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Curing a side effect of psychedelics

Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD) Research Initiated By Ehave

Psychedelic drugs (typically LSD but sometimes psilocybin or other substances) can occasionally cause lasting visual disturbances such as seeing bright spots of light, distorted sizes and colours,  or halos around objects  – a disorder called Hallucinogen Persisting Perception Disorder (HPPD).

Scientists don’t know exactly why this occurs, but Ehave Inc. (EHVVF) is on a mission to get to the bottom of it. Ehave will be conducting a series of studies over 12 months to determine the cause of HPPD and hopefully find a way to prevent or cure it too. The company strongly believes that there’s a genetic predisposition to the disorder, so the study will involve genetic analysis of 2000 patients and may lead to a genetic test for HPPD susceptibility.

“Let me be clear, psychedelics are extremely safe, especially when used under medical supervision. Understanding HPPD, however, will lead to a better understanding of these molecules as a whole,” said Ehave’s CEO.

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Global leaders join forces down under

$40m psychedelic medicine institute launches in Melbourne

Researchers from leading universities around the globe are joining forces to make psychedelic medicine a reality.

This Friday, a $40 million psychedelic research institute called The Psychae Institute will launch in Melbourne, Australia. The institute will study psilocybin, MDMA, and DMT to develop pharmaceutical-grade psychedelic medicines, and will oversee clinical studies in the UK, Canada, Europe, and Brazil. A co-director of the institute explains that Australia is the ideal location because clinical trials do not need sign-off from an ethics committee, unlike many countries.

 

 

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Helping cancer patients in more way than one

Notice of Allowance Issued for Central Nervous System Peptide Technology

You probably know that psilocybin can help cancer patients with end-of-life anxiety, but it’s now being used to help with other side effects of cancer too.

Late stage cancer patients often experience a condition called cachexia, which causes loss of appetite, extreme weight loss and muscle wasting. AIkido Pharma Inc. (AIKI), a New York based company, is working to treat cancer cachexia with psilocybin. Psilocybin may be able to treat cachexia by reducing neuroinflammation in the brain and central nervous system tissues. AIkido Pharma was recently granted an exclusive sublicense to use homing peptide technology to deliver therapeutic agents to inflamed central nervous system tissue.

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Replacing alcohol with mushrooms?

B.More Advances FDA Drug Trials using Psilocybin to Treat Alcoholism

70% of alcoholics relapse within a year of treatment. Could psilocybin change this?

A recent meta-analysis of the top six best-controlled studies found that patients were 59% more likely to abstain from alcohol use after completing psychedelic therapy. Why is it so effective? Essentially, psychedelics stimulate synaptic growth to “rewire” the brain and break bad habits.

A non-profit in New York called B.More is preparing to build on this research in a Phase 2/3 FDA trial, which will study psilocybin’s effect on alcohol use disorder (AUD).

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A game changer for psychedelic research in Canada

Knowde Group Inc.™ Enters Into a Strategic Partnership with LMC Manna Research to Drive Quality and Collaboration in the Conduct of Cannabis and Psychedelic Clinical Trials.

A new partnership may accelerate psychedelic research across the country to tackle the mental health crisis.

A psychedelic research organization, Knowde Group Inc., entered into a strategic partnership with Canada’s largest network of outpatient clinical research sites, LMC Manna Research. LMC Manna has 23 research sites across 3 provinces and has participated in 2,000+ clinical trials over 25 years. The collaboration will give Knowde Group access to a diverse database of over 1 million patients and strategic advisory for conducting Phase 1-4 clinical trials in psychedelic and cannabis medicines.

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Is microdosing a placebo? An Australian study will find out

Psychedelic microdosing study to reveal what really happens in brains

Microdosers report enhanced cognitive performance and improved mental health, but is it all just a placebo? A new study in Sydney, Australia will reveal the answer.

Macquarie University is recruiting 80 candidates for a placebo-controlled study that will use brain scans and biomarkers to see if the benefits of microdosing psilocybin can be measured on a physiological level. We’ll cover the findings in a future issue, so stay tuned 😉

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Get motivated with microdosing

Microdoses of psilocybin and ketamine enhance motivation and attention in rodent models relevant to depression

If you want to be more productive, a morning microdose might be just what you need. A recent study found that low doses of psilocybin increased task motivation, attentional accuracy, and impulsive action in low-performing rats based on repeated behavioural tests. The findings suggest that microdosing may have potential to treat major depressive disorder.

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Will shrooms replace opioids?

TRYP THERAPEUTICS ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR PHASE 2A CLINICAL TRIAL FOR FIBROMYALGIA WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN

Current treatments for fibromyalgia are often ineffective, with less than 10% of patients adhering to treatment for more than a year and 30% resorting to opioids to relieve pain.

Tryp Therapeutics (TRYP), a BC psychedelics company, is working to change this with psilocybin medicine.

This Wednesday, Tryp announced that it will be conducting a Phase 2a clinical trial to evaluate its oral formulation of synthetic psilocybin, TRYP-8802, in treating fibromyalgia, a chronic pain disorder that affects up to 8% of the population.

The trial will take place at the University of Michigan’s Chronic Pain & Fatigue Research Center and will be the world’s first trial of its kind. TRYP-8802 also shows potential to treat eating disorders, phantom limb pain, and complex regional pain syndrome by increasing neuroplasticity.

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The safest recreational drug becomes even safer

Mindset Pharma Announces Additional Preclinical Results Suggesting Superior Efficacy and Improved Safety in Head-to-Head Comparison to Psilocybin for its First Lead Clinical Candidate, MSP-1014

Magic mushrooms are the safest recreational drug according to a recent study, but Mindset Pharma (MSET) is working to make them even safer.

The company found that its patent-pending psychedelic compound, MSP-1014, may be more effective, safer, and more scalable than psilocybin. Researchers discovered that MSP-1014 more than doubled the head twitch responses in mice, an indicator of serotonin 5-HT2A receptor activity, which is tied to psychedelic experiences. MSP-1014 did not cause body temperature to drop, which was seen with psilocybin.

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Avoid daily antidepressants with a monthly trip

Single Dose of Psychedelic Compound Psilocybin Can Remodel Connections in the Brain

It’s clear that psychedelics are helpful in treating depression, but have you ever wondered why they work so well?

When someone suffers from depression or chronic stress, they typically have a reduction in neural connections, but psychedelics might be able to reverse this. A study at Yale just revealed that one dose of psilocybin can increase these neuronal connections by 10%. The dose also increased the density of dendritic spines (those little spikey things on nerve cells), making the connections stronger. About a third of the new connections remained intact after 34 days.

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