Field Trip Ventures a company focused on operating and investing in businesses working on the therapeutic benefits of plant-based psychedelics and psychedelic-assisted therapies to treat mental health issues, has entered into a strategic partnership with the University of the West Indies, in Mona, Jamaica. Together, they're creating what’s believed to be the world’s first legal research and cultivation facility dedicated to psilocybin-producing mushrooms.
As per the announcement, the focus of this facility will be broad-ranging. They will work on genetics, breeding and cultivation work for the 180+ species of psilocybin-producing mushrooms. They will also develop methods and analyses for extractions and formulations, and work on the identification of novel molecules for drug development purposes.
“Driven by a groundswell of grassroots support, there has been a growing acceptance around the therapeutic value of psychedelics within the medical community," said Mujeeb Jafferi, Field Trip’s President. "With this new facility, we will be taking a science-first approach to better our collective understanding of psilocybin and associated therapies while also bridging the knowledge gap that remains when it comes to cultivating the fungi that produces this molecule.”
Research at the facility will be led by Rupika Delgoda, Professor of Biochemical Pharmacology & Pharmacognosy and Director of the Natural Products Institute at UWI, who holds a D.Phil. from Oxford University in Pharmacology.
“With the help of the incredibly knowledgeable team at UWI and Field Trip's research scientists, we will be able to develop a comprehensive understanding of the biological and chemical complexities of psilocybin-producing fungi," Jafferi said. "Further, this will allow us to guide the production and therapeutic application of these organisms and the molecules they produce in a tremendously powerful way.”
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