A planning committee of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine will organize and conduct a 1.5-day public workshop that brings together experts and key stakeholders from academia, government, industry, and non-profit organizations to explore novel molecular targets for mood disorders and psychosis, including ketamine, other NMDA [N-methyl-D-aspartate] receptor antagonists, neurosteroids, muscarinic antagonists, and hallucinogens, as well as over-the-horizon opportunities such as epigenetic- and inflammation-related targets.
Invited presentations and discussions will be designed to:

• Review the current landscape of novel therapeutic targets and agents in development for mood disorders.
• Discuss commonalities among mechanisms of action and lessons learned in translation and clinical development that could be applied across programs to develop novel therapeutics for mood disorders.
• Explore the development of predictive biomarkers and prioritization of potential intervention points along the signaling pathways.
• Examine key clinical questions--such as those related to dosing, safety, treatment aims, duration, diagnosis, place in the sequence of treatments, strategies to prolong efficacy and minimize risk, and the treatment setting--and regulatory challenges and opportunities.
• Explore what is known about use of these agents across the lifespan, including in adolescents and young adults.
• Consider emerging molecular targets for treating psychosis and cognitive impairment in schizophrenia, and how therapeutic development could be informed by lessons learned in developing novel therapeutics for mood disorders.
• Discuss open research questions and opportunities to move the field forward.

The planning committee will develop the agenda for the workshop, select and invite speakers and discussants, and moderate the discussions. A proceedings of the presentations and discussions at the workshop will be prepared by a designated rapporteur in accordance with institutional guidelines.