Symposium 11: Advances in psychiatry drug discovery and development
Tracks
Track 3
| Wednesday, July 15, 2026 |
| 11:15 AM - 1:15 PM |
Details
The paucity of genuine pharmacological therapies for psychiatric disorders is a critical unmet need. Major challenges remain in the field: 1. a lack of genuine, predictive preclinical models to drive discovery and service a translational path; 2. a fundamental requirement for better linkages between human pathophysiology. Tackling these issues enables development of medicines that provide relief for patients; especially for those that are treatment refractory.
This symposium will highlight the recent advances in psychiatry drug discovery. This is done by engaging world-class, international and domestic researchers working at the forefront of preclinical and clinical research within biotech or at the interface of academia and biopharma. It will enable the patients’ voice to be heard through a lived experience advocate – something that is seldom disseminated in psychiatry. This symposium will also offer clear future sight into the changing face of psychiatry drug discovery.
Speaker
Dr Gregory Stewart
Monash University
Overcoming translational hurdles for treating Cognitive Impairments Associated with Schizophrenia
11:15 AM - 11:45 AMBiography
Greg is a Senior Research Fellow, the Better Medicines Program Manager in the Neuromedicines Discovery Centre and co-lab head of the Molecular & Translational Drug Discovery lab. Greg received his PhD from Monash University and subsequently received an FRM fellowship to undertake postdoctoral studies at the Institut de Génomique Fonctionnelle, France. He has over 15 years of experience in GPCR pharmacology research and has been working with industry for the past 10 years. Greg is a molecular neuropharmacologist and neuronal cell biologist who focuses his research on targeting GPCRs to treat neurological and cognitive disorders, such as schizophrenia, Parkinson’s disease and addiction.
Dr Cassandra Hatzipantelis
Postdoctoral Scholar
University Of California, Davis
When safety and efficacy aren’t universal: postpartum vulnerability reveals hidden liabilities of psychedelic drugs
11:45 AM - 12:15 PMBiography
Dr Cassie Hatzipantelis is a postdoctoral research fellow with the University of California, Davis Institute for Psychedelics and Neurotherapeutics. She completed her PhD in Drug Discovery Biology from the Monash Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Monash University. Presently as a Project Lead within the IPN, she leads teams across various projects related to the pharmacology of psychedelic drugs and their role in neurophysiology, neuropsychiatric pathophysiology, and in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders. Using integrated approaches spanning molecular biology, analytical pharmacology, neurophysiology and behavioural neuroscience Cassie hopes to understand, develop, and advance novel therapeutic agents for the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders.
Miss Aimée Freeburn
Project Coordinator
Centre for Medicine Use and Safety, Monash University
Bridging Evidence and Practice: Clinical Guideline Development for Psychedelic Therapies in Mental Health
12:15 PM - 12:45 PMBiography
Aimée Freeburn is a Project Coordinator at the Centre for Medicine Use and Safety at Monash University, where she supports the development of clinical practice guidelines for emerging psychedelic-assisted therapies in mental health. Her multidisciplinary background spans psychology, neuropharmacology, and project management across academic and industry settings, contributing to more than 30 international translational research and drug discovery projects including clinical observational studies and preclinical target validation in neuropsychiatric, neurodevelopmental, and rare disorders. Her work has involved collaborations with spin-out biotechnology ventures from Monash University and Trinity College Dublin, providing experience across the translational pipeline from patient-focused drug discovery through to the translation of evolving evidence into clinical frameworks that enable safe and effective implementation of novel therapies.
Dr Alene Yong
Research Fellow
Monash University
Co-presenter
Biography
Dr Alene is a pharmacist and public health researcher, currently a Research Fellow at the Centre for Medicine Use and Safety (CMUS), Monash University. She is currently working on clinical practice guideline development and research implementation. Previously, Alene has worked as a community pharmacist and a research consultant for international organisations, including the World Health Organisation and City Cancer Challenge Foundation. In these roles, she contributed to a range of national and international research initiatives, including health financing in low-resource settings, patient navigation in cancer care, and addressing barriers to accessing health services. She has extensive experience in evidence synthesis, mixed-method research, and preference elicitation methods. Alene is driven by her passion for translating research outcomes into policy, clinical practice, and tangible positive impacts for the community.
Dr Stela Petkova
Senior Research Scientist
University Of Sydney
Of rodents and remedies: translational approaches to preclinical psychiatry drug discovery
12:45 PM - 1:00 PMBiography
Dr. Stela Petkova is a senior neuroscience researcher at the Brain and Mind Centre, University of Sydney. She earned her PhD at the University of California Davis, where she worked on developing translational behavioural outcomes in rat and mouse genetic models of autism and neurodevelopmental disorders. Since then, she has built broad expertise in translational behavioural neuroscience, psychiatric disorders, and preclinical models. Dr. Petkova works across academia at University of Sydney and industry with Kinoxis Therapeutics. She leads projects examining the molecular and behavioural mechanisms of psychiatric conditions, with a focus on supporting drug discovery and development. Her work aims to help bridge the gap between basic research and clinical application in mental health.
Sandy Jeffs
Cobenfy, why am I not thrilled? We have been down the madness wonder drugs road before
1:00 PM - 1:15 PMBiography
Sandy Jeffs OAM was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 1976 when it was considered something from which you could not recover. In the 1980s, she was among the first wave of people who started speaking publicly about living with a mental illness. Much of her writing has been about her struggle with schizophrenia. Sandy has published 8 volumes of poetry and a memoir Flying with Paper Wings: Reflections on Living with Madness which was republished March 2024. Sandy co-authored with Margaret Leggatt, Out of the Madhouse: From Asylums to Caring Community? which won the oral history prize at the 2020 Victorian Community History Awards.
Session chair
Rocio de la Fuente Gonzalez
Monash University
Natalie Diepenhorst
Lab Head
Monash University
