Unlocking the Science of Psilocybin through the Microbiome
January 13, 2021 7:42 pm Published by Nova Mentis Life Science CorpWe believe the microbiome is a misunderstood system that is under-researched and plays a very important role in inflammation and chronic disease development.
So, why the microbiome? Because our bodies, including our mind, are probably controlled by bacteria. We’re composed of 100 trillion bacterial cells, compared to only 30 trillion human cells – that’s 3-1 bacteria.
Many companies in the psychedelic space are focusing on the application of psilocybin to the treatment of neuroinflammatory disorders such as depression, PTSD and anxiety, to name a few. We are taking a different unique approach and focusing our efforts on obtaining hard objective evidence, and not just subjective behavioral response to drug therapy.
Moreover, psilocybin works through its action on the neurotransmitter serotonin. However, only 5-10 per cent of serotonin is produced in the brain, 90-95 per cent is produced in the rest of the body, especially the small intestine. These serotonin molecules cannot cross into the brain. Its biological function is complex and multifaceted regulating mood, cognition, learning, and also many physiological processes including vomiting and constriction of blood vessels.
Is serotonin produced by bacteria in the gut? Are these bacteria the cause of neuroinflammatory disorders, including but not limited to depression, anxiety, PTSD, Parkinson’s disease, suicide and autism. We intend to research and answer these questions and issues. Understanding the connection between psychedelics, brain disorders, and gut-health will be a key pillar to understanding disease causation.
Our initial research and development approach is to tackle the unmet medical need and ever-expanding condition called autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This developmental disorder called a ‘spectrum’ is probably composed of specific subsets of disease and is a perfect condition that allows us to test our concepts of disease causation and treatment.
Our approach is to establish baseline levels of bacteriological species and inflammatory biomarkers, called cytokines, in ASD animal models as well as humans. We aim to combine diagnostics and therapeutics, and design a computer-based paradigm that will allow simultaneous measurements of behavioral changes, inflammatory molecules and bacteriologic species.
In December, Nova Mentis announced that its scientists had uncovered molecular and bacteriologic diagnostic markers in a preclinical model study of ASD. This behavioral study, based on prenatal exposure of pregnant rats to valproic acid (VPA), was designed in conjunction with Dr. Viviana Trezza at Roma Tre University, in Rome, Italy.
These baseline levels of objective biomarkers will be used to substantiate behavioral responses within the ASD animals that will be treated with our proprietary psilocybin drug in a study scheduled to begin in early 2021. We hope to begin Phase 1 human safety studies sometime next year.
Our research could have broader applications for chronic human disease. The findings could demonstrate that psilocybin may play an important role in other bodily functions and the development of conditions such as obesity, diabetes, liver disease and others.
The medical applications of psychedelics need to be researched further. The jury is still out on most disorders and we have to keep an open mind as we look for answers and treatment solutions.
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