atai Life Sciences Announces Key Leadership Appointments as it Advances its Pipeline of Novel Psychedelic Therapeutics for Mental Health

Leadership Appointments - Srinivas Rao M D Ph D assumes the role of sole Chief Executive Officer (CEO) [10] - Kevin Craig M D promoted to Chief Medical Officer (CMO) to lead clinical development for VLS-01 and EMP-01 [10][12] - Glenn Short Ph D promoted to Chief Scientific Officer (CSO) to lead research programs including discovery and preclinical development [2][10] - Gerd Kochendoerfer Ph D joins as Chief Operating Officer (COO) to foster strategic alignment and operational excellence [3][10] Clinical Programs - VLS-01 (buccal film DMT) is a proprietary oral transmucosal film formulation of DMT being developed for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) with Phase 2 trial topline data anticipated in Q1 2026 [5] - EMP-01 (R-MDMA) is a proprietary oral formulation targeting social anxiety disorder (SAD) with Phase 2a trial topline data anticipated in Q1 2026 [6] Company Overview - atai Life Sciences is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on transforming the treatment of mental health disorders [7] - The company aims to develop novel evidence-based therapeutics for depression anxiety and other mental health disorders [7]