(Part one of a four-part series)
Increasing evidence of psychedelics' potential for benefiting both mental and physical health conditions are moving biotech companies and scientists in the sector to major innovative heights.
Psychedelic science is growing in terms of treatment specificity, as each novel or classical compound targets and aims to ameliorate or cure particular health conditions. Towards this goal, researchers are working to develop substances that hold on to the benefits and let go of the side effects of original, "first-generation" psychedelic substances.
This is what a common definition of next-generation psychedelics looks like.
In order to help familiarize our readers with this new field, Benzinga interviewed the CEO and regulatory development advisor of an Israeli-based psychedelics company, which is researching addiction treatment with a molecule called MEAI.
Clearmind Medicine Inc. (NASDAQ:CMND), began operations in May 2021, is led by CEO Dr. Adi Zuloff-Shani, Ph.D., a biomedical research and development executive with 20 years experience in strategic and operational leadership in the healthcare industry.
How does the Clearmind-owned MEAI molecule relate to the next-generation psychedelics wave?
"Because the next-gen psychedelics mainly focus on reducing or removing some of the adverse effects of first-generation psychedelics –that's the main reason for developing this 2.0 generation, we want to take the good from the 'old generation' and take it to the next step,- one of the things everyone is looking for is to have an effect without the hallucinogenic property of the psychedelics," Dr. Zuloff-Shani told Benzinga.
MEAI is a non-hallucinogenic psychoactive compound. Actually, the substance is part of the indane family of molecules, first explicitly and pharmacologically described by Profs. David Nutt and Ezekiel Golan in a peer-reviewed paper in 2017 and later followed by further pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics and metabolism descriptions in 2018.
MEAI was an early replacement drug candidate for alcohol addiction, coming to market during a 2010 movement to replace alcohol with less-toxic alternatives.
Another reason for the development of this new generation of psychedelic compounds is IP protection. If compounds themselves are not innovative, or most of their uses have already been published, no protection can be created.
In this sense, MEAI seems to be different, considering the patents so far granted on the compound itself as well as on various indications and even as an alcohol substitute.
Part two in this series: Next-Generation Psychedelics, MEAI: How And Why
Photo: Benzinga edit with photo Raimundo79 and Sergey Nivens on Shutterstock.
(四集系列文章的第一部分)
越來越多的證據表明,迷幻劑對心理和身體健康都有潛在的好處,這正將該行業的生物技術公司和科學家推向重大創新高度。
迷幻科學在治療特異性方面正在發展,因為每一種新的或經典的化合物都是目標,旨在改善或治癒特定的健康狀況。為了實現這一目標,研究人員正在努力開發一種物質,既能保留原有的“第一代”致幻物質的益處,又能消除其副作用。
這就是下一代迷幻藥的常見定義。
為了幫助我們的讀者熟悉這個新領域,Benzinga採訪了一家以色列迷幻藥物公司的首席執行官和監管發展顧問,該公司正在研究一種名為MEAI的分子治療成癮。
清心醫藥公司(納斯達克代碼:CMND)於2021年5月開始運營,由首席執行官阿迪·祖洛夫-沙尼博士領導。阿迪·祖洛夫-沙尼博士是一名生物醫學研究和開發高管,在保健行業的戰略和運營領導方面擁有20年的經驗。
ClearMind擁有的MEAI分子與下一代迷幻藥浪潮有何關係?
Zuloff-Shani博士告訴Benzinga:“因為下一代迷幻藥主要專注於減少或消除第一代迷幻藥的一些不良影響--這是開發2.0代迷幻藥的主要原因,我們想從‘老一代’那裡吸取好的東西,並將其帶到下一步,每個人都在尋找的事情之一是在沒有迷幻特性的情況下產生效果,”Zuloff-Shani博士告訴Benzinga。
MeaI是一種非致幻精神活性化合物。事實上,這種物質是引朵分子家族的一部分,首先由教授明確地和藥理學地描述。David·納特和伊齊基爾·戈蘭於2017年發表了一篇同行評議論文,隨後於2018年進一步介紹了藥代動力學、藥效學和代謝情況。
MeaI是酒精成癮的早期替代藥物候選藥物,在2010年用毒性較低的替代品取代酒精的運動期間上市。
開發這種新一代迷幻化合物的另一個原因是知識產權保護。如果化合物本身沒有創新性,或者它們的大部分用途已經公佈,就無法創造任何保護措施。
從這個意義上說,MEAI似乎是不同的,考慮到到目前為止授予該化合物本身的專利,以及各種適應症,甚至作為酒精替代品。
本系列的第二部分:下一代迷幻藥,MEAI:如何和為什麼
照片:Benzinga在Shutterstock上編輯與Raimundo79和Sergey Nivens的照片。