Business Trip How Gilgamesh Landed a $1.2B AbbVie Deal in Psychedelics
Mar 25, 2026
Jonathan Sporn, CEO and founder of Gilgamesh Pharma and former Pfizer/J&J/NIH scientist, built next-gen short-acting psychedelic therapeutics. He discusses why shorter durations matter for real-world psychiatry. He explains designing molecules around clinical needs, trial design challenges, and how a data-driven approach led to a major AbbVie partnership.
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How A $30k University License Became a Pharma Exit
- Jonathan Sporn licensed an R‑ketamine IP from Chiba University using his own funds and later formed Perception Neuroscience which he sold to Taisho for significant liquidity.
- The license cost was roughly $30,000, the patent issued quickly, and J&J's parallel development validated the asset's value.
Designing Psychedelics Backwards From Clinical Needs
- Gilgamesh designs molecules by starting from clinical requirements a physician would want rather than chemistry-first exploration.
- They specified an NCE with reduced dissociation, muted cardiovascular signals, oral dosing, and ~2 hour duration to fit real‑world clinic workflows.
Optimize Psychedelic Duration For Clinic Use
- Do optimize psychedelic PK and tolerability for clinic feasibility by targeting short durations and oral dosing to fit typical appointment lengths.
- Jonathan insisted on ~2 hour trips, oral administration, and dampened dissociation to make treatments practical.