Hacking Your Virtual Mind

Los Angeles-based startup Tripp has been developing a breakthrough wellness platform to hack your mind via interactive, immersive VR and mobile experiences.

What Tripp Offers:

  • Relaxation exercises to blend experiences found in existing guided-meditation apps.
  • Allows users to explore their thoughts inside a virtual reality headset, watching fractal shapes, glowing trees and planets whir past them.
  • Creates auditory and visual experiences that mimic a psychedelic trip with targeted sound frequencies, visuals and interactions, all without taking any substances.

The company recently closed an $11 million funding round led by Vine Ventures and Mayfield, with participation from Integrated and other large investors. They’ve raised a total of about $15 million so far.

Tripp’s platform is currently used in several research initiatives and clinical trials in the areas of anxiety reduction, depression and substance use disorder. There available apps on the Oculus and Playstation VR stores have been used over 2 million times. 


Ketamine Trial for Bipolar Depression

blue and black water dispenser

The largest study of intravenous ketamine will soon be conducted with patients suffering from bipolar disorder. Braxia (CSE:BRAX) will investigate the use, safety and efficacy of repeated doses of intravenous (IV) Ketamine in patients.

Funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research, this clinical trial will be held at Toronto’s University Health Network (UHN) and Braxia Scientific’s CRTCE Research Clinic.

  • In Canada, approximately 2-3% of the population experience bipolar disorder.
  • About 2/3 of bipolar patients do not fully recover using conventional methods.
  • Bipolar disorder is the leading cause of treatment-resistant depression and suicidality.
  • The study will include 100 participants across 2 sites.

Braxia’s Chief Medical and Science Officer, Dr. Joshua Rosenblat, will collaborate with UHN and serve as the principal investigator.


Former FDA Bigwig Joins Cybin

With the FDA’s former Head of Psychiatry now onboard, Cybin (NEO:CYBN) has a strong leg to stand on when it comes to navigating regulatory frameworks. 

  • Thomas Laughren is a medical doctor who served as the FDA’s ‘Director of Psychiatry Products’ for nearly 30 years.
  • During his time at the agency, he oversaw the research and review of each new psychiatric drug applications, and development projects undergoing clinical testing.
  • He also helped with the design and interpretation of clinical trials for psychiatric drugs.

After leaving the FDA in 2012, Thomas started his own consulting company to help psychiatric pharmaceutical drug makers gain FDA approval.

Cybin is in the process of launching their phase 2 clinical trial to study their sublingual psilocybin formulation for patients with major depressive disorder. The study is still subject to final confirmation by Jamaica’s Ministry of Health, and will take place at the University of the West Indies Hospital later this year.


Am I Gonna Freak Out, Doc?

What if a genetic test could predict how you’re going to react to a psychedelic substance? A new partnership between Silo Wellness Inc. (CSE: SILO) and Entheon Biomedical Corp. (CSE: ENBI) aims make this a reality.

  • Silo Wellness operates psychedelic wellness retreats in both Jamaica and Oregon.
  • Entheon has focused on developing psychedelic medicines to treat addiction.
  • The wholly-owned subsidiary of Entheon, HaluGen Life Sciences Inc., developed and commercialized the test kit.

What’s it do?

HaluGen’s genetic test is the first of its kind to:

  • Identify specific DNA biomarkers to gauge the risk and potential of adverse reactions to hallucinogenic drugs, such as psychosis.
  • Provide users with personalized insights to better understand an individual’s sensitivity to classical psychedelics and ketamine. 

Silo Wellness will implement the genetic test to improve guest experiences at their retreat centers in Jamaica. The data will also be used by patients to make better-informed decisions to join psychedelic experiences with substances that include ketamine, psilocybin, and (soon) 5-MeO-DMT.


Bob Marley’s Legacy to Nature

yellow plastic watering can on wall

Earlier this year, Silo Wellness (CSE: SILO) signed a mega licensing agreement with the family of reggae icon Bob Marley. They’re now launching a slew of “Marley One” mushroom products.

  • Silo secured exclusive worldwide rights to brand, market and sell a product line of functional and psychedelic mushrooms.
  • Products include mushroom tinctures from species such as cordyceps, lion’s mane, chaga, reishi and turkey tail.
  • A psychedelic mushroom product line will launch later this year.
  • Other mushroom products will include gummies, capsules and cosmetics.

Connect with nature, buy my products

These products will provide the unique health and wellness benefits of mushrooms to improve gut health, stress, sleep, cognitive function and more. At launch, the brand will include:

  • One Mind: A coffee-flavored blend of lion’s mane and L-theanine.
  • One Flow: A peppermint-flavored blend of cordyceps and ginseng.
  • One Harmony: A mango-flavored blend of chaga and ginger.
  • One Body: A berry-flavored blend of turkey tail and astragalus.
  • One Rest: A vanilla-flavored blend of reishi and GABA.

As a vertically-integrated company, Silo Wellness has offered ‘spore-to-door’ service since 2018.


Report Readout

Psychedelics can help end of life and terminal patients come to terms with their condition.

There’s a psychedelic momentum building up on Wall Street.

The Globe and Mail interviewed millionaire trader Jim Parker about his $3-million commitment to fund the Parker Psychedelic Research Chair at the University of Calgary.

Mindcure (CSE:MCUR) develops proprietary ketamine-enhanced psychotherapy protocols for treatment of pain and depression.

KGK Science (NEO:MEDI) is working expanding Ketamine One’s mental health platform. Announces award of clinical trial contract, a research project and completion of 2 studies.

British Columbia is home to many developments when it comes to psychedelic mushrooms.