aibioPasithea names Kartik Krishnan chief medical officer
Tickers KTTA
Kartik Krishnan, M.D., Ph.D., became chief medical officer on May 1, 2026, and will oversee clinical development and medical strategy for PAS-004.
Key facts
- Company
- Pasithea Therapeutics Corp. (NASDAQ: KTTA)
- News type
- Company Updates
- Primary source
- Pasithea Therapeutics Corp. 8-K (2026-05-04)
Pasithea Therapeutics Corp. (Nasdaq: KTTA) said on May 4, 2026 that Kartik Krishnan, M.D., Ph.D., has been appointed chief medical officer, effective May 1, 2026. The company's press release, filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission as an exhibit to a current report, says Dr. Krishnan will oversee all clinical development and medical strategy as the company advances PAS-004 for neurofibromatosis type 1.
The appointment
The release says the role covers the company's work on NF1-associated plexiform and cutaneous neurofibromas. Chief executive Tiago Reis Marques said Dr. Krishnan's experience developing cobimetinib, a FDA-approved MEK inhibitor, "is particularly relevant to our mission" and would directly benefit the progression of the PAS-004 program. The release names Patrick Gaynes, of investor relations, as the company contact.
Dr. Krishnan's background
The release says Dr. Krishnan has more than 20 years of experience in clinical development, pharmacovigilance, clinical operations, regulatory affairs and R&D strategy. Before joining Pasithea, he was chief executive officer of OncoNano Medicines, a privately held company developing anti-cancer assets. Earlier he was chief medical officer of Arcus Biosciences, a company focused on combination therapies in immuno-oncology.
His earlier roles included clinical development and medical director positions at Astex Pharmaceuticals, Genentech, Five Prime Therapeutics, BioMarin and Amgen. He also held a faculty position in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Arizona. At Genentech he was part of the clinical team for cobimetinib, which was approved in the United States and Europe in 2015 for BRAF V600E or BRAF V600K melanoma in combination with vemurafenib. The release says he later helped establish development opportunities for the drug beyond melanoma, and that cobimetinib was approved for Langerhans cell histiocytosis in 2022.
Dr. Krishnan received a B.A. in History with Distinction from the University of Virginia. He completed an M.D. and a Ph.D. in Molecular, Biochemical and Biophysical Studies at Columbia University, working in the lab of Dr. John Krolewski. He trained in pediatrics at UCLA and in pediatric hematology and oncology at Johns Hopkins University and the National Cancer Institute.
The company's programs and finances
Pasithea describes itself as a clinical-stage biotechnology company whose lead drug candidate, PAS-004, is a next-generation macrocyclic MEK inhibitor for RASopathies, MAPK pathway-driven tumors and other diseases. The release says the company is testing PAS-004 in a Phase 1 trial in patients with advanced cancer (NCT06299839), and in a Phase 1/1b trial in adults with NF1-associated plexiform neurofibromas (NCT06961565).
The annual report, filed March 30, 2026, and its XBRL data show research and development expense of $8.0 million for 2025, up from $7.2 million in 2024. The net loss was $20.4 million in 2025 and $13.9 million in 2024. Cash from operations was negative $15.2 million in 2025 and negative $13.9 million in 2024. Year-end cash and cash equivalents were $6.9 million at the end of 2024.
The annual report also describes the study's secondary objectives: characterizing the pharmacokinetic profile of PAS-004 after single and multiple doses, evaluating its pharmacodynamic effect, assessing preliminary anticancer activity under RECIST 1.1 criteria, and defining a preliminary recommended Phase 2 dose in adults with MAPK pathway driven advanced solid tumors. The company is conducting the study at four clinical sites in the U.S. and three in Eastern Europe, and expects to complete it in 2028.
The risks ahead
A new chief medical officer does not change where PAS-004 stands: it is still in Phase 1 studies, with no efficacy data in the release. The release gives no date for the next clinical milestone, and the annual report expects the advanced cancer study to finish in 2028. Pasithea reported a net loss of $20.4 million for 2025 and negative operating cash flow of $15.2 million, with research and development spending rising to $8.0 million. The appointment fills a leadership role, and the company says Dr. Krishnan's cobimetinib experience should help, but that is the company's view, not a trial result.