- Silo Pharma and Maastricht University have partnered to study the use of psychedelics to treat Parkinson’s disease.
- The clinical study will investigate the effects of low doses of psilocybin and LSD on well-being, emotional and cognitive attention, and biological markers of neuroplasticity in patients suffering from the disease.
- Researchers will also investigate how low doses of psilocybin and LSD impact cognitive performance measures of memory and executive functioning known to be impaired in Parkinson’s disease, such as computer tasks, and biological markers of well-being.
New Jersey-based biopharmaceutical company Silo Pharma has announced its entry into an investigator-sponsored agreement with Maastricht University in the Netherlands to study the use of psilocybin and LSD to treat Parkison’s disease. In a statement released on December 2, Silo Pharma chief executive officer and chairman Eric Weisblum said the signing of the clinical study agreement represented a significant milestone for the company as it worked to bring novel therapeutics to patients in need.
In the statement, the company announced that the investigator sponsor for the Phase II-B study will be Dr. Kim Kuypers, Associate Professor at Maastricht University’s Department of Neuropsychology and Psychopharmacology. “Dr. Kuypers is one of the world’s foremost clinical investigators in the field of psychedelics and has previously evaluated the concept of micro-dosing in her research,” Weisblum said.
“Parkinson’s disease is a progressive nervous system disorder that affects seven to 10 million people globally and currently has no cure. Our goal, in collaborating with Maastricht University and Dr. Kuypers, is to bring hope to those suffering from this terrible disease. We expect to share additional information regarding protocol, ethics submission, and initiation of the study as the information becomes available.”
Psychedelics and Parkinson’s Disease
Research into the effectiveness of psychedelics such as psilocybin, ketamine, and DMT in treating neurodegenerative diseases including Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, and Huntington’s has shown promising results to date. In its Phase II-B study, Silo Pharma and Maastricht University will evaluate the safety and efficacy of psilocybin and LSD on patients suffering from Parkison’s disease. In the statement, Silo Pharma said: “the primary objective of this trial is to investigate the effects of repeated low doses of psilocybin and LSD on well-being, emotional and cognitive attention, and biological markers of neuroplasticity.”
“Secondary objectives are to investigate the effects of repeated low doses of psilocybin and LSD on cognitive performance measures of memory and executive functioning, known to be impaired in Parkinson’s disease, such as computer tasks, emotion regulation of Parkinson’s symptoms, and biological markers of well-being such as immune system, and cortisol,” the company said.
