atai Life Sciences

Next week is our annual atai summer shut down.   Our team is taking time off – across offices, time zones and departments – to prioritize one of our core values, conscious care. To us, conscious care means maximizing our energy through rest, renewal and rhythm. Again and again science proves that adequate rest (whether this is sleep, dedicated ‘unfocus’ or simply taking a vacation) are vital to both our physical and mental health.   Setting aside time for an uninterrupted break is a priority for us so that our team can be as focused, productive and energized as possible.

In a recent Atlantic piece, journalist Jerusalem Demsas stated the ’normalization that many people do struggle with severe mental illnesses—has been one of the great cultural transformations of the 21st century.’   And while this may be true – there is still so much work to do to end stigma and discrimination associated with mental health. According to the Lancet Commission on Ending Stigma and Discrimination in Mental Health Review published in 2022, stigma continues to be the biggest barrier to thriving. In addition, stigma has also been cited as a reason that mental health services receive less funding and are considered less prestigious than other health services in many countries. The Lancet review provided eight recommendations for various stakeholders on what to do to reduce stigma – one of those being the WHO. We’re thrilled to share that the WHO has answered their call, and will publish their own, ‘WHO MOSAIC toolkit to end stigma and discrimination in mental health’, which will provide practical guidance on deploying anti-stigma initiatives. We’ll be sure to share it once it’s live – but for now, learn what you can do every day to help combat discrimination and stigma in mental health: https://lnkd.in/ef5ps9En

There’s an important academic debate surrounding Jonathan Haidt’s new book, The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness, and whether there is enough substantial evidence to back his claim that smartphones and social media are causing an adolescent mental health crisis.   As a team of researchers and scientists we are data-driven. Our decisions are evidence-based, and we firmly believe that theories must be factually supported. We’re also a team of parents, aunts and uncles, sisters and brothers – and we have witnessed firsthand the negative consequences of social media on the young people in our lives.   Why there might not yet be irrefutable data to prove that technology and social media are the cause, we’d argue that there is enough to prove that U.S. adolescents – particularly girls – are battling a mental health crisis.   Our recommendation is to educate yourself – read Professor Haidt’s book, look at the American Psychological Association’s April report, familiarize yourself with Dr Lucy Foulkes’ research on the potential overinflation of adolescent mental health claims, but importantly, talk (and listen!) to the young people in your life.   Read more about the debate: https://lnkd.in/ebZ_tsD6

Our management team will participate in the H.C. Wainwright & Co., LLC Neuro Perspectives conference on Thursday June 27.   Co-CEOs Srinivas Rao and Florian Brand will engage in a fireside chat which will be available on-demand from 7:00 am ET via the following link. https://lnkd.in/ekjwjJc4   There will be a replay on the Investors section of our website under Events for 90 days.    #NeuroPerspectives #MentalHealth

Read our Co-Founder and Co-CEO’s HLTH Europe recap below 👇

📣 Exciting update on Beckley Psytech’s Phase 1/2a trial of ELE-101 (IV psilocin) for major depression.   ELE-101 is an intravenous formulation of psilocin designed to provide consistent and controllable drug delivery. As the active metabolite of psilocybin, psilocin has the potential to offer a rapid onset, significantly shorter treatment duration and reduced variability between patients, compared to oral formulations of psilocybin. This could enhance convenience and therapeutic outcomes for patients with depression while reducing the resource burden on healthcare systems   Today’s news release shares initial results from the Phase 1 part of the study and announces that the first patients have been dosed in the Phase 2a part.   Full press release here: https://lnkd.in/e4UfBhgg

This week, our Co-Founder and Co-CEO Florian Brand will be a keynote speaker at HLTH Europe in Amsterdam. Alongside Compass Pathways CEO Kabir Nath and Genevieve Wolff Jurvetson, Co-Founder of The Jurvetson Foundation they will discuss the current state of research in psychedelics for mental health, covering topics such as: 👉 How evidence-based psychedelic treatments could transform mental health care 👉 Insights from the latest clinical trials 👉 Delivery of care and patient access   Join the session on the main stage on Wednesday June 19 at 3pm CEST. Full agenda here: https://lnkd.in/dPU55jE8 #MentalHealth #PsychedelicTreatments #HLTHEurope

We have launched a new Impact Report and Peer Support Pilot Program in collaboration with the Psychedelic Participant Advocacy Network - PsyPAN. The report shares novel insights from psychedelic clinical trial participants and maps their experiences throughout a clinical trial, from recruitment and pre-treatment, to dosing and integration. The report aims to amplify the voice of the participant and highlights potential improvements for future participant experiences. In particular, the report spotlights the need for post-trial support. In light of this finding, we are proud to announce that we have given PsyPAN an unrestricted grant to initiate a 12-month peer support pilot program aimed at supporting trial participants in the UK. Caroline Lilley, Chief Impact Advisor at Beckley Psytech, said: “The launch of this report and PsyPAN’s peer support program is the culmination of an extensive, years-long collaboration between Beckley Psytech and PsyPAN. At Beckley Psytech, we are committed to listening to, and learning from, patient and participant experiences and I want to take this opportunity to thank the patient experts for their honesty and courage. We encourage all interested stakeholders to read the report and we hope to see further partnership between industry and patient groups in the future.” In recognition of the Patient Council project, and the collaboration between Beckley Psytech and PsyPAN, Beckley Psytech also announced today that it had received the Silver Standard in OVID Health's 2024 #PatientPartnershipIndex. The Index is an annual celebration of high-quality, meaningful partnerships between patient groups and pharmaceutical companies, and this is the second consecutive year that Beckley Psytech has been recognised for its patient-focused work. To read the report and learn more about the peer support program, please click here: https://lnkd.in/eYMam-AW

An estimated 3 million people in the US suffer from Opioid Use Disorder (OUD).   OUD and addiction, in general, are notoriously difficult to treat, with most current treatments inadequately addressing patients’ symptoms, and often leading to relapse.   At atai, we are committed to pioneering new treatment options for those suffering from the most challenging mental health conditions. We’re conducting a clinical program with ibogaine, IBX-210, for the treatment of OUD. Ibogaine has shown promising potential in reducing opioid cravings and supporting withdrawal symptoms in previous clinical studies. You can follow the progress of this program and our other clinical programs by visiting our website and signing up for email updates. https://atai.life/   Special thanks to Heather McKenzie at BioSpace for raising this important topic and covering our research. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eVMb-e7i   #Ibogaine #OpioidCrisis #AddictionTreatment #MentalHealth 

Last week our Co-CEO Dr Srinivas Rao, participated in a fireside chat with Andrew Tsai at the #JefferiesHealthcare conference. Among other topics they discussed the points raised at last week’s FDA AdCom and the learnings for psychedelics biotech companies moving forward.   Watch the replay of the discussion here: https://lnkd.in/e7TfTeTG