MindBio Begins Recruitment Of Participants For LSD-Microdosing Clinical Trial In Cancer Patients Experiencing Emotional Distress

MindBio Therapeutics Corp. MBIOWF has started selection of participants for its phase 2 randomized double-blind and placebo controlled clinical trial in advanced stage cancer patients using microdoses of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) and meaning centered psychotherapy in an LSD take-home 6-week trial involving a total of 40 participants.

Patients with a stage IV solid tumor cancer and experiencing emotional distress will be randomized into the trial. Meaning centred psychotherapy is a psychotherapeutic intervention in advanced cancer patients with symptoms of anxiety and or depression.

Patients with cancer often develop ongoing, clinically significant, symptoms of psychological distress. People with advanced-stage cancer have a high prevalence of depression, anxiety and reduced quality of life with 40% meeting the criteria for a mood disorder. MindBio is focused on developing targeted treatments to meet this need in cancer patients.

According to the company, such disorders can significantly impact a patient's end of life experience and can contribute to feelings of loss of meaning, hope, or a desire for hastened death (otherwise known as ‘existential distress'); which is regarded as one of the most challenging problems in palliative medicine. Additionally, depression and anxiety have been associated with decreased treatment adherence, prolonged hospitalisation, decreased quality of life and increased suicidality in this population. Depression is itself an independent risk factor of early death in cancer patients.

Co-founder and CEO of MindBio Justin Hanka stated, "This research proposes to completely change the way we treat the mental health of cancer patients. End of life distress is devastating to patients and their families and psychedelics are known to completely transform an individual's psychological state near end of life. We already know that our LSD-microdosing treatments are well tolerated and effective at elevating mood and improving sleep, our thesis is that small doses of psychedelics will be well tolerated and highly beneficial to this vulnerable patient group".

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