This article, by the always excellent Shayla Love, discussed the next generation of novel psychedelics. Starting with the many discoveries of Sasha Shulgin, the article then dives deeper into the wishes and hopes of psychedelic companies.
Mentioned are innovators such as April 19 (AI for psychedelic drug development), Mindset Pharma (psilocybin analogues), Tactogen (gentler MDMA), Enveric Biosciences (Psybriary), Delix Therapeutics (non-hallucinogenic ibogaine, David Olson), Compass Pathways (bought IP), Awakn (MDMA-like), Field Trip (2-hour trip), Alexander Shulgin Research Institute, and Mindstate.
Two main points stand out, 1) the possibility of creating ‘better’ psychedelics (e.g. without the trip to suppress costs/increase accessibility) and 2) the opportunity to patent the novel psychedelics.
“The immediate future will still center on the psychedelics we know about already, but the next generation is quickly approaching. How many psychedelic-like drugs will exist? It’s unclear, and depends on what will be discovered that actually works, and what consumer demand will be like.”
Companies Featured
Alexander Shulgin Research InstituteThe Alexander Shulgin Research Institute continues the work of Sasha Shulgin. It's somewhat similar in mission/topic as Isomer Design.
April19
April 19 is using AI to detect complex patterns in data, to find novel psychedelic compounds. The focus is on developing the next generation of psychedelics that maximize safety and efficacy.
Mindset Pharma
Mindset Pharma is a Toronto-based drug discovery company that aims to develop novel psychedelic drugs.
Tactogen
Tactogen is developing 'a next generation of medicines for mental health' under the leadership of Matthew Baggott.
Enveric Biosciences
Enveric Biosciences is a publicly-traded biotechnology company predominantly focused on leveraging cannabinoids as treatments for cancer and oncology treatment-caused indications. They have recently expanded into the psychedelic space through the acquisition of MagicMed in September 2021.
Delix Therapeutics
Delix Therapeutics is a drug development company focusing on novel psychedelic formulations.
COMPASS Pathways
COMPASS Pathways is a publicly listed company (NASDAQ) that is developing psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression (TRD) for which it has completed a successful Phase IIb trial. COMPASS is one of the largest psychedelic companies and has received substantial investment from atai.
Awakn Life Sciences
AWAKN Life Sciences aims to bring psychedelics therapy to the UK. Under this company fall three arms; psychedelic research, clinic platform, and practitioner training.
Field Trip
Field Trip is a company that offers psychedelics therapies. It has several locations (US/CA) that provides ketamine-assisted therapy. It has raised $19.5M in Series A & B funding rounds.
Mindstate Design
A preclinical-stage biotechnology company developing the next generation of psychedelic-inspired therapeutics for intractable mental health conditions.
People Featured
David OlsonDavid Olson is the Chief Innovation Officer and Head of the Scientific Advisory Board at Delix Therapeutics. He is also an Associate Professor at UC Davis and his lab investigates the psychoplastogenic properties of psychedelic substances and other alkaloids, with respect to their ability to treat a wide variety of neuropsychiatric diseases, including depression, anxiety disorders, and addiction, by increasing neuroplasticity.
Matthew Baggott
Matthew Baggott is a PhD neuroscientist and data scientists that has published various papers about psychedelics and is the CEO of Tactogen.
Manoj Doss
Manoj Doss is a researcher at Johns Hopkins University where he studies the cognitive, emotional, and neural mechanisms of psychedelic drugs.