Canadian company Psyence Group Inc. has entered into a Research Collaboration Agreement with MycoMeditations Inc., a leading psilocybin retreat provider in Jamaica to conduct an observational study of the efficacy of naturally derived psilocybin.

Psilocybin is a naturally occurring psychedelic prodrug compound produced by more than 200 species of fungus, the most pronounced of them being ‘magic mushrooms’. The initial retrospective study will investigate a cohort of 30 people who have participated in a MycoMeditations retreat in Jamaica in the past six months and had reported suffering psychological trauma prior to their visit.

MycoMeditations is the leading global provider of psilocybin-assisted therapeutic retreat experiences in Jamaica with a record of more than 750 guests successfully completing its psilocybin-assisted retreat programme. MycoMeditations organises a week-long psilocybin-assisted retreat programme operated in Jamaica.

This will be the first in a series of studies that the Psyence group intends to carry out to investigate the efficacy of naturally derived compounds in comparison to studies undertaken using synthetically produced molecules. The study is being undertaken by Psyence Group, which is a leading platform in naturally derived psychedelic therapy and the development and commercialisation of related technologies and products through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Psyence Therapeutics Corp.

Study to be submitted to Jamaica’s Ministry of Health

The study will be submitted for approval to the Ethics Committee of Jamaica’s Ministry of Health and Wellness. It will be led by Dr Tamika Haynes-Robinson, senior neuropsychologist at Psyence Group, with initial results anticipated in mid-2021.

In support of this work, Haynes-Robinson attended one of MycoMeditations retreats in Jamaica last month as an observer in order to inform her study design and to assess areas where there are opportunities for current retreat practices to be augmented. This was done through consultation with Psyence’s team of experts via technical, scientific and medical support to bring operations into what is anticipated to be a soon-to-be regulated environment.

The study will utilise MycoMeditations’ existing data combined with Psyence-generated data analysis. Following completion of the study, the parties intend to publish the findings in a peer-reviewed academic journal and other available publication outlets.

The findings will inform the commercially licensed cultivation and production work being undertaken by Psyence Production Limited, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Psyence Group based in the Southern African Kingdom of Lesotho, pursuant to its federally issued commercial licence to cultivate, process, store, and export psilocybin.

The Research Collaboration Agreement further serves as an opportunity for the Psyence team of medical and technical professionals to assess the utility of MycoMeditations’ vast database of survey data collected from having led therapeutic psilocybin retreats in Jamaica over the past several years. This data will be made available for future research and to evaluate its possible use in identifying promising therapeutic pathways and indications.

Assuming a positive outcome, the parties intend to expand their research collaboration with a further prospective study to measure dosing and efficacy within the structure of the retreat-based guided group experience.

Psyence Group, MycoMeditations principals hail collaboration

Commenting on the research collaboration, MycoMeditations CEO Justin Townsend said that, “based on Psyence’s experience, scientific focus, and commitment to Jamaica, we are pleased to partner with Psyence to advance research in the area of psilocybin-assisted therapy… . We look forward to working with the Psyence team and toward evolving into a centre of excellence in research and therapeutic retreats as well as the future expansion of our offerings in this emerging field.”

For her part, Jody Aufrichtig, co-founder, president and CEO of Psyence Group, said “this collaboration with MycoMeditations will begin the process of supporting existing groups active in the field of providing psilocybin-based therapies, in their path to enter and participate in the licensed and regulated opportunities and industry being created by industry pioneers”.

Aufrichtig added: “MycoMeditations brings a wealth of practical knowledge and experience that we believe can be of great value to derisking our product development work. We look forward to working with Justin and the MycoMeditations team on generating evidence-based data and future collaborations.”