About Us

Our foundational work began in neuroendocrine disorders with our co-founder Dr. Vale’s discovery and study of corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF), an important stress hormone that regulates the release of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) from the pituitary gland. This work led to the understanding of key biological pathways involved in congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH), a rare, genetic, life-long and life-threatening disorder caused by an enzyme deficiency. Mentored by Dr. Vale, Dimitri E. Grigoriadis, Ph.D., first served as our Director of Pharmacology and Drug Discovery and led the development efforts of several CRF receptor antagonists for neuropsychiatric and neuroendocrine disorders. One of the compounds was crinecerfont for CAH, an investigational CRF₁ receptor antagonist that could bring innovation to a patient community that has not seen advancements in care in more than 70 years.

A passion for fulfilling unmet needs has guided our research efforts and ongoing perseverance throughout our history. Vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2), a protein in the brain that packages neurotransmitters, such as dopamine, was identified in the 1990s. Less than a decade later, an understanding of the critical role of the VMAT2 pathway in regulating movement led scientists at Neurocrine to synthesize valbenazine, a VMAT2 inhibitor, with the aim of reducing the amount of dopamine released in the striatum. In 2017, after years of research and clinical trials, valbenazine was approved by the FDA for a first indication and for a second indication in 2023. We continue to study valbenazine in additional patient populations, including for certain neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions.