Magic mushrooms are undoubtedly one of the main psychedelic compounds gaining popularity amidst this modern psychedelic renaissance. From their profound ability to help terminally ill cancer patients accept their death to their
However, as psychedelic counterculture meets mainstream scientific culture, more companies in the space are choosing to work with synthetic psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms. Indeed, as we move closer towards legal and regulated psilocybin, many signs are pointing towards synthetically produced psilocybin being a dominant force in the market. Here’s a brief history of synthetic psilocybin and a broad overview of the companies in the space today working with it.
The Father of LSD Produced & Shared Synthetic Psilocybin With Maria Sabina
The history of synthetic psilocybin is uniquely connected to the mushroom’s indigenous and cultural roots. Albert Hofmann, the man responsible for synthesizing LSD, once received 100 grams of magic mushrooms from the renowned healer, Maria Sabina, a Mazateca healer from the Mexican state of Oaxaca. With this shipment of psychedelic mushrooms, Hofmann proceeded to synthesize tablets that contained a synthetic form of the active ingredient psilocybin. Even more interesting is the fact Hofmann eventually traveled to Mexico to share the tablets with Maria Sabina herself.
Sabina Claims Hoffman’s Pills Contained the “Spirit of the Mushroom”
In a 1984 interview, Hofman explained that “Maria Sabina told us that these tablets contained the spirit of the mushrooms.” Sabina had been and still is known as an iconic figure in the cultural and indigenous roots of the magic mushroom. By offering her validation of Hofmann’s synthetic psilocybin pills and their ability to produce transcendental experiences, a new dimension into the mushroom’s therapeutic potential had been opened. Today, synthetic psilocybin has been used in groundbreaking clinical studies at Imperial College London, Johns Hopkins University, and NYU. Additionally, various companies in the space, from Compass Pathways to Psygen are currently working with synthetic psilocybin. Here’s a quick snapshot of the emerging synthetic psilocybin-based therapeutics market.
Compass Pathways
One of the best-known players in the psychedelic industry overall is undoubtedly Compass Pathways. After Compass Pathways stock became the first psychedelic stock to debut on the NASDAQ, the team at Compass has been diligently advancing COMP360, their synthetic psilocybin drug candidate, through the regulatory pipeline. Having already been designated as having “breakthrough therapy” status by the FDA, COMP360 is one of the leading examples of how power players in this space are capitalizing on synthetic psilocybin and its therapeutic potential.
ATAI Life Sciences
Peter Thiel backed ATAI Life Sciences is another major player in the psychedelic industry and is directly invested in Compass Pathways’ synthetic psilocybin drug candidate, COMP360. Having recently IPO’d and targeting a valuation of about $2.3 billion dollars, ATAI is another dominant force advocating for synthetic psilocybin’s vast therapeutic potential. In addition to directly supporting COMP360, ATAI is well-known for the uniquely diverse pharmaceutical pipeline they are advancing.
Psygen Labs
Calgary-based biotech company Psygen Labs specializes in the production of synthetic psychedelic medicines, such as synthetic psilocybin. In fact, the demand for their medicines is so high that the company is opening a massive, state-of-the-art facility to scale up the production of a whole library of synthetic psychedelic molecules. Companies like NeonMind have already purchased GMP grade synthetic psilocybin from Psygen Labs to complete their Phase 2 human clinical trials. In naming the top three psychedelic companies working with synthetic psilocybin, Psygen holds an important position among the rest. With demand for synthetic psilocybin only expected to grow, the team at Psygen is eager to fill this important unmet need in the industry.
A Look Ahead for Companies Working With Synthetic Psilocybin
The highly medicalized and clinical approach researchers are taking with psychedelic medicine often requires providing clinicians with the ability to know exactly how much of a drug they are giving to a patient, how long it takes to kick in, and how long it lasts. Such factors are simply easier to control for with synthetic, GMP-grade pharmaceuticals as compared to naturally grown psychedelic mushrooms. The industry has come a long way since the revered Maria Sabina provided her historical approval for Hofmann’s synthetic psilocybin tablets. Today, companies like Compass, ATAI, and Psygen Labs are leading the charge in synthetic psilocybin therapeutics. As more companies join the fold and develop the next generation of psychedelic medicines, more innovation and advancements are expected to be seen.
Magic mushrooms are undoubtedly one of the main psychedelic compounds gaining popularity amidst this modern psychedelic renaissance. From their profound ability to help terminally ill cancer patients accept their death to their
However, as psychedelic counterculture meets mainstream scientific culture, more companies in the space are choosing to work with synthetic psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms. Indeed, as we move closer towards legal and regulated psilocybin, many signs are pointing towards synthetically produced psilocybin being a dominant force in the market. Here’s a brief history of synthetic psilocybin and a broad overview of the companies in the space today working with it.
The Father of LSD Produced & Shared Synthetic Psilocybin With Maria Sabina
The history of synthetic psilocybin is uniquely connected to the mushroom’s indigenous and cultural roots. Albert Hofmann, the man responsible for synthesizing LSD, once received 100 grams of magic mushrooms from the renowned healer, Maria Sabina, a Mazateca healer from the Mexican state of Oaxaca. With this shipment of psychedelic mushrooms, Hofmann proceeded to synthesize tablets that contained a synthetic form of the active ingredient psilocybin. Even more interesting is the fact Hofmann eventually traveled to Mexico to share the tablets with Maria Sabina herself.
Sabina Claims Hoffman’s Pills Contained the “Spirit of the Mushroom”
In a 1984 interview, Hofman explained that “Maria Sabina told us that these tablets contained the spirit of the mushrooms.” Sabina had been and still is known as an iconic figure in the cultural and indigenous roots of the magic mushroom. By offering her validation of Hofmann’s synthetic psilocybin pills and their ability to produce transcendental experiences, a new dimension into the mushroom’s therapeutic potential had been opened. Today, synthetic psilocybin has been used in groundbreaking clinical studies at Imperial College London, Johns Hopkins University, and NYU. Additionally, various companies in the space, from Compass Pathways to Psygen are currently working with synthetic psilocybin. Here’s a quick snapshot of the emerging synthetic psilocybin-based therapeutics market.
Compass Pathways
One of the best-known players in the psychedelic industry overall is undoubtedly Compass Pathways. After Compass Pathways stock became the first psychedelic stock to debut on the NASDAQ, the team at Compass has been diligently advancing COMP360, their synthetic psilocybin drug candidate, through the regulatory pipeline. Having already been designated as having “breakthrough therapy” status by the FDA, COMP360 is one of the leading examples of how power players in this space are capitalizing on synthetic psilocybin and its therapeutic potential.
ATAI Life Sciences
Peter Thiel backed ATAI Life Sciences is another major player in the psychedelic industry and is directly invested in Compass Pathways’ synthetic psilocybin drug candidate, COMP360. Having recently IPO’d and targeting a valuation of about $2.3 billion dollars, ATAI is another dominant force advocating for synthetic psilocybin’s vast therapeutic potential. In addition to directly supporting COMP360, ATAI is well-known for the uniquely diverse pharmaceutical pipeline they are advancing.
Psygen Labs
Calgary-based biotech company Psygen Labs specializes in the production of synthetic psychedelic medicines, such as synthetic psilocybin. In fact, the demand for their medicines is so high that the company is opening a massive, state-of-the-art facility to scale up the production of a whole library of synthetic psychedelic molecules. Companies like NeonMind have already purchased GMP grade synthetic psilocybin from Psygen Labs to complete their Phase 2 human clinical trials. In naming the top three psychedelic companies working with synthetic psilocybin, Psygen holds an important position among the rest. With demand for synthetic psilocybin only expected to grow, the team at Psygen is eager to fill this important unmet need in the industry.
A Look Ahead for Companies Working With Synthetic Psilocybin
The highly medicalized and clinical approach researchers are taking with psychedelic medicine often requires providing clinicians with the ability to know exactly how much of a drug they are giving to a patient, how long it takes to kick in, and how long it lasts. Such factors are simply easier to control for with synthetic, GMP-grade pharmaceuticals as compared to naturally grown psychedelic mushrooms. The industry has come a long way since the revered Maria Sabina provided her historical approval for Hofmann’s synthetic psilocybin tablets. Today, companies like Compass, ATAI, and Psygen Labs are leading the charge in synthetic psilocybin therapeutics. As more companies join the fold and develop the next generation of psychedelic medicines, more innovation and advancements are expected to be seen.