Mindset Pharma Inc (CSE:MSET, OTCQB:MSSTF) announced that it has partnered with Toronto-based psychiatric research hospital the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) for a pre-clinical study on the company’s novel psilocybin-like compound MSP-1014.
The company said the study would investigate how macro and micro doses of psychedelic compounds modulate expression levels of molecular biomarkers of brain plasticity in rats.
To date, how single psychedelic experiences can cause both short- and long-term behavioural changes in humans and the mechanisms of these are relatively unexplored, Mindset noted.
READ: Mindset Pharma receives Notice of Allowance for psilocin derivatives patent application for treating central nervous system disorders
Mindset said the research team expects to uncover short- and long-term changes in cFOS and BDNF expression that could underlie the long-term behavioural changes associated with a single psychedelic experience and develop molecular insights into the magnitude of effects of its lead compound, MSP-1014, compared to psilocybin.
The study is being led by Dr. Anh Dzung Lê, senior scientist and Head of Neurobiology of Alcohol Lab in the Campbell Family Mental Health Research Institute at CAMH, with the support of Dr. Douglas Funk, a project scientist in the CAMH Neurobiology of Alcohol Lab.
Mindset CEO James Lanthier said the collaboration would profile and build the company’s understanding of the observed superiority of its lead asset MSP-1014 to psilocybin at the molecular level.
“We are excited to partner with Dr Lê and Dr. Funk who are pioneers in mental health research to build this dataset and continue in our shared mission to advance groundbreaking new treatments to patients who are waiting,” Lanthier said.
Lê said that CAMH was excited to work with Mindset to contribute to the field of psychedelic knowledge.“Given that by the time Canadians reach 40 years of age, one in two have – or have had – a mental illness, CAMH scientists and clinicians are dedicated to exploring treatment options that account for the unique needs of individual patients."
Mindset Pharma is a drug discovery and development company focused on creating optimized and patentable next-generation psychedelic medicines to treat neurological and psychiatric disorders with unmet medical needs.
Contact the author Emily Jarvie at emily.jarvie@proactiveinvestors.com
Follow her on Twitter @emilyjjarvie