Zubin Bhagwagar, MBBS, MD, FRCPsych, DPhil
About
Biography
Zubin is a physician scientist with 30 years of experience in academia and the pharmaceutical industry and is the Chief Medical Officer at Certego Therapeutics. Previously, Zubin was SVP R&D at Rallybio (a rare disease focussed biotech which went public in 2021) and Vice President and Head of External Innovation at Alexion Pharmaceuticals, where he also led the Strategic Evaluation team in Business Development. He previously held positions of increasing responsibility at Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he worked in multiple therapeutic areas including neuroscience and clinical pharmacology and was in academia prior to BMS.
Zubin received his medical degree and completed his psychiatry residency at Delhi University. He subsequently completed another residency in psychiatry at the University of Oxford, where he was awarded a DPhil (Ph.D.) in neuroimaging and neurobiology. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Psychiatrists (UK) and the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, has authored more than 80 papers in neuroscience/psychiatry, and has been on the faculty of the Department of Psychiatry at Yale University School of Medicine since 2005, where he is an Adjunct Associate Professor.
Departments & Organizations
Education & Training
- DPhil
- University of Oxford (2004)
- Medical Research Council Clinical Training Fellow
- Medical School, University Of Oxford (2001)
- Clinical Research Fellow
- Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London (1999)
- Resident
- University of Oxford (1998)
- MD
- Maulana Azad Medical College (1994)
- Resident
- University of Delhi (1994)
- MBBS
- Maulana Azad Medical College (1989)
Board Certifications
Psychiatry
- Certification Organization
- The Royal College of Psychiatrists
- Original Certification Date
- 1998
Research
Overview
Medical Research Interests
ORCID
0000-0002-1101-768X
Research at a Glance
Yale Co-Authors
Publications Timeline
Research Interests
Gilles Tamagnan, PhD
Irina Esterlis, PhD
John Krystal, MD
Deepak Cyril Dsouza, MBBS, MD
Godfrey Pearlson, MA, MBBS
Hilary Blumberg, MD
Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
Publications
2025
LUMATEPERONE IN THE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER AND BIPOLAR DISORDER WITH ANXIOUS DISTRESS AND MIXED FEATURES
Bhagwagar *, Kozauer S, Earley W, Huo J, Sachs G, Durgam S. LUMATEPERONE IN THE TREATMENT OF PATIENTS WITH MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER AND BIPOLAR DISORDER WITH ANXIOUS DISTRESS AND MIXED FEATURES. The International Journal Of Neuropsychopharmacology 2025, 28: i316-i316. PMCID: PMC11814723, DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyae059.563.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsClinical Global Impression Scale-SeverityMajor depressive disorderMADRS total scoreClinical Global Impression Scale-Severity scoresAnxious distressBipolar depressionBipolar II disorderDSM-5Bipolar disorderTotal scoreII disorderBipolar IDepressive disorderDepressive episodeAssociated with major depressive disorderDepression Rating ScaleDSM-5 criteriaBipolar disorder diagnosisPost-hoc analysis of studyIncreased suicide riskPoor treatment responseSingle-item scoresEpisode specifierTreat schizophreniaDisorder diagnosisLUMATEPERONE TREATMENT FOR MAJOR DEPRESSIVE EPISODES WITH MIXED FEATURES IN MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER AND BIPOLAR I OR BIPOLAR II DISORDER
Bhagwagar *, Kozauer S, Earley W, Chen C, Huo J, Stahl S, McIntyre R, Durgam S. LUMATEPERONE TREATMENT FOR MAJOR DEPRESSIVE EPISODES WITH MIXED FEATURES IN MAJOR DEPRESSIVE DISORDER AND BIPOLAR I OR BIPOLAR II DISORDER. The International Journal Of Neuropsychopharmacology 2025, 28: i19-i19. PMCID: PMC11815047, DOI: 10.1093/ijnp/pyae059.033.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsBipolar depressionBipolar II disorderII disorderLumateperone treatmentMDD populationBipolar IDSM-5Baseline to dayDSM-5-TRIncreased suicide riskMixing featuresPoor treatment responseAdverse eventsMADRS totalTreatment-emergent adverse eventsCGI-S scoresHypomanic symptomsDepressive disorderExtrapyramidal symptomsTreat schizophreniaDepressive episodeConsistent with prior studiesLumateperoneSuicide riskMDD
2022
An HPA-1a–positive platelet–depleting agent for prevention of fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia: a randomized, single-blind, placebo–controlled, single-center, phase 1/2 proof-of-concept study
Geisen C, Kjaer M, Fleck E, Skogen B, Armstrong R, Behrens F, Bhagwagar Z, Braeuninger S, Mortberg A, Olsen K, Gastón Schäfer S, Walter C, Seifried E, Wikman A, Kjeldsen-Kragh J, Koehm M. An HPA-1a–positive platelet–depleting agent for prevention of fetal and neonatal alloimmune thrombocytopenia: a randomized, single-blind, placebo–controlled, single-center, phase 1/2 proof-of-concept study. Journal Of Thrombosis And Haemostasis 2022, 21: 838-849. PMID: 36696185, DOI: 10.1016/j.jtha.2022.11.041.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsFetal/Neonatal Alloimmune ThrombocytopeniaNeonatal alloimmune thrombocytopeniaHPA-1aAlloimmune thrombocytopeniaHuman platelet antigen 1aTreatment-emergent adverse eventsPlacebo 1 hourHPA-1a antibodiesFNAIT casesHyperimmune IgGPrimary endpointAdverse eventsFetus/Healthy menSingle doseAntigen 1aHLA-A2Concept studyCohort 1PlaceboFlow cytometryThrombocytopeniaPlateletsAdministrationWeeks
2019
Lithium for acute mania
Bhagwagar Z, Goodwin G, Geddes J. Lithium for acute mania. Cochrane Database Of Systematic Reviews 2019, 2019 PMCID: PMC6524414, DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd004048.pub3.Peer-Reviewed Original Research
2012
P2‐412: A comparison of hippocampal atrophy algorithms to select outcome measures for clinical trials in mild‐to‐moderate Alzheimer's disease
Burns L, Rueckert D, Bhagwagar Z, Donohue M, Wolz R, Tiller J, Soares H, l'Italien G, Coric V, Hayes W, Fox N, Berman R. P2‐412: A comparison of hippocampal atrophy algorithms to select outcome measures for clinical trials in mild‐to‐moderate Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's & Dementia 2012, 8: p408-p408. DOI: 10.1016/j.jalz.2012.05.2037.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchP2‐423: vMRI and whole‐brain volume in patients with mild‐to‐moderate Alzheimer's disease
Budd D, Nalysnyk L, Fahrbach K, Bhagwagar Z, Berman R, Burns L, l'Italien G. P2‐423: vMRI and whole‐brain volume in patients with mild‐to‐moderate Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's & Dementia 2012, 8: p411-p412. DOI: 10.1016/j.jalz.2012.05.2048.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchP2‐422: vMRI and hippocampal volume in patients with suspected predementia Alzheimer's disease
Budd D, Nalysnyk L, Fahrbach K, Bhagwagar Z, Berman R, Burns L, l'Italien G. P2‐422: vMRI and hippocampal volume in patients with suspected predementia Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's & Dementia 2012, 8: p411-p411. DOI: 10.1016/j.jalz.2012.05.2047.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchAntidepressants
Bhagwagar Z, Heninger G. Antidepressants. 2012, 1185-1198. DOI: 10.1093/med/9780199696758.003.0153.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsWorld Health Organization Global BurdenMajor public health problemPharmacology of antidepressantsLargest causeTreatment of depressionMajor depressive disorderPublic health problemAbstract Major depressive disorderImportance of depressionRecurrent illnessDepressive disorderPrimary treatmentAntidepressant drugsGlobal burdenHigh riskHealth problemsDepressionAntidepressantsDrugsPatientsDepressed individualsSelective useCliniciansBurdenDisease
2011
Abnormal prefrontal activity subserving attentional control of emotion in remitted depressed patients during a working memory task with emotional distracters
Kerestes R, Ladouceur CD, Meda S, Nathan PJ, Blumberg HP, Maloney K, Ruf B, Saricicek A, Pearlson GD, Bhagwagar Z, Phillips ML. Abnormal prefrontal activity subserving attentional control of emotion in remitted depressed patients during a working memory task with emotional distracters. Psychological Medicine 2011, 42: 29-40. PMID: 21733287, DOI: 10.1017/s0033291711001097.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsVentrolateral prefrontal cortexNegative emotional informationFunctional magnetic resonance imagingEmotional distractersAttentional controlEmotional informationMemory taskMemory loadEmotional Face N-Back (EFNBACK) taskOrbitofrontal cortexNegative emotional distractersN-back taskInterface of cognitionAccurate task performanceKey neural circuitsBlood oxygen level-dependent functional magnetic resonance imagingRMDD patientsLevel-dependent functional magnetic resonance imagingAttentional biasesFacial emotionsEmotion processingDepressed patientsDistracter stimuliTrait-like abnormalitiesRight DLPFC
2010
Increased peripheral blood expression of electron transport chain genes in bipolar depression
Beech RD, Lowthert L, Leffert JJ, Mason PN, Taylor MM, Umlauf S, Lin A, Lee JY, Maloney K, Muralidharan A, Lorberg B, Zhao H, Newton SS, Mane S, Epperson CN, Sinha R, Blumberg H, Bhagwagar Z. Increased peripheral blood expression of electron transport chain genes in bipolar depression. Bipolar Disorders 2010, 12: 813-824. PMID: 21176028, PMCID: PMC3076072, DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-5618.2010.00882.x.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH Keywords and ConceptsConceptsBipolar disorderBipolar depressionPeripheral bloodDepressed subjectsGeneGo MetaCore softwarePeripheral blood expressionHealthy control subjectsReal-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reactionEffects of medicationReverse transcription-polymerase chain reactionQuantitative real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reactionTranscription-polymerase chain reactionMitochondrial electron transport chainControl subjectsPolymerase chain reactionUnmedicated subjectsHealthy controlsBlood expressionBPD subjectsSpecific genetic pathwaysElectron transport chain genesMetaCore softwareA totalAltered expressionQRT-PCR