Numinus Wellness Inc. (TSX-V:NUMI, OTC:LKYSF) announced that its research lab, Numinus Bioscience, has been approved by the Public Health Agency of Canada for a containment level 2 (CL2) pathogens and toxins license, following the upgrading of the facility.
The addition will contribute novel data on natural psychedelics, presenting additional intellectual property (IP) opportunities and another revenue driver through contract research services, the Vancouver, British Columbia-based company said.
"With this new license, Numinus is more committed than ever to advancing psychedelic research from theory to practice," said Payton Nyquvest, CEO of Numinus in a statement. "By investigating optimal growth, bioavailability and pharmacokinetics, we are moving closer to developing therapeutics at scale to support accessible psychedelic-assisted therapy."
READ: Numinus Wellness receives Health Canada approval to study Ayahuasca brews and San Pedro cactus for psychedelic research
With the license, Numinus Bioscience will begin the study of pathogens and bacterial, fungal, and microbial contaminants to identify baseline markers and optimal growth environments for psilocybe mushrooms.
It will also bioassay studies using mammalian cell lines, to analyze the bioactivity of different whole mushroom formulations that contain both psilocybin and other psychedelic compounds; and conduct pharmacokinetic (PK) and pre-clinical studies using analysis of blood and other bodily fluids, to investigate reactions in the human body to whole mushrooms and other natural formulations.
“This biosecurity expansion will allow us to deeply understand not only the mechanisms behind Psilocybe mushrooms and other naturally occurring psychedelic materials but also their interaction with the human body," said Sharan Sidhu, science officer, Numinus Bioscience.
Sidhu added: "By performing testing and validation at a highly precise level, we will advance both our own IP development of finished products and scaled production processes, as well as contract services and sale of materials to research and industry partners."
The license is in addition to Numinus Bioscience's existing Controlled Drugs and Substances Dealer's License from Health Canada and underscores Numinus' long-term strategy of establishing a center of excellence for natural psychedelic research, including extensive license amendments and investment into state-of-the-art equipment such as the Orbitrap, which identifies metabolites in the body and will play a key role in the pharmacokinetic and pre-clinical studies.
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