SAN FRANCISCO and BOSTON, June 24, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MapLight Therapeutics, Inc. (Nasdaq: MPLT), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on improving the lives of patients suffering from debilitating central nervous system (CNS) disorders, today announced the appointment of Martin Babler and Troy Cox to its Board of Directors following their election at the Company's Annual Meeting of Stockholders on June 23, 2026. Mr. Babler and Mr. Cox succeed Robert Malenka, M.D., Ph.D., and Jim Trenkle, Ph.D., who did not stand for re-election and have concluded their service on the Board. Mr. Babler has been appointed as a member of the Audit Committee, and Mr. Cox has been appointed Chair of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee.
"We are grateful to Rob and Jim for their years of leadership and service to MapLight, and we are pleased to welcome Martin and Troy to the Board. Both bring substantial strategic, operational and governance experience," said Chris Kroeger, co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Company. "Their proven leadership across biotechnology will support MapLight as we continue executing on our strategy to develop meaningful therapies for patients with CNS disorders."
Mr. Babler has served as President, Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board of Alumis Inc. since September 2021. He previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Principia Biopharma Inc. from 2011 until its acquisition by Sanofi S.A. in 2020, and as President and Chief Executive Officer of Talima Therapeutics, Inc. Earlier in his career, he held several leadership positions at Genentech, Inc., most notably as Vice President, Immunology Sales and Marketing. Mr. Babler currently serves on the board of directors of Prelude Therapeutics, Inc.
Mr. Cox previously served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Foundation Medicine, Inc. from 2017 to 2019, including through its acquisition by Roche in 2018. Prior to Foundation Medicine, he served as a Senior Vice President at Genentech, Inc. and held executive and senior leadership roles at UCB BioPharmaceuticals, including as President of CNS Operations, as well as at Sanofi-Aventis and Schering-Plough. Mr. Cox currently serves as Chair of the board of directors of SOPHiA GENETICS SA and on the boards of Standard BioTools Inc. and Fuze Health.
About MapLight Therapeutics
MapLight Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company focused on improving the lives of patients suffering from debilitating central nervous system disorders. The Company was founded by globally recognized leaders in psychiatry and neuroscience research to address the lack of circuit-specific pharmacotherapies available for patients. The Company's discovery platform holds the potential to fill this void by identifying neural circuits causally linked to disease and targeting those circuits for therapeutic modulation.
For more information, please visit www.maplightrx.com.
Forward Looking Statements
Certain statements in this press release may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws, including, but not limited to, the clinical development of meaningful therapies for CNS disorders. Words such as "may," "might," "will," "objective," "intend," "should," "could," "can," "would," "expect," "believe," "design," "estimate," "predict," "potential," "develop," "plan" or the negative of these terms, and similar expressions, are intended to identify forward-looking statements. While the Company believes these forward-looking statements are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on any such forward-looking statements, which are based on information available to the Company on the date of this release. These forward-looking statements are based upon current estimates and assumptions and are subject to various risks and uncertainties (including, without limitation, those set forth in the Company's filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)), many of which are beyond the Company's control and subject to change. Actual results could be materially different. Risks and uncertainties include: the unpredictable relationship between preclinical study results and clinical study results; the risk that results obtained in any clinical trials to date may not be indicative of results obtained in ongoing or future trials; the timing or likelihood of regulatory filings and approvals; expectations regarding the Company's ability to fund its current operations; and other risks and uncertainties identified in the Company's Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q for the quarter ended March 31, 2026, and subsequent disclosure documents the Company may file with the SEC. The Company claims the protection of the safe harbor contained in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 for forward-looking statements. The Company expressly disclaims any obligation to update or alter any statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.
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