5-HT6 receptor

Psyence’s own psilocybin candidate is being prepared for a phase 2b trial as a potential treatment for patients adjusting to receiving a life-limiting cancer diagnosis. Psyence Biomedical is paying $500,000 in shares to acquire fellow psilocybin-based biotech Clairvoyant Therapeutics and its phase 2-stage alcohol use disorder (AUD) candidate.Privately-held Clairvoyant is currently conducting a 154-person phase 2b trial of a synthetic psilocybin-based candidate in AUD in the European Union and Canada with topline results expected in early 2025. This candidate “nicely" complements Psyence’s nature-derived psilocybin development program, Psyence’s CEO Neil Maresky said in a Sept. 6 release.“Additionally, this proposed acquisition may expand our pipeline into another high-value indication—AUD—with a regulatory pathway that could potentially transition us to a commercial-stage, revenue-generating company,” Maresky added.Psilocybin is the active ingredient in magic mushrooms. Nasdaq-listed Psyence’s own psilocybin candidate is being prepared for a phase 2b trial as a potential treatment for patients adjusting to receiving a life-limiting cancer diagnosis, a psychological condition called adjustment disorder. “With this proposed acquisition, we would have line-of-sight to two important phase 2 data readouts that, if successful, would position us as a leader in the development of psychedelic-based therapeutics to treat a range of underserved mental health and related disorders that are in need of effective new treatment options,” Maresky said in the same release.As well as the $500,000 in shares that Psyence will pay Clairvoyant’s disposing shareholders, Psyence will potentially make two more share-based payments of $250,000 each based on specific milestones. Separately, Psyence has set aside up to $1.8 million to settle Clairvoyant’s liabilities, such as its clinical trial costs.Psyence and Clairvoyant are far from the only biotechs dabbling in psilocybin, with Compass Pathways posting successful phase 2 results in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) this year. But the wider psychedelics space suffered a high-profile blow this summer when the FDA turned down Lykos Therapeutics’ application to use MDMA to treat PTSD.

FRIDAY, July 19, 2024 -- Expression of several stress-related genes in prostate tumors is elevated among men residing in disadvantaged neighborhoods, according to a study published online July 12 in JAMA Network Open . Joseph Boyle, Ph.D., from Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, and colleagues examined whether several neighborhood disadvantage metrics are associated with prostate tumor RNA expression of stress-related genes in a cross-sectional study. A total of 105 stress-related genes were assessed with each neighborhood metric for 168 African American and 50 White men with prostate cancer who received radical prostatectomy. The researchers found that compared with White participants, African American participants experienced greater neighborhood disadvantage (median Area Deprivation Index [ADI], 115 versus 92; median Racial Isolation Index, 0.68 versus 0.11). There was a positive association for ADI with expression of 11 genes; after multiple-comparison adjustment, HTR6 (serotonin pathway) remained significant. Associations were seen for several genes, including HTR6 , with multiple metrics. Higher expression of five proinflammatory genes in the Conserved Transcriptional Response to Adversity was seen with greater neighborhood disadvantage. "These findings support a potential link between neighborhood factors and stress-related pathways, which may in turn contribute to an increased risk of aggressive prostate cancer," the authors write. One author disclosed ties to the pharmaceutical industry. Abstract/Full Text Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.

TUESDAY, July 16, 2024 -- The stress of living in a poor neighborhood might contribute to higher rates of aggressive prostate cancer in Black men, a new study warns. Black men are more than twice as likely to die from prostate cancer than white men, and more likely to develop it as well, the researchers noted. This could be due in part to living in disadvantaged neighborhoods, which is associated with significantly higher activity in genes related to stress, according to the new research. These genes, activated by extreme hardship or trauma, can set off a cascade of events that increase risk of cancer, researchers explained. “Our findings suggest an impact of living in disadvantaged neighborhoods -- which more commonly affects African Americans -- on stress-related genetic pathways in the body,” said senior researcher Kathryn Hughes Barry , an associate professor of epidemiology and public health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. “We believe this may increase an individual’s risk of aggressive prostate cancer and contribute to prostate cancer disparities by race,” Barry added in a university news release. For the study, researchers analyzed 105 stress-related genes in more than 200 Black and white men with prostate cancer. All of the men underwent surgery to remove their prostate at the University of Maryland Medical Center between 1992 and 2021. The research team used the men’s address at the time of their diagnosis to assess whether they lived in a neighborhood affected by lower income, education and employment. These poor neighborhoods often are suffering the long-term impact of racial segregation and racist policies like redlining, in which certain neighborhoods were systematically denied mortgage applications or refinancing based on race, researchers said. The findings agreed with earlier research that found Black men are more likely to live in disadvantaged neighborhoods. The study also found that Black men in these neighborhoods were more likely to have a higher expression of five genes related to inflammation. Increased inflammation has been linked with a higher risk of prostate cancer and a higher risk of aggressive cancer. The gene that showed the strongest link was HTR6, part of the serotonin pathway that carries messages between the brain and parts of the body. HTR6 also contributes to pathways related to immune response, and various HTR genes have been linked with lethal prostate cancer, researchers noted. The findings were published July 12 in the journal JAMA Network Open . The researchers are planning a broader follow-up study that will include patient data from across the United States. “We need to conduct larger studies to investigate the interrelationships of different neighborhood factors, individual-level factors, tumor biology, tumor aggressiveness and patient outcomes to help inform interventions to reduce prostate cancer disparities,” Barry said. Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.