Imperial College Scientists Dose First Patient With 5-MeO-DMT To Examine One Of The Most Potent Psychedelics' Effects On The Brain

Private psychedelics medicine company Beckley Psytech confirmed Monday that the first patient has been dosed in a new research study investigating the neurophysiological effects of BPL-003, the company's novel synthetic intranasal formulation of 5-MeO-DMT (also known as mebufotenin), on the human brain. Beckley Psytech has provided the funding for this study at Imperial College London via a research grant.

The news of the study comes several weeks after the company announced an update on its two-part Phase IIa study evaluating BPL-003 in patients with treatment-resistant depression.

‌”We are very proud to be supporting world-leading researchers at Imperial College London to learn more about how our lead compound, BPL-003, works in the human brain," stated Dr Rob Conley, chief scientific and medical officer at Beckley Psytech. "Literature suggests an association between intensity of psychedelic experiences and positive treatment effects, so we are keen to explore further and hopefully uncover new insights that we can use to inform our ongoing clinical studies of BPL-003 for Treatment-Resistant Depression and Alcohol Use Disorder."

The new research at Imperial College will include up to 20 healthy volunteers, who will be given both a placebo and a 12mg dose of BPL-003 on separate study visits over a period of 1 month. During this time, participants will undergo a high-density electroencephalogram (HD-EEG) scan that measures electrical activity in the brain.

Looking For Novel Insights

The team says it hopes the study will reveal novel insights into the effects of intranasal 5-MeO-DMT on brain activity as well as the mechanisms underlying perceived ‘mystical experiences' and ego dissolution events while under the influence of psychedelics. The research is being overseen by Dr. Christopher Timmermann and Dr David Erritzoe and is being led by Ph.D. student Tommaso Barba at Imperial College London. Initial results from the study are expected in 2026.

"This study will be the first assessing the effects of 5-MeO-DMT in the human brain and may provide significant advancements in our understanding of consciousness. 5-MeO-DMT is a psychedelic which appears to be particularly effective at inducing states of ego-dissolution and may help us to better understand the relationship between experience, the sense of self, and the brain," said Timmermann, head of the DMT Research Group, which is part of the Centre for Psychedelic Research at Imperial College London.

‌Barba, who is coordinating the study, said in a statement: "It is particularly exciting to begin the dosing phase in this important study. 5-MeO-DMT is among the most potent psychedelics, but its effects on the brain are still not well understood. Our research is poised to deliver substantial advancements in our comprehension of these compounds and we hope it will bring further advancements on the link between psychedelics and the dissolution of our usual sense of self."

‌See Also: Atai Invests $50M In Beckley Psytech For Short-Duration Psychedelics Development

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