Synendos Therapeutics Starts Phase 2 Trial in Generalized Anxiety Disorder

• Collaboration underway with Prof. Allan Young and King’s College, London
• First time a Selective Endocannabinoid Reuptake Inhibitor (SERI) molecule is dosed in a patient population

BASEL, Switzerland, May 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Synendos Therapeutics (“Synendos”), the clinical-stage biotech company developing breakthrough therapies for neuropsychiatric disorders, announced today that it has started dosing of its Phase 2 efficacy and safety clinical trial in patients with the diagnosis of Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). The study is taking place in collaboration with Professor Allan Young and King’s College, London. This marks the first time a SERI molecule is dosed in a patient population. Preliminary data is anticipated in early 2027.

This Phase 2 study comes on the back of Synendos’ highly successful Phase 1 clinical program in healthy volunteers last year that demonstrated safety, tolerability and the penetration of the therapeutic into the central nervous system and preliminary evidence of a pharmacodynamic effect on the brain.

The trial will investigate the efficacy, safety, tolerability and pharmacokinetics of a single dose of SYT-510 in participants meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5^th edition, diagnostic criteria for GAD.  

The company’s lead SERI molecule, SYT‑510, is a first‑in‑class inhibitor that targets a newly identified component of the endocannabinoid system to help restore healthy brain function. “SERIs represent a new class of endocannabinoid system modulators designed to restore healthy brain signaling by gently enhancing endogenous cannabinoid activity to unleash its full therapeutic potential without overstimulation,” said Dr. Andrea Chicca, CEO and co‑founder at Synendos. “Because the endocannabinoid system is often described as a ‘master regulator’ of brain activity, helping to keep key functions such as mood, stress, sleep and appetite in balance, this novel mechanism offers a fine-tuned, precise and powerful way to support brain homeostasis without the drawbacks seen with earlier cannabinoid‑based approaches.”

Professor Allan Young, Chair of Academic Psychiatry at Imperial College London, said, “At King’s, we are evaluating SYT‑510, the first‑in‑class SERI in anxiety disorders, using our established experimental medicine model, which quantifies the drug’s effects on the amygdala—a central hub of fear and anxiety processing that shows heightened activity in individuals with moderate to severe anxiety.”

“Our partnership with King’s College marks the start of a focused journey to evaluate this promising new approach to restoring balance in brain chemistry,” said Dr. George Garibaldi, Chief Medical Officer at Synendos. “In addition to characterizing its effects on the amygdala, this study will address patient‑relevant outcomes, including the impact on social avoidance—a common, disabling feature of anxiety disorders that significantly impairs social relationships and work life.”

About Synendos
Synendos is a clinical-stage, neuroscience company developing breakthrough therapies for neuropsychiatric and other central nervous system (CNS) disorders such as anxiety disorders, PTSD and other indications. We utilize the modulation of a new drug target in the endocannabinoid system (ECS) that enables restoration of the natural functioning of the brain. Synendos’ lead drug candidate, SYT-510, belongs to a novel class of ECS modulators named Selective Endocannabinoid Reuptake Inhibitors (SERIs). SERIs represent first-in-class, new chemical entities that modulate the ECS through a self-limiting mode of action (MoA) with the potential to deliver meaningful benefits to patients. This novel MoA has the potential to combine treatment of a range of symptoms with sustained efficacy in large patient populations together with the potential to address a key unmet need, that of chronic tolerability, allowing more patients to stay on treatment and regain an improved quality of life. www.synendos.com

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