Another exciting month in which there was a lot of reporting on the new FDA approvals (for Compass, Eleusis). Also news on the long-term follow-up of existential fear relief for cancer patients. And interestingly many news stories from the cannabis industry which is seeing new opportunities.
E. coli Could Produce a Popular Psychedelic for Therapeutic Use
Source: Scientific American| By: Tanya Lewis| Published: 1 Jan 2020
“The modified microbes generated up to 1.16 grams of psilocybin per liter of culture medium—the highest yield to date from any engineered organism and a 10-fold increase over the next best attempt. Scaled up, the new method could produce psilocybin for potential therapeutic use.”
“Adams and her colleagues engineered E. coli that incorporated three genes from the Psilocybe cubensis mushroom, enabling the bacteria to synthesize psilocybin from the cheap and easily obtainable precursor molecule 4-hydroxyindole, and then they optimized the process to produce the drug on a larger scale.”
This presents a good, and rather large, step into making psilocybin cheaper and reliably. Psilocybin (and psilocin) are found in various types of mushrooms, yet the amount per gram can be highly variable. A cheap way of making it in the lab would be very useful.
“Senior study author Andrew Jones, a chemical and biological engineer at Miami University, aims to eventually synthesize psilocybin from glucose. He and his colleagues are talking with several companies about licensing the team’s method for commercial use.”
One could imagine that Compass Pathways is one of the companies he is in talks with.
See the analysis of this paper here – In vivo production of psilocybin in E. coli
Medical University of South Carolina Is Getting Psychedelic
Source: Fitsnews (horrible website) | By: staff | Published: 7 Jan 2020
“The Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) is preparing to launch a new psychedelic research center with a sizable endowment… The project will reportedly be a collaboration between the school and the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS).”
The article mentions that they expect this to happen within 18 months, you read it here first.
Shroom-Therapy Startup Edges Toward FDA Approval
Source: Bloomberg | By: Adam Piore | Published: 7 Jan 2020
The article focusses on the efforts of Compass Pathways, the founders, and their plans for selling synthetic psilocybin to therapists/clinics.
“Compass is running a 216-patient Phase 2B clinical trial—typically the second-to-last stage before a drug gets the FDA’s nod—and has made enough synthetic doses of the psychoactive ingredient in magic mushrooms to supply more than 30,000 patients.”
“Today’s go-to treatments, psychotherapy and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, work for only about 70% of patients, leaving as many as 90 million still struggling around the globe, according to the World Health Organization.” (this alludes to the percentage of treatment-resistant depressions, but fails to mention that for others with ‘treatable’ depression, life also isn’t perfect, and psychedelics might be an option for some of them too)
The rest of the article reflects some more on the recent history of psychedelics/psilocybin in research and ends with a note about Compass hoping to have the Phase 2B results by early 2021.
Transforming psychedelics into mainstream medicines
Source: Stat News | By: Shlomi Raz | Published: 7 Jan 2020
“Research on psychedelics, which have been profoundly stigmatized, highly restricted, and tragically undeveloped for more than half a century, is stirring back to life and rekindling scientific, medical, and cultural interest in these compounds.”
Psychedelics, like peyote, haven’t only been used for spiritual journeys. Another use is that of anti-inflammatory agents. The author is the co-founder of Eleusis. He wants to use the compounds – or derivatives of them – for this use.
“Of note, some psychedelics can act as anti-inflammatory agents at concentrations unlikely to induce changes in brain function that alter perception, mood, thinking ability, or behavior. This suggests they are capable of being transformed into so-called subperceptual medicines. … some psychedelics that activate the serotonin 2A receptor are potently anti-inflammatory at doses unlikely to result in psychoactivity.”
The article ends with a note of a Phase 1 clinical trial (paper analysis here) the company has done and possible uses of LSD for patients at risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Ecstasy and Absolution
Source: The Verge | By: Christina Couch | Published: 9 Jan 2020
An in-depth story about Christopher Medina-Kirchen, a former inmate (caught for selling MDMA) who now is a researcher into that same substance. It recounts (a part of) the history of MDMA, how it was used in therapy, and how it’s now making a comeback in research.
Much of the focus is on the misinformation that surrounds MDMA. From ‘holes in the brain’ (which turned out to be changes in blood flow), to using methamphetamine instead of MDMA.
“Ecstasy users with a specific gene variant had more depressive symptoms than control groups but were still essentially normal.”
The article also mentions the work done by MAPS.
2020 Psychedelic Industry Insights Report
Source: Reddit (/r/investing)| By: Nikita Alexandrov | Published: 10 Jan 2020
Wow, this is quite the extensive read on what the 2019 investments were in psychedelics and what we can expect. The headline number is a $1 billion (with a B) possible IPO in 2020 (referring to Compass Pathways and/or ATAI I think).
“Historically, the psychedelics industry has been fragmented with around $60M worth of companies in the last 20 years, many of which were not sustainable. The current industry is around $220M+ worth of investments, dominated by the Peter Thiel backed Atia Lifesciences at $100M+ and Compass Pathways at $50M+, followed by Mind Medicine at $10M+, Fieldtrip Ventures at $10M+ and then a 10-25 early companies in the range of $2.5-10M each. The $220M+ worth of investable deals have only existed since the public formation of Compass Pathways in 2016, with the majority leaving stealth mode in 2019.”
2019 Big for Magic Mushrooms and 2020 Should be Bigger
Source: Baystreet | By: Baystreet staff | Published: 10 Jan 2020
An unexpected interesting view on the state of psychedelics investments and companies. It mentions legislation in the works in the US, the company Yield Growth (who wants to become a first-mover in the field), and the potential market (estimated at $50 billion, but source not linked).
“We’re in the early stages of a renaissance of scale that we will never see again in our lifetime with the re-shaping of the reputations of cannabis and psilocybin. As Ms. White so eloquently puts it, “investor interest could go viral at any time.” “
Also released via AP News.
European synthetic biology company Octarine receives funding to develop biosynthetic platform for cannabinoid and psilocybin derivatives
Source: Business Wire (press release) | By: Octarine | Published: 10 Jan 2020
“Today, Octarine Bio IVS (“Octarine” or the “Company”), a synthetic biology company developing functionally superior cannabinoid and psilocybin derivatives using microbial fermentation announce a successful fundraising from private investors including Oskare Capital and Canopy Growth Cooperation (“Canopy Growth”) former CEO and founder Bruce Linton.”
A fermentation-based process of making psilocybin derivatives gains new funding.
Psychedelic Events Are Going Mainstream, Where The Much-Maligned Mushroom Industry Focuses On Mental Health
Source: Forbes | By: Sara Brittany Somerset | Published: 12 Jan 2020
Written mostly as a promotional post, it highlights the PsyTech conference (see upcoming conferences) which will host Rick Doblin amongst others.
Magic Mushrooms Provide Long-Term Relief From Existential Fear In Cancer Patients
Source: IFLScience | By: Ben Taub | Published: 13 Jan 2020
“Dealing with a cancer diagnosis can cause severe psychological distress, although research suggests that psilocybin, the active compound in magic mushrooms, may help sufferers to overcome many of the existential challenges that accompany the illness. Appearing in the Journal of Psychopharmacology, a new study indicates that a single treatment with the drug can generate profound improvements in cancer patients’ quality of life for up to 4.5 years.”
The study is a follow-up of the one done in 2016 (see paper analysis here). The 4.5 years mentioned is the longest between the study and follow-up, so not perse a hard limit (the average follow-up was about 4 years).
From the study itself “These findings suggest that psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy holds promise in promoting long-term relief from cancer-related psychiatric distress. Limited conclusions, however, can be drawn regarding the efficacy of this therapy due to the crossover design of the parent study.” (see analysis of the follow-up here)
The follow-up study is also mentioned in ScienceNews.
“Still, these psilocybin experiences hint that the hallucinogen could be useful in helping people cope with hard diagnoses. The treatment “helped me to move on with my life and not focus on the possibility of cancer recurring,” one participant told researchers.”
And even mentioned in the Daily Mail.
COMPASS Pathways Granted Patent Covering Use of Its Psilocybin Formulation in Addressing Treatment-resistant Depression
Source: PR Newswire | By: Compass Pathways | Published: 13 Jan 2020
“COMPASS Pathways, a mental health care company, announced today that it has been granted US Patent No 10,519,175, relating to methods of treating drug-resistant depression with a psilocybin formulation, by the US Patent and Trademark Office. The patent covers the use of COMPASS’s synthesised investigational psilocybin formulation, COMP360, in a psilocybin therapy protocol for patients with treatment-resistant depression. Psilocybin is an active ingredient in so-called ‘magic mushrooms’.”
This patent should not prevent other companies from using psilocybin in treatment. But it’s a sure sign that the commercialization of psychedelics-assisted therapies is moving forward at a breakneck speed.
The patent can be found here.
From the patent: “This invention relates to the large-scale production of psilocybin for use in medicine. By large scale is meant producing batches of psilocybin with a weight of greater than 10 g, more preferably greater than 100 g, more preferably still greater than 250 g and up to, and above, Kg levels. It also relates to the production of intermediates, including but not limited to psilocin, different polymorphic forms of psilocybin, including isostructural variants, and their formulation for use in medicine, particularly, but not exclusively for the treatment of treatment resistant depression, as defined in Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, 5.sup.th Edition, either alone or in combination with psychological support which may be provided digitally.”
Johns Hopkins Scientists Give Psychedelics the Serious Treatment
Source: Scientific American | By: Tanya Lewis | Published: 16 Jan 2020
Scientific American reports on the new Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins Medicine. In the article, the focus is on the scientific rigor that it will bring to a field that has always been near mysticism and the counter culture.
The article also recaps the major research that has been done with psychedelics (on healthy volunteers, smokers, depressed) and how we’re starting to hypothesize how psilocybin works in the brain. The work is now being funded by wealthy donors, institutional/government support will hopefully follow.
A Report From the Rocky Path to Legal Psychedelics
Source: Playboy Magzine | By: Madison Margolin & Shelby Hartman (from DoubleBlind)
The article highlights the experience and work done by the CEO of Dr. Bronner – which includes a $150.000 donation to a legalization effort (also highlighted last month). And another $250.000 to a 2020 bill, and a grand total of $5 million to MAPS.
“[I]f PSI 2020 passes, Bronner explains that all kinds of underground practitioners, from therapists to shamans, will be eligible to get licensed to administer psilocybin legally.”
“There’s no single right way to use psychedelics, but as they become more accessible the public needs tenets of set and setting to be as obvious to the conversation about harm reduction as “don’t drink and drive” is to alcohol.”
“A combination of harm-reduction tactics and peer drug education, Doblin says, will prepare us for a post-prohibition world. “We will find that this massive experiment with prohibition was a disastrous failure,” he says.”
FDA Agrees to Expanded Access Program for MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy for PTSD
Source: MAPS | By: Press Release | Published: 17 Jan 2020
“Today, the non-profit Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has agreed to MAPS’ application for an Expanded Access program for MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The purpose of the Expanded Access program is to allow early access to potentially beneficial investigational therapies for people facing a serious or life-threatening condition for whom currently available treatments have not worked, and who are unable to participate in Phase 3 clinical trials.“
Although it’s great news, the number of people who will get this access is only 50. They will also have to cover the costs themselves.
“The Phase 3 trials are expected to be completed in 2021, meaning that the FDA could approve the treatment as early as 2022. MAPS is also initiating Phase 2 trials in Europe, starting this month.”
You Can Now Buy a Microdosing Kit Online
Source: DoubleBlind | By: Danielle Simone Brand | Published: 17 Jan 2020
You can now buy a legal microdosing kit in Canada of 1P-LSD (a possible pro-drug of LSD).
“Canadian company called Microdelics has come out with a microdosing kit. The ready-made kit comes in a little blue bottle containing 100 micrograms (mcgs) of 1P-LSD, a derivative and functional analogue of LSD, along with instructions to measure specific doses. Generally speaking, microdose recommendations range from 7-20 mcgs. “
Neurogenesis: Can Psilocybin help grow your brain cells?
Source: Synthesis | By: Synthesis team | Published: 18 Jan 2020
The article describes neurogenesis – the growth of new neural cells. The company argues that new cells can’t be grown, but old ones can be restored. This might possibly have a positive impact on those with depression.
“The synthetic psychedelics LSD and DMT have been shown to help neurons grow in the human brain – but importantly, research shows that LSD and DMT can only boost the growth of already matured neurons, rather than growing brand new neurons.”
All the research cited is still quite preliminary, the article is slightly promotional, but still an interesting first take on this subject.
Neuroscience study uncovers psilocybin-induced changes in brain connectivity
Source: PsyPost | By: Eric W. Dolan | Published: 20 Jan 2020
“The researchers observed reduced connectivity between brain areas involved in planning and decision-making but increased connectivity between areas involved in sensation and movement while the participants were under the influence of the psychedelic drug.”
The study (analysis) looked at different moments (20, 40, 70 minutes after psilocybin administration) and the brain activity in those moments. The results were similar to studies with LSD.
Psychedelic Drugs Like LSD And Magic Mushrooms Linked To Transformative Experiences, Feeling Connected With Others
Source: Newsweek | By: Kashmira Gander | Published: 20 Jan 2020
“Psychedelics like LSD and magic mushrooms can boost a person’s mood, make them feel more connected to others, and prompt transformative experiences, scientists who spoke to over 1,000 festival-goers have discovered.”
The article reports some of the findings of the article: Transformative experience and social connectedness mediate the mood-enhancing effects of psychedelic use in naturalistic settings (analysis).
“Our study adds to a growing evidence base that taking psychedelics can lead to transformative experiences, in part by changing the way people experience themselves in relation to other people.”
The study was also reported in PsychCentral, Insider, and US News, and later in Yale Daily News.
Mellow out: California-based company trademarks “Psilocybin”, but there are limits
Source: TheGrowthOp | by: Emma Spears | Published: 21 Jan 2020
This month there were numerous articles about a company that makes chocolate that has trademarked ‘psilocybin’. The company (called Psilocybin) does mention the plants and related terms like healing and health (whilst still only selling chocolate).
It’s in question if this trademark will have any effect, but it does relate to educational materials. The second source listed below also had this to say “Marijuana Moment noted that this trademark is “Specifically for educational materials and it’s listed on the supplemental register, rather than the principal register, which means it would be incumbent upon the brand to prove that it has earned distinctiveness of the mark if the issue went to court.”
Other articles about this:
- Chocolate brand registers first psilocybin mark – World International Property Review
- Chocolate Brand Trademarks The Word Psilocybin – Green Market Report
- Woman Trademarks ‘Psilocybin’ to Keep Mushrooms from Being Commercialized – CBS SF BayArea (video)
Here’s how much ‘magic mushroom retreats’ like Goop Lab’s actually cost
Source: CNBC | By: Megan Leonhardt | Published: 24 Jan 2020
So yeah, Goop is also into psychedelics. In their new Netflix show, some of the staff go to a psychedelics retreat in Jamaica. The article is a bit broader and looks at the varying costs of those retreats.
“The episode did not specify which retreat the Goop staff participated in, but there are several operators in Jamaica, and packages range from $1,700, four-day all-inclusive programs with Atman Retreats situated near Montego Bay Lagoon, to a $10,500 luxurious week-long trip with MycoMeditations, based near Treasure Beach in Jamaica.”
The Goop trip also inspired CNN to write about it. They also reflect on the research that has been done and where it’s at now: “Despite the fact that psychedelics are illegal, the last decade has seen an explosion of research, with results so intriguing that governments are greenlighting studies around the world.”
WIRED also wrote about it and called the episode boring (but not bad).
Santa Cruz decriminalizes natural psychedelics
Source: Santa Cruz Sentinal | By: Jessica A. York | Published: 29 Jan 2020
“Following in the footsteps of Oakland and Denver, Colorado, city leaders unanimously agreed Tuesday night to decriminalize adult use, possession and cultivation of entheogenic psychoactive plants and fungi.”
Good news for decriminalization and legalization of magic mushrooms. This makes it the third city to do so, and there are similar initiatives in about 100 cities at the moment.
Also reported in many other outlets like 5newsonline, CNN.
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