Cognition-First Biotch

Advancing the Future of Cognition

Building therapeutics and scientific reasoning systems to restore, preserve, and ultimately enhance cognitive function.

Building selectively, partnering thoughtfully, and protecting the science that matters.

Rigorous science. Measurable biology. A long horizon for human cognitive health.

Cognition Is the Platform

Manhattan Neuroscience is a biotechnology company focused on understanding the biology that governs cognition—and translating that understanding into therapeutic programs.

We begin with defined neurological and neurodevelopmental conditions where biology can be tested rigorously. Over time, the same discovery framework may help illuminate how cognitive function can be restored after disruption, preserved across aging and biological stress, and ultimately enhanced through validated mechanisms.

Restore

Improve cognitive function where neurological conditions disrupt underlying biology.

Preserve

Understand the mechanisms that support cognitive resilience across the lifespan.

Enhance

Explore how validated biology may safely extend cognitive function beyond restoration.

Therapeutics provide the first proof. Cognition is the broader biological opportunity.

From Biological Knowledge to Scientific Decisions

Manhattan is developing two complementary systems for cognition discovery.

Cognitive Atlas

What Manhattan knows

The Cognitive Atlas organizes evidence across human genetics, multi-omics, scientific literature, biomarkers, perturbation biology, and experimental results. It preserves not only scientific findings, but also their origins, uncertainties, contradictions, and evolving interpretations over time.

Scientific Reasoning Engine

How Manhattan Reasons

The Scientific Reasoning Engine uses evidence to compare biological hypotheses, challenge assumptions, identify uncertainties, and prioritize experiments. It helps determine which therapeutic ideas warrant investigation, guiding decisions through structured reasoning and experimental validation.

Knowledge → Reasoning → Experiment → Evidence → Better Decisions

The Atlas stores the evidence. The SRE helps decide what to test next.

Our Approach

From human evidence to biological reasoning to experimental validation, we combine data, models, and experiemnts to find what’s real.

Human Evidence First

Human genetics, multi-omics, disease biology, and clinical evidence anchor the questions we pursue.

Biological Reasoning

The Cognitive Atlas and Scientific Reasoning Engine help connect evidence, challenge hypotheses, and prioritize the most informative next step.

Experimental Validation

Predictions matter only when they survive biological testing. Manhattan is designed around explicit experiments, measurable outcomes, and the ability to stop weak programs early.

Therapeutic Translation

Selected programs move toward molecule discovery, biomarkers, preclinical validation, intellectual property, and clinical development through internal work and specialized partners.

The objective is not more AI output. It is better scientific and therapeutic decisions.

Our Approach

From human evidence to biological reasoning to experimental validation, we combine data, models, and experiemnts to find what’s real.

Human Evidence First

Human genetics, multi-omics, disease biology, and clinical evidence anchor the questions we pursue.

Biological Reasoning

The Cognitive Atlas and Scientific Reasoning Engine help connect evidence, challenge hypotheses, and prioritize the most informative next step.

Experimental Validation

Predictions matter only when they survive biological testing. Manhattan is designed around explicit experiments, measurable outcomes, and the ability to stop weak programs early.

Therapeutic Translation

Selected programs advance toward molecule discovery, biomarkers, preclinical validation, intellectual property, and clinical development through internal work and specialized partners.

The objective is not more AI output. It is better scientific and therapeutic decisions.

The Manhattan Discovery Loop

Evidence
↓

Cognitive Atlas
↓

Scientific Reasoning Engine
↓

Experiments + Therapeutic Programs
↓

Biological Feedback

Every experiment can improve the evidence available to the next decision.

Where We Begin

Manhattan concentrates on a small number of research areas where cognition biology, human evidence, and therapeutic tractability intersect.

Gene Regulation & Programmable Neurobiology

Neurodegeneration & Cognitive Aging (Preclinical)

Precision Neuropsychiatry (Preclinical)

AI-Driven Drug Discovery & Experimental Loops

Scientific & Strategic Advisors

  • An older man with white hair and a white beard, wearing glasses, a blue button-up shirt, and a brown jacket, standing with arms crossed against a plain background.

    George Church, PhD

    Professor of Genetics, Harvard Medical School; founding core faculty member, Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering.

  • A man with brown hair, a beard, wearing red glasses, a black pinstripe suit, white shirt, and a purple tie, smiling at the camera.

    Glenn Cohen, JD

    Deputy Dean, Harvard Law School; James A. Attwood and Leslie Williams Professor of Law; Faculty Director, Petrie-Flom Center.

  • Headshot of a middle-aged man in a dark suit and white shirt, smiling gently and facing the camera.

    Jerrold Rosenbaum, MD

    Stanley Cobb Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Emeritus Chief of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital.

  • A smiling middle-aged man with gray hair wearing a gray plaid suit, white shirt, and patterned tie.

    Maurizio Fava, MD

    Psychiatrist-in-Chief, Massachusetts General Hospital; Chair of Psychiatry, Mass General Brigham Academic Medical Centers.

  • A middle-aged man with dark hair, light skin, and a goatee, wearing a checkered shirt and a dark blazer, smiling at the camera.

    Stephen Haggarty, PhD

    Director, MGH Chemical Neurobiology Laboratory; Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Senior Associate, Broad Institute.

  • A professional headshot of a man with short brown hair, wearing a black suit jacket and white dress shirt, smiling against a plain background.

    Jacob Hooker, PhD

    Lurie Family Professor of Radiology, Harvard Medical School; Director of Radiochemistry, Massachusetts General Hospital.

  • Portrait of a man in a dark blue suit and white shirt, smiling at the camera with a plain dark background.

    Brendan Hussey, PhD

    President & CEO, Zymgeist Labs; Vice President, JLS Fund; former Stifel Investment Banking associate; synthetic-biology background.

  • A professional woman with straight auburn hair wearing a black blazer over a maroon striped shirt, gold necklace, and earrings, posing against a dark background.

    Dominique Russo, MBA, MPA

    FTechnology entrepreneur and strategist working across AI, extended reality, innovation, and emerging technology ecosystems.

  • A young man with short brown hair and a beard, wearing a white shirt and a dark blazer, smiling at the camera against a black background.

    John Granata, MEng

    Product Director, Coinbase; former Director of Engineering at Coinbase; trained in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT.

  • A young man with wavy brown hair, blue eyes, and a beard, wearing a light blue and white striped button-up shirt, smiling against a black background.

    Logan Fahrenkopf, JD

    Attorney at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati; background spanning biotechnology, intellectual property, and emerging life-sciences companies.

  • Portrait of a young woman with long red hair, blue eyes, wearing a black pinstripe blazer and white blouse, against a black background.

    Lily O’Brien, LLM

    Law studies at the University of Oxford, Academic Scholar at Christ Church, graduate of The University of Law, with additional studies at Panthéon-Assas University and a Certificate Supérieur de Droit Français et International.

  • A young woman with long blonde hair, blue eyes, and fair skin, wearing a black blazer and a blue and white striped collared shirt, looking at the camera with a slight smile.

    Amie Leighton, BA

    Co-Founder of Allia Health, focused on Precision Psychiatry, with studies at the University of Oxford and Christ Church.

  • A portrait of a man with short, curly dark hair, wearing a black collared shirt, against a black background.

    Ben Cyrulnik, MS

    Investment Associate at JLS Fund, Patent Analyst at Calyx Law, with a background in Pharmaceutical Science from the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

  • A young man with dark hair, wearing glasses, a white shirt, a patterned tie, and a black suit jacket, smiling against a black background.

    Nick Castoria, MBA 2026

    Harvard Business School, Strategy Consultant at Accenture, University of Pennsylvania Class of 2019, and participant in Sponsors for Educational Opportunity (SEO).

Our

Talent

Invitation

We’re assembling a small, exceptional team at the intersection of cognition biology, scientific AI, genomics, medicinal chemistry, and experimental neuroscience.

If you want to help build rigorous tools and therapeutics to understand, restore, preserve, and ultimately enhance cognition, we’d like to hear from you.

Who We’re Looking For

Scientific AI & SRE Engineering

Reasoning systems • evaluation • scientific software • agent orchestration • evidence infrastructure

Cognition Biology & Genomics

Human genetics • single-cell biology • multi-omics • causal inference • regulatory biology

Medicinal Chemistry & Pharmacology

Small-molecule discovery • CNS pharmacology • ADME • translational drug development

Translational Experimentalists

Human cellular systems • assay development • biomarkers • electrophysiology • reproducibility-first workflows

Data & Platform Engineering

Scientific databases • provenance • automation • knowledge systems • laboratory interfaces

Operator-Builders

Program management • partnerships • biotech operations • regulatory strategy • company building

High agency, intellectual honesty, and scientific discipline matter more to us than conventional career paths.

Start a Conversation

Manhattan Neuroscience is building a cognition-first biotechnology company at the intersection of human biology, scientific reasoning, and therapeutic discovery.

We welcome conversations with scientific collaborators, prospective team members, strategic partners, and investors who share a long horizon for cognition.

We review inquiries carefully and engage selectively where there is a strong scientific or strategic fit.