Psychedelics were discovered in nature.
At Filament, we believe that nature – not a lab – is the best source for psychedelic drug candidates. There are hundreds of clinically unexplored psychedelic species, each containing multiple active compounds.
The mental health crisis is growing. In order to address it quickly, we believe in investigating compounds that are already known, rather than synthesizing new molecules which could take years to prove effective.
We have developed technology which creates drug candidates from natural psychedelic sources. Leveraging nature's historical evidence provides a faster path to human clinical trials.
Filament’s drug development pathway is the best of both worlds - we combine the benefits of well-known substances with robust IP protection. Our platform offers the potential for hundreds of drugs to be discovered and run through our in-house development program or through our partnership network.
What is a botanical drug?
Botanical drugs are derived from plant or fungal sources and contain multiple active compounds. Conversely, in synthetic drugs or drugs with an isolated natural compound, only the primary metabolite is present.
Botanical drugs are complex mixtures of different compounds. All the elements of their production affect the final composition of the drug. This includes the species and strains used, the growing and harvesting conditions, and the manufacturing methods. These are protected through patents or as trade secrets.
First and Only Psychedelic Botanical Drug Candidates
Psilocin for the First Time
Psilocybin is a well-known compound found in magic mushrooms.
It is not bioactive in humans; it must convert into psilocin in order to cause hallucinogenic and therapeutic effects.
Bypassing this conversion by directly administering psilocin could mean faster onset time, fewer side effects, and more consistent dosing, but to date, it has never been done.
This is because psilocin is unstable, particularly when manufactured synthetically. To overcome this instability researchers have historically produced synthetic psilocybin, which is more stable.
Psilocin and intensity rating time course. A Plasma psilocin levels. Individual data points are measured plasma psilocin concentrations, fitted with spline fits. b Time course of subjective intensity ratings. Time = 0 indicates time of psilocybin ingestion
PMC full text:
Neuropsychopharmacology. 2019 Jun; 44(7): 1328–1334.
© American College of Neuropsychopharmacology 2019
This data demonstrates the patient to patient variability in plasma psilocin levels that accompanies the administration of psilocybin. For the first time, our standardized psilocin will be directly administered in an effort to achieve more consistent dosing
At Filament Health, we believe that ayahuasca has the potential to help millions of people suffering from mental health conditions.
The ayahuasca brew has been used for millennia in South America. The brew is highly variable - DMT content can differ by up to 10X between participants in the same ceremony.
Our goal is to research standardized botanical ayahuasca in a clinical setting to scientifically determine its effectiveness. Our approach is unique because AEX would be the first standardized drug candidate to contain all the active ingredients from the plants - of which there are many.
We are currently in early research stages. We are working with specialized organizations in Brazil who are guiding the process of importing raw materials under the Nagoya Protocol.
We look forward to sharing more developments once we have the appropriate permissions from these parties to do so.