#maplight

MapLight Therapeutics News

SandboxAQ and MapLight Therapeutics (Nasdaq: MPLT) established a collaborative cooperation to find and develop first-in-class CNS diseases medicines, transforming neuropsychiatric medicine. With circuit-specific neuroscience, high-fidelity molecular simulation, and cutting-edge AI, the cooperation takes a bold move towards solving brain health's biggest concerns.

The arrangement involves an upfront payment to SandboxAQ and possible $200 million milestone payments in addition to future royalties.

An Innovative CNS Treatment

For decades, drug development for CNS diseases like schizophrenia, autism, and Parkinson's has failed and yielded ambiguous outcomes. Traditional methods sometimes use broad-spectrum methods that harm numerous brain regions.

MapLight Therapeutics was founded to combat this “circuit-blind” approach. MapLight aims to identify disease-causing neural circuits to design treatments that don't affect brain function. About one-third of FDA-approved drugs target a unique G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR), a cell surface protein. This new alliance targets it.

SandboxAQ's AQBioSim platform drives this partnership. SandboxAQ, a spinoff of Alphabet Inc., uses “Large Quantitative Models” (LQMs) to go beyond standard AI using high-performance computers and quantum physics.

SandboxAQ's simulation-first approach lets researchers predict molecular interactions from scratch, unlike typical AI models that use existing data. In the MapLight cooperation, SandboxAQ will employ these models:

Examine Receptor Structure: Map the target GPCR's complex three-dimensional shape and function with atomic-level accuracy.

Predict Interaction: Virtually explore millions of chemicals to detect receptor binding.

Improve Drug Properties: Ensure chemical structures are safe, effective, and blood-brain barrier-crossing.

Andrea Bortolato, SandboxAQ's vice president of drug development, said, “Our platform allows a systematic, data-driven exploration of chemical space that has eluded traditional approaches.” By speeding up the DMTA cycle, the companies hope to reach clinical trials years sooner than traditional pharmaceutical timelines.

Contract Terms

The strategy structure divides preclinical research across both companies. MapLight provides CNS biology and clinical validation expertise, while SandboxAQ models and selects the best therapeutic candidates.

After finding a candidate, MapLight Therapeutics will develop and commercialise them alone. MapLight can use its clinical infrastructure to bring these new medications through the FDA's rigorous approval process.

Innovative Leaders

This partnership unites two “Quantum and AI” titans. According to MapLight Chief Scientific Officer James Lillie, the target GPCR has been validated using MapLight's proprietary platform, making it possible for SandboxAQ's AI to accelerate.

The recent public listing of MapLight (Nasdaq: MPLT) and SandboxAQ's development into life sciences highlight a larger trend: biology and technology converging. This partnership reinforces SandboxAQ's LQM leadership and expands on their past successful relationships with world health leaders.

Patients Should Care

About one billion people worldwide have CNS diseases. James Lillie's “unmet need” is the millions of people who have no treatment alternatives or suffer from debilitating drug side effects.

Its uniqueness gives this cooperation potential. If SandboxAQ's simulations uncover a molecule that binds to a sick circuit's GPCR, the treatment may be safer and more effective than current options.

Looking Ahead

This partnership shows how quantum-inspired technology are benefiting society as the “International Year of Quantum” ends. The $200 million milestone sum shows the deal's financial potential, but the scientific shift from “hit-or-miss” drug development to “predictive” molecular engineering might transform biotech in ten years.

240 Candidates to Run for Lake County School Board Seats

Undoubtedly, there’s a heightened concern revealed in the record turnout of candidates running for school board positions, myself included.

    Why the sudden interest in school board candidacy?

  Interest may be sparked by President Trump’s recent nominee for Education Secretary, Betsy DeVos, who was described in a Washington Post article as, “a former Republican Party chairwoman in Michigan and…

Sometime early last year, from the deep corners of the White House's "We The People" petition website, emerged a very earnest call from concerned voters — Senators should wear sponsor badges like NASCAR drivers:

"Since most politicians' campaigns are largely funded by wealthy companies and individuals, it would give voters a better sense of who the candidate they are voting for is actually representing if the company's logo, or individual's name, was prominently displayed upon the candidate's clothing at all public appearances and campaign events. Once elected, the candidate would be required to continue to wear those "sponsor's" [sic] names during all official duties and visits to constituents. The size of a logo or name would vary with the size of a donation. For example, a $1 million dollar contribution would warrant a patch of about 4" by 8" on the chest, while a free meal from a lobbyist would be represented by a quarter-sized button. Individual donations under $1000 are exempt."

The petition has since been taken down for lack of supporting signatures — but there is no question that the idea tapped into a lot of frustration from voters.

Who isn’t concerned about the hidden influence of money in politics?

So you probably won't be seeing your Senator wearing a NASCAR jumpsuit anytime soon — but there are definitely other ways to see how money influences politics at a glance. One of the best sites we’ve found that shines a light on the cash behind the politics is MapLight.

The folks at MapLight do the digging for you, to pull out the sources of campaign contributions in:

U.S. presidential,

congressional,

state,

and local ballot/candidate elections.

In case you've (nearly) missed it, there's an election on Tuesday!

This site gets voters the basic info they need before hitting the polls. Right now there is information available for Virginia, New Jersey, and Washington. The VA and NJ governors races are covered, as are the ballot initiatives in Washington.