Ketamine One (NEO:MEDI.AQN) Capital Limited (LSE:CAPD, FRA:C8D) has signed an exclusive agreement for the use of virtual reality (VR) technology in psychedelic treatments.
The company is partnering with OVR Tech LLC to provide its INHALE Wellness Platform during an initial two-year term in Ketamine One (NEO:MEDI.AQN)’s clinics.
The technology is an olfactory-enabled VR platform designed to deepen immersion, promote relaxation, and help manage stress.
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Under the agreement, OVR Tech will provide its proprietary technology and services for Ketamine One to use with its psychedelic-assisted treatments involving ketamine, psilocybin, DMT, and MDMA to help improve patient outcomes.
Ketamine One said the INHALE Wellness Platform combines the benefits of mindfulness, breathwork, and meditation with the next generation of aromatherapy. It includes a head-mounted display, the ION device (the ION) and scent cartridges, as well as several scent-focused nature scenes. The ION is lightweight, wireless, and emits scent particles in coordination with VR technology designed to deepen a patient’s immersive experience.
Also, the company noted that OVR Tech’s Architecture of Scent platform brings together software (Scentware) and hardware via the ION, while also including replaceable cartridges and an Olfactory Experience Engine that allows scent to be triggered during a VR experience.
While VR technology is widely known to incorporate sight and sound, Ketamine One said the partnership provides it with the capability to generate more realistic Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR) service offerings via scent at its network of clinics.
“We believe that the ION device contains the most accurate on-mask scent technology currently available on the market,” said Dr Quang Henderson, chair of Ketamine One’s Clinic Innovation Council, in a statement.
“The ability for our clinicians to alter perceptual experiences with VR and the ION is extremely promising. Optimizing the therapeutic setting is one of the main goals of our VR-based research and development program and being able to utilize the sense of smell to help patients relax, reduce tension and lower stress is expected to result in the development of a comprehensive treatment.”
Ketamine One CEO Adam Deffett added: “Our access to a large patient population and enhanced research capabilities through our wholly-owned contract research organization, KGK Science, along with OVR Technology’s innovative platform, on a combined basis have the potential to lead to clinically validated solutions for use not only in our facilities, but also in patients’ homes, through the development of a portable digital therapeutic offering in the future.”
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