Psychedelic treatments to be tested in mental health trial by new Cambridge research group
Cambridgeshire residents with severe mental health conditions can now take part in clinical trials to assess if empathogens and psychedelics can help tackle treatment-resistant conditions.
A clinical Cambridge Psychedelic Research group for mental health studies has been set up by research staff and health professionals at Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT), Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Cambridge.
It will be the first in the region to offer studies with promising new neuroplastogen and psychedelic treatments since the Home Office granted them a licence.
About 30 per cent of people with severe mental illness find standard treatments do not work well enough for them.
But growing scientific evidence suggests some psychoactive medications can aid recovery and improve quality of life when administered in a safe clinical setting, supported by trained specialists.
Research centres must meet strict criteria to secure a Home Office licence for safe use and clinical practice in order to administer these drugs.
For their first research study, the new group will take part in a clinical trial sponsored by Transcend Therapeutics called IMPACT-1, which will evaluate the effects of TSND-201 – a rapid-acting neuroplastogen – on people with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Principal investigator Dr Liliana Galindo, a CPFT consultant psychiatrist and affiliated assistant professor at the University of Cambridge, said: “We are excited to join the growing psychedelic research field with this new local partnership and help to develop the next wave of neuropsychiatric treatments. There is great potential to treat persistent mental health conditions that are resistant to standard therapies.
“Thank you to everyone in Cambridge who has worked so hard to meet the rigorous standards to achieve our licence and set up our very first study to help people with PTSD.
“Our expert researchers and clinicians can contribute a great deal to the global evidence base and we will be trialling new mental health treatments that could help millions.”
An estimated one in 10 people in the UK experience PTSD at some point in their lives. This can take the form of flashbacks and nightmares of traumatic events, hypervigilance, numbness or avoidance.
But the current treatments - talking therapies and antidepressant medications - do not work for everyone.
TSND-201 is a non-hallucinogenic, rapid-acting neuroplastogen.
Neuroplastogens are believed to have great potential to treat neurological and psychiatric conditions.
These compounds can increase the brain's ability to regrow and reform lost neural connections, a process known as neuroplasticity.
Lynne Whitehead, head of pharmacy clinical trials services at CUH, said: “The CUH pharmacy team are delighted to be able to support research into new drug treatments for this therapeutic area and contribute to building the evidence base required.”
The research team is looking for participants for the trial. Individuals with PTSD for whom standard mental health treatments are not working well can find out more on the IMPACT-1 website.
Eligible participants will receive TSND-201 or a placebo once a week for four weeks, with close monitoring for a further six weeks after the trial.
This study is not currently recruiting control volunteers without mental health conditions.
One individual, who is one of the first CPFT participants in the IMPACT-1 trial, said: “Having lived with PTSD since my tour in Iraq in 2007, I've been seeking out any new treatments available. I was excited to see this study being conducted by my local NHS nearby, and this study seemed to be the best option for me, as I could potentially expect to feel results in days, not months.
“Although I was hesitant about other drug trials with psychedelics, it set me at ease that the compound being tested was not a psychedelic and could be safely administered through this NHS clinical trial. Everyone involved has exceeded my expectations and I have so many military friends that will benefit from this research.”
The new research group features clinicians and research staff from CPFT’s Windsor Research Unit in Fulbourn and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Cambridge Clinical Research Facility, based at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.
They hope to expand their collaborations with national and international partners to offer a number of trials in future.
As part of their next project, they are progressing through the selection and approval process for a second trial with psilocybin – a psychedelic/hallucinogenic compound naturally produced by fungi - that could start later this year.
The Cambridge Independent has been supporting the Love Research campaign with health trusts in Cambridgeshire, highlighting the benefits to patients and to science of engaging in research.
