Algernon Pharmaceuticals selects Dalton Pharma Services to synthesize DMT for its stroke studies

Algernon Pharmaceuticals Inc (CSE:AGN) (OTCQB:AGNPF) (FRA:AGW) said Friday it had awarded a manufacturing contract to Dalton Pharma Services to synthesize N,N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a hallucinogenic tryptamine drug, for its stroke program.  

The clinical stage pharmaceutical development company told shareholders that Dalton will manufacture the active pharmaceutical ingredient and finished product for Algernon’s DMT formulation. 

In a statement, Algernon said Dalton has “extensive experience” in synthesizing psilocybin and tryptamine derivatives. 

READ: Algernon Pharmaceuticals poised to investigate psychedelic compound DMT as treatment for stroke

Vancouver-based Algernon signed a deal with lab services company Charles River Laboratories for pre-clinical research studies on the psychedelic compound DMT to treat stroke. The company hopes to be the first research entity globally to pursue DMT for stroke in humans and is targeting to begin a clinical trial this year.  

“We are very pleased to have appointed Dalton Pharma Services to synthesize our GMP DMT supply,” said Christopher Moreau, CEO of Algernon Pharmaceuticals in a statement.

“Based on positive pre-clinical data, the company believes that DMT may help treat patients who have suffered from a stroke, which is one of the most devastating injuries a human being can experience.”

DMT produces effects similar to those of other psychedelics like LSD, ketamine, psilocybin and psilocin. Used for centuries in religious ceremonies as a traditional spiritual medicine by indigenous people in the Amazonian basin, the substance occurs naturally in plants and animals but can also be synthesised in a laboratory.

DMT has been shown to induce neuroplasticity in a number of key preclinical studies, possibly by activating pathways involved with forming neuron connections. It has also been shown in studies to increase the number of dendritic spines on cortical neurons. Dendritic spines form synapses with other neurons and are a major site of molecular activity in the brain.

Animal studies conducted showed that DMT reduced the infarct volume and improved functional recovery, displaying lower lesion volumes and greater improvements in motor function compared to a control group.

Algernon will be investigating an intravenous sub-hallucinogenic dose of DMT in its research and clinical studies. The company will be filing its pre-IND (Investigational New Drug) meeting request with the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) shortly, and has already started work on the planning of its Phase 1 and Phase 2 clinical studies.

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Story by ProactiveInvestors