A feasibility study of Psychedelic Microdosing-Assisted Meaning Centred Psychotherapy in advanced stage cancer patients (PAM Trial)

This double-blind, placebo-controlled feasibility trial (n=40) investigates Psychedelic Microdosing-Assisted Meaning-Centred Psychotherapy (PA–MCP) in advanced-stage cancer patients. Led by Dr Lisa Reynolds at The University of Auckland, the study aims to evaluate the effects of LSD microdosing (starting at 8 mcg, 2 times a week for 6 weeks) alongside Meaning-Centred Psychotherapy.

Participants, diagnosed with incurable stage IV solid organ malignancy, will be randomly assigned to either PA–MCP or Placebo-MCP. The primary outcomes include feasibility measures (adherence, attendance, treatment fidelity, recruitment, and attrition), acceptability (assessed through open-ended questions and interviews), and safety (vital signs, adverse effects). Secondary outcomes encompass various psychological measures and quality-of-life assessments.

The study is funded by the Health Research Council and MindBio Therapeutics Ltd, with approval from the Southern Health and Disability Ethics Committee. Recruitment is anticipated from June 2023 to June 2024 in Auckland, New Zealand.

The trial protocol has been published as “PAM trial protocol: a randomised feasibility study of psychedelic microdosing–assisted meaning-centred psychotherapy in advanced stage cancer patients.”

Topic Microdosing Palliative Care
Compound LSD Placebo
Country New Zealand
Visit trial

Trial Details



Trial Number

Sponsors & Collaborators

MindBio Therapeutics
MindBio Therapeutics is conducting clinical research exploring the effects of microdosing psychedelic medicines to treat a range of medical conditions such as depression, anxiety, PTSD, panic disorder, chronic pain and opioid addiction.

Data attribution

A large set of the trials in our database are sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov (CTG). We have modified these post to display the information in a more clear format or to correct spelling mistakes. Our database in actively updated and may show a different status (e.g. completed) if we have knowledge of this update (e.g. a published paper on the study) which isn't reflected yet on CTG. If a trial is not sourced from CTG, this is indicated on this page and you can follow the link to the alternative source of information.