Psylo Newsletter - February 2022

Psylo Updates This year is off to a big start. We have officially moved into the University of New South Wales (UNSW) and are building out our lab. Come and say hello if you’re on campus!    Psylo recently welcomed several new team members, including Dr. Will (Buddy) Jorgensen as Lead Medicinal Chemist and Dr. Jin Tan as Computational Chemist.   RESEARCH UPDATES  Psychedelic Clinical Research  Long-lasting effects of psilocybin-assisted therapy | Psilocybin-assisted therapy caused substantial improvements in depression scores that may be durable at least through 12 months following acute intervention in some patients. Data from an observational study of 27 patients. [study] Decreases in suicidality following psychedelic therapy | A meta-analysis of individual patient data across clinical trials provide preliminary support (with acknowledgment of study limitations) for the safety of psychedelic therapy and its positive effect on suicidality. [study]   After-effects of LSD | Low dose of LSD (50 micrograms) moderately induced both "afterglow" (improvements in visuospatial memory and phonological fluency) and "hangover" (impaired cognitive flexibility) in a double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study with 24 healthy volunteers. [study] Psychedelic Preclinical Research Designing non-hallucinogenic psychedelics | New work reveals how psychedelics can have anti-depressant activity without producing hallucinations. The results suggest that compounds activating the 5-HT2A receptor and signalling through a pathway mediator known as beta-arrestin in preference to an alternative pathway mediator known as G protein were associated with anti-depressant activity without hallucinations. This work will lay the groundwork for the future development of next-generation psychedelics. [study] 5-HT2A receptors mediate neuroprotective effects | Fenfluramine, a drug that increases the release of serotonin, had anti-amnesic effects (improving memory deficits) in mice; and its anti-amnesic effects occurred through activation of serotonin 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptors. [study] How 5-HT2A results in psychoplastogenic changes and antidepressant effects | Activation of 5-HT2A with the chemical probe  DOI rapidly upregulated the expression of several genes associated with neuroplasticity (Arc, Bdnf1, Cebpb, cFos)in the rat brain neocortex, and these effects were mediated by intracellular machinery known as CREB. [study] Science in sixty seconds The different chemical classes of psychedelics Psychedelics can be derived from various natural sources, such as plants, mushrooms, and animal venom, and can also be synthesized in a lab. The different classes of psychedelics are grouped based on similarities in their chemical structure. For example, DMT and psilocybin are both tryptamines. Different chemical compounds can elicit similar yet varied psychedelic effects. Small chemical changes can lead to big changes in psychedelic effect, including in duration, intensity, and perceptual characteristics. (Image source, Kelmendi et al, 2022) Psylo in the Media Psychedelics & mental illness | Josh joined Anthyna's Too Rare To Die podcast to discuss Next-Generation Psychedelics for Mental Illness, including exploration of the stigma, the science, the side-effects and legislation. Listen here: Spotify | Apple | YouTube   Why psychedelic-inspired medicine to treat mental illness? Hear CEO Josh Ismin tell Psylo’s origin story, how he became an angel investor, and explain psychedelics on the High Flyers podcast. [Listen here]   How our CSO ended up in Psychedelic chemistry Sam Banister explains how his interest in psychedelics directed him to chemistry but a viable career in psychedelic sciences seemed impossible, until now.  [Full Twitter thread]   SHARE THIS WITH SOMEONE YOU KNOW Forward Share Tweet This is Psylo's Psychedelic Science Newsletter, delivering curated research right to your inbox. Join the revolution. Sign up

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