Delix’s psychedelic-inspired DLX-001 poses no safety or hallucinogenic risks in early testing

Biotech startup Delix Therapeutics has unveiled promising interim phase 1 safety data for its lead neuroplasticity drug candidate DLX-001 at a leading neuroscience conference, marking the first clinical validation of its “psychoplastogen” pipeline. In essence, the company is developing psychedelic-inspired therapies that can prompt neuroplasticity without the hallucinogenic, psychotomimetic, or dissociative effects typical with traditional psychedelic compounds.

According to Delix’s chief medical officer Dr. Aaron Koenig, DLX-001 is safe and well-tolerated. With neuroplasticity emerging as a key factor in rapid-acting antidepressant mechanisms, the company is optimistic about this early human proof-of-concept, which could pave the way for larger efficacy studies and offer an alternative approach in the field where psychedelic medicines have shown limitations, particularly in terms of side effects and potential cardiac liability.

The interim data fro…

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AdAPT-001 oncolytic adenovirus shows promising phase 1 cancer treatment results

Rendering of AdAPT-001

Oncolytic adenoviruses have won significant attention in recent years as a novel approach to cancer treatment. One example of the trend is AdAPT-001 TGF-ß Trap, an engineered variant of the common cold virus equipped with a transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-β) “trap.” This mechanism is designed to latch onto and neutralize TGF-β, an immunosuppressive cytokine involved in cancer cell growth and disease progression.

At the 2023 ASCO Annual Meeting, the developer of AdAPT-001, EpicentRx, shared initial findings from a phase 1 trial on AdAPT-001. The initial data indicates that patients generally tolerate AdAPT-001 well.

So far, the study has enrolled 28 patients for treatment with AdAPT-001 as a single agent. EpicentRx plans to enroll an additional roughly 50 patients for a phase 2 portion where AdAPT-001 will be combined with immunotherapy.

In the phase 1 por…

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