Schizophrenia is a devastating mental disorder for which novel mechanism-based treatments are crucially needed. Maintaining adequate levels of iron in the brain is critical, yet excess iron can be highly toxic, thus clinical trials aiming to remove excess brain iron in common neurodegenerative disorders are underway. In humans, we demonstrated perturbed iron biology in the prefrontal cortex of individuals with schizophrenia. In mice, our joint data indicated that the iron chelator, deferiprone, attenuated symptoms in several pharmacological models of psychosis, presumably via inhibition of the iron-dependent enzymes in the dopamine biosynthesis pathway. Based on these findings, a preliminary clinical study in schizophrenia with oral deferiprone tablets is underway. Noting that schizophrenia patients do not exhibit peripheral iron overload, alongside a 1% reported incidence of deferiprone-related agranulocytosis, in this collaborative project, we will develop a formula for intranasal delivery of deferiprone. We will assess the spatial brain distribution of deferiprone using DESI-MS and intraperitoneal deferiprone as a reference. Efficacy in attenuating psychosis, alongside the extent of peripheral tissue exposure to deferiprone, will be compared across delivery approaches. If successful, our collaboration could offer a novel approach for optimizing deferiprone delivery into relevant brain tissue while minimizing peripheral exposure.