”
Evolution Of The Company’s Technology
How has the company’s technology evolved since launching? Thompson noted:
“Our core technology, NETSseq, has advanced tremendously since the company’s formation. One major area of evolution is the sheer scale and quality of human brain data we can access. We’ve built one of the largest in-house “brain banks,” with over 16,000 donated tissue samples from individuals ranging in age from 8 to 104. Importantly, this collection includes tissue from both individuals with various CNS disorders and those without, providing an incredibly rich, nuanced view of how these diseases develop and progress. This unique resource allows us to directly compare healthy and diseased brain tissues, offering invaluable insights into what truly goes awry in the human brain during illness.”
“We’ve also been continually refining the NETSseq platform itself. It can now identify and measure gene expression across numerous distinct brain cell types with a level of detail far beyond traditional approaches. This means we can to detect subtle molecular changes, tiny signals that might serve as early drivers or indicators of disease. Alongside these technological advances, we’ve invested in advanced data analytics to interpret the massive data we generate. Today, NETSseq is more powerful than ever, enabling us to pinpoint promising drug targets with unprecedented precision. This evolution of our technology is a cornerstone of our innovative approach to CNS drug discovery.”
Significant Milestones
What have been some of the company’s most significant milestones? Thompson cited:
“We have reached several significant milestones on our journey. For example:
– Advancing our lead therapy into late-stage trials: We successfully progressed our lead drug candidate, solengepras, through early-phase trials and into a global Phase 3 study for Parkinson’s disease.
– Expanding our pipeline through innovation: We leveraged our NETSseq platform to discover novel drug targets, which has enabled us to broaden our pipeline with multiple promising candidates for neurological disorders.
Each of these milestones brings us closer to delivering breakthrough therapies to patients, which is the ultimate measure of success for us.”
Patient Success Stories
Can you share any specific patient success stories? Thompson highlighted:
“While I can’t discuss individual patient cases publicly, I can share some exciting outcomes from our clinical trials. In studies of solengepras, our investigational treatment for Parkinson’s disease, participants experienced meaningful improvements, notably, a significant reduction in OFF time when their standard medications stop working effectively. They’ve also reported better day-to-day functioning and improvements in certain symptoms that often go unaddressed by existing treatments. Equally important, solengepras has demonstrated an encouraging safety and tolerability profile, which is crucial for any therapy intended for long-term use.”
“These results are particularly inspiring because, for decades, Parkinson’s care has relied almost entirely on dopamine-based strategies. Over time, traditional dopamine-replacement drugs become less effective and can cause difficult side effects, like uncontrollable movements. Solengepras takes a completely different route by targeting a non-dopamine pathway, and as a result, we’re seeing benefits in areas that current medications often don’t address, such as improvements in sleep disturbances and cognitive symptoms. Seeing patients do better in these aspects of their lives gives us real hope. It reinforces our belief that this first-of-its-kind oral therapy could fill a critical unmet need and truly improve quality of life for people with Parkinson’s.”
Funding/Revenue
Are you able to discuss funding and/or revenue metrics? Thompson revealed:
“In the past two years, we have raised nearly $100 million to advance our mission, including a $51 million Series B-1 and a subsequent $47 million extension. This strong investor support reflects confidence in both our science and our team, enabling us to accelerate research and expand our pipeline. We view this backing as validation that others share our urgency and vision to deliver innovative CNS treatments to patients. It positions us well to continue advancing our programs toward the clinic and, ultimately, to patients.”
Total Addressable Market (TAM)
What total addressable market (TAM) size is the company pursuing? Thompson assessed:
“Parkinson’s disease represents a large and growing community of patients that we aim to serve. Today, more than 10 million people worldwide are living with Parkinson’s, including about 1 million in the United States. By 2030, the number of Parkinson’s patients in the U.S. is projected to rise to roughly 1.2 million, and an estimated 590,000 of those individuals will experience OFF episodes – periods when current medications no longer provide adequate control of symptoms. Each one of those numbers represents a person in need of a better therapy. We intend to address this significant patient population with a novel treatment. In doing so, we’re not only targeting a major unmet medical need but also a very large potential market. In other words, the impact of a successful new Parkinson’s therapy would be both life-changing for patients and substantial in terms of market opportunity.”
Differentiation From The Competition
What differentiates the company from its competition? Thompson affirmed:
“Cerevance truly stands out because of our innovative approach to discovering and developing drugs. At the heart of this is our proprietary NETSseq platform. Unlike many traditional drug discovery methods that rely on animal models or more generalized data, NETSseq allows us to study human brain tissue in extraordinary detail. We start with human biology from day one. This means we can identify drug targets that are demonstrably relevant to human disease processes, which makes our discoveries more precise and likely to translate into effective treatments. In short, our science is guided by actual human data, and that precision is a huge competitive advantage.”
“Another key differentiator is the type of therapies we’re pursuing – exemplified by our work in Parkinson’s. Our lead drug, solengepras, is pioneering a first-in-class, non-dopaminergic approach to treating Parkinson’s disease. Most other Parkinson’s therapies on the market or in development still focus on the dopamine pathway. By contrast, solengepras targets a different receptor in the brain’s motor circuit (known as GPR6) to help restore motor function. This novel mechanism has the potential to reduce the OFF episodes that many Parkinson’s patients experience as their medications wear off – something current treatments struggle to manage. In combination, our unique discovery platform and our willingness to pursue bold, new therapeutic pathways sets us apart from others in the field.”
Future Company Goals
What are some of the company’s future goals? Thompson concluded:
“Looking ahead, our key priority is to complete the global Phase 3 trial of solengepras and, if the data are positive, move swiftly toward making this therapy available to patients. This Phase 3 study will enroll up to 330 patients worldwide and is critical for demonstrating solengepras’ effectiveness as an add-on treatment for Parkinson’s disease. We know patients can’t afford to wait, so we’re working diligently to advance this investigational treatment forward.Getting solengepras into the hands of people living with Parkinson’s isn’t just a business goal, it’s a mission that motivates our entire team every day.”
“Beyond solengepras, we plan to broaden and advance our pipeline of innovative, cell-type-specific therapies. This means initiating clinical trials for other promising candidates, such as CVN293, and continuing to harness our NETSseq platform to uncover the next wave of therapeutic targets in diseases like Alzheimer’s, ALS, and beyond. Ultimately, our goal is to build a robust portfolio of breakthrough treatments for brain and CNS diseases. We remain fully committed to translating our scientific discoveries into real-world therapies that improve patients’ lives.”
