- BetterLife (BETR) secures Mitacs funding for TD-0148A preclinical depression research
- The research will be conducted in collaboration with Dr. Argel Aguilar-Valles at Carleton University (Carleton) Department of Neuroscience
- The Carleton Department of Neuroscience has an international reputation for research on stress and its effects on brain functioning and mental health
- The team’s expertise is understanding the molecular mechanisms that underlie psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders
- The department has an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the emergence, prevention and treatment of mental and physical disorders
- BetterLife Pharma Inc. (BETR) is up 1.69 per cent and is trading at C$0.30 at 1:38 pm ET
BetterLife Pharma Inc. (BETR) has announced that its joint application to the Mitacs Accelerate program has been successfully funded.
The application is in collaboration with Dr. Argel Aguilar-Valles at Carleton University (Carleton) Department of Neuroscience.
This research will focus on the anti-depressant effects of TD-0148A in preclinical models of chronic depression.
TD-0148A is a second-generation lysergic acid diethylamide derivative molecule that BetterLife believes will mimic the projected therapeutic potential of LSD without causing the undesirable psychoactive dissociative side effects, such as hallucinations.
“TD-0148A is a potential novel new therapy to treat debilitating psychiatric disorders with high unmet need, such as treatment-resistant severe depression and post-traumatic stress disorder,” said BetterLife’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ahmad Doroudian.
As part of the Accelerate Program funded by Mitacs, Dr. Argel Aguilar-Valles’ team will work with BetterLife to test TD-0148A in both in vitro and in vivo models that are established in their lab.
The team’s expertise is to understand the molecular mechanisms that underlie psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders using a combination of biochemistry, molecular biology, neuronal culture and animal models (mice).
Dr. Argel Aguilar-Valles said,
“The high rate of resistance to SSRI and other first-line treatments for major depressive disorder indicates an urgent unmet need for alternative anti-depressant treatments.
LSD and other psychedelic drugs have been shown to have anti-depressant effects, but their hallucinogenic effects represent an undesirable side effect. Non-hallucinogenic derivatives of these drugs such as TD-0148A represent a promising alternative,” added Aguilar-Valles.
Carleton Neuroscience has an international reputation for research on stress and its effects on brain functionality and mental health.
The department has an interdisciplinary approach to understanding the emergence, prevention and treatment of mental and physical disorders.
Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that fosters growth and innovation in Canada by solving business challenges with research solutions from academic institutions. It is also funded by the Government of Canada along with many other provincial governments.
BetterLife Pharma Inc. (BETR) is up 1.69 per cent and is trading at C$0.30 at 1:38 pm ET.