A Florida based biotechnology company specializing in the clinical development of psychedelics and analogs is the latest to jump into the quickly growing plant-based medicine field. Psilera Bioscience was launched this month by co-founders Drs. Jackie Salm and Chris Witowski who have 20+ years of combined experience in natural product drug discovery, novel formulations, and are distinguished researchers within the cannabis industry.

“Problems relating to mental health are a growing concern, and the hardships created by COVID-19 have only exacerbated issues with depression, anxiety, and substance abuse,” said Dr. Chris Witowski, CEO of Psilera. “Therapeutic innovations have stagnated in these areas while cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease also lack effective treatment options. We are only scratching the surface of the medical potential for psychedelics and Psilera’s model of compassion-driven science will enable groundbreaking research to provide new therapies for patients in need.”

Psilera joins a slew of other new companies that have launched in the past couple of years as the excitement over psychoactive mushrooms grows. Psilocybin, the psychoactive ingredient found in some mushroom species, is seen as a treatment for drug-resistant depression. Only a few doses are needed for long-term benefits according to the anecdotal evidence. Psilera said it has accelerated research and development efforts and submitted a provisional patent covering new chemical entities and delivery methods relating to psychedelics.

“Psilera was built with the common goal to create mindful medicine with inspirations from nature and a foundation of innovative science,” said Dr. Jackie Salm, CSO of Psilera. “Our goal is to pave the way for a new era in psychedelics research and truly recognize the potential of these compounds as medicines. This requires detailed assessment of structure-activity relationships and novel ways of delivery. We hope to increase awareness and shift the paradigm to a place of knowledge rather than fear.”