Psylo Newsletter - April 2022

psylo_newsletters

28 Apr

Science in sixty seconds

Classic psychedelics, like psilocybin from ‘magic mushrooms’ and LSD, are showing promise in clinical trials as mental health treatments but they also carry undesirable effects.

For example, classic psychedelics have the potential for 5-HT2B-mediated cardiac side effects; they induce intense hallucinations; and their psychedelic effects can last from 6 to 12 hours during treatment.

Classic psychedelics can be improved upon by developing next-generation compounds (novel chemical entities; NCEs) that overcome these limitations and serve as optimised therapeutic tools.

#FunFact: This is similar to how aspirin was an engineered improvement upon the active compounds isolated from the Willow (Salix) tree.

RESEARCH UPDATES

Psychedelic Clinical Research

Psilocybin Increases Brain Connectivity to Reduce Depression | fMRI brain scans were taken before and after treatment in two clinical trials of psilocybin therapy in patients with depression. Results show that psilocybin therapy increased brain connectivity (increased the global integration of brain functional networks) and that the changes in brain activity were correlated with psilocybin’s anti-depressant effects. [study, UCSF news article]

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New study reveals how psilocybin changes brain function in people with depression and suggests its therapeutic mechanisms. Psilocybin therapy “flattens” the brain’s landscape to increase communication and connectivity across brain regions. It supposedly “opens up” the rigidity of the depressed to allow new thoughts, insight, and perspectives to emerge. (Image source, UCSF news).

Psilocybin Use Associated with Lower Risk of Opioid Addiction | Data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2015–2019) (N = 214,505) was used to assess whether lifetime use (yes/no) of classic psychedelics was associated with lowered odds of opioid use disorder. Of all the substances examined, including other classic psychedelics like peyote, mescaline, and LSD, only psilocybin was associated with a lower risk of opioid addiction. [study]

MDMA-Assisted Therapy Was Associated with Less Hazardous Alcohol Consumption | In a phase 3 trial in patients with severe PTSD, MDMA-assisted therapy was associated with greater decreases in alcohol consumption and risk for hazardous use, and was not associated with an increased risk for illicit substance use. [study]

Psychedelic Preclinical Research

'Psychedelic’ 5-HT2A Receptor Reduced PTSD-Like Behavior | Activation of the serotonergic 5-HT2A receptor reduced anxiety-like behavior and fear expression in a mouse model of PTSD. This study suggests activation of 5-HT2A receptors in the amygdala is the mechanism for the observed phenotypic therapeutic effects. [study]
Automated Method for Measuring Psychedelic Activity in Rodents | 5-HT2A-mediated head twitch response (HTR) in rodents is used as a reliable proxy for psychedelic drug activity in humans. A method for quantitating HTRs using computer-based analysis of experimental video recordings was validated, significantly streamlining the in vivo evaluation of psychedelic activity. [study]
5-HT2A Receptor Activation Reduced Chronic Pain | Using a mouse model of chronic pain, electroacupuncture therapy was shown to inhibit chronic pain via activation of 5-HT2A receptors, and directly activating spinal 5-HT2A receptors also inhibited chronic pain. [study]

Psychedelic Clinical Trials Update

A round-up of the latest registered clinical trials investigating psychedelics:

Safety and Feasibility of Psilocybin in Methamphetamine Use Disorder in a Community-Based Sample (Portland VA Research Foundation) NCT05322954
Comparison of the Effects of PEX20 (Oral Psilocin), PEX30 (Sublingual Psilocin), and PEX10 (Oral Psilocybin) in Healthy Adults (UCSF) NCT05317689
Effects of Psilocybin in Post-Treatment Lyme Disease (Johns Hopkins University) NCT05305105
Effects of Psilocybin on Electrophysiology and the Dynamic Content of Thought (Johns Hopkins University) NCT05301608

Other Updates

📣 [Blog] Shout out to Tyler Quigly’s blog, ‘The Tab’. Tyler provides in-depth yet accessible explanations of psychedelics and other scientific concepts. Definitely one to check out and subscribe to 👍
🚴‍♂️ 19 April was ‘Bicycle Day’, a day to commemorate the day on 1943 when Albert Hofmann's accidentally discovered LSD's psychedelic effects as he was riding his bike home and recorded the first LSD “trip”.
📻 [Podcast] The Potential Therapeutic Benefits of Psychedelics – The Takeaway (WNYC Studies) speaks with Michael Pollan about the history of Bicycle Day, the criminalization of psychedelics, and psychedelic-aided therapy.
🧠 Psilocybin Rewires the Brain for People with Depression – UCSF News,
👏 Clinical trial to test psychedelics in treating depression – The Lighthouse (Macquarie University News). A new study, led by Dr Vince Polito, that will investigate low doses of psilocybin for depression was announced.

PSYLO UPDATES

UNSW partners with Australian biotech Psylo to innovate mental health treatment – UNSW Founders, 20 April 2022.
CEO Josh Ismin appeared on the Innovation Bay podcast (Open the Pod Bay Doors, Episode 133), which features the best and brightest founders and investors. Segment starts at 7:40 min.
CSO Sam Banister spoke with Cole from the Chillinois Podcast – a podcast from Illinois focused on cannabis and psychedelics in the state – to dispel some myths in the cannabis and psychedelics space.
Sam chats with psychoactive drugs icon, Hamilton Morris, on his podcast about chemistry, human health, and the future of psychedelic medicine! 🍄🧪
“How I met my co-conspirator” - Spark Festival | Apparently there was instant chemistry when Sam and Josh met. Sam told the entertaining of how Psylo began at the Sydney Knowledge Hub + Spark Festival + Tech Central Sydney event, 28 April 2022.
Sam was invited to give a Keynote presentation at the Forensic & Clinical Toxicology Association (FACTA) meeting in Brisbane and picked up the most unique conference shirt we’ve ever seen.

Upcoming

"The Psychedelic Medicines Revolution" - Pint of Science Festival | CSO, Dr. Sam Banister, and Science Communications Officer, Dr. Dilara Bahceci, will be giving talks at The Botany View Hotel in Newtown on 11 May 2022. Tickets are selling fast.
“The Future of Drugs” - Vivid Ideas Festival | CSO Dr. Sam Banister will be joining Prof. Iain McGregor (University of Sydney) and Dr. Margaret Ross (St Vincent’s Hospital, VIC), both Psylo advisors, to discuss the future of drugs and how cannabis and psychedelics will be involved.