atai Impact’s first major initiative will support promising academics in researching the therapeutic potential of psychedelic compounds to address unmet needs in mental health
The Fund aims to help unlock the mysteries of the brain, improve the treatment of mental health conditions and positively change the future of brain health through psychedelic research
Fellows will be selected with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion and mentored by leading scientists from across this world-class teaching hospital
NEW YORK and BERLIN, Dec. 16, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — atai Impact, the recently launched philanthropic program of atai Life Sciences (Nasdaq: ATAI) (“atai”), today announced its first major initiative, the establishment of the atai Fellowship Fund in Psychedelic Neuroscience (“atai Fellowship Fund”) in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital’s (MGH) Center for the Neuroscience of Psychedelics.
atai Impact was launched in October 2021 by atai Life Sciences, a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, to harness the power of innovative mental health approaches for positive social change. atai Impact is committed to advancing education, expanding access, and supporting the wider ecosystem of mental health care, with an initial focus on psychedelics.
The $2 million atai Fellowship Fund will facilitate further research into the potential of psychedelics to address unmet patient needs in mental health and support promising graduate students in furthering their professional careers in this emerging field.
Massachusetts General Hospital was selected as the ideal partner for the atai Fellowship Fund due to its global reputation as a leading academic medical center and position as the largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School. This Fellowship builds on existing collaborations between atai Life Sciences and the Center for Neuroscience of Psychedelics, announced in January 2021, to accelerate discovery of the mechanisms underlying the therapeutic effects of psychedelic agents.1
Fellows will have access to MGH’s cutting-edge resources and expertise in neuroimaging technologies, cognitive neuroscience, cellular and molecular neurobiology, and clinical trial design. The Fund will enable them to pursue the discovery, optimization, and translation of novel experimental psychedelic neurotherapeutics. The ultimate objective of the Fund will be to investigate and unlock the potential of psychedelics to improve brain health and reduce the burden of mental health conditions, which affect over a billion people worldwide.2
Fellows will be selected with a focus on diversity, equity and inclusion and mentored by leading scientists from across key departments of Massachusetts General Hospital, including Neurology, Psychiatry and Radiology. Fellows will be equipped to explore a variety of therapies and neurotherapeutics, and their potential to address key mental health needs, in a world-class educational environment.
“We are very proud to kick off the atai Impact initiatives with such an important contribution to drive robust psychedelic medicine research and to do so with the eminent team at Massachusetts General Hospital,” said Florian Brand, Chief Executive Officer and Co-founder of atai Life Sciences.
“Through the atai Impact Fellowship Fund, we are excited to be fostering the next generation of neuro-innovators. We look forward to the future findings of their research, and its important contribution to the emerging psychedelic renaissance and the future of global mental health care.”
“The current development of psychedelics as psychiatric therapeutics is the beginning, not the end of the story,” said Jerrold F. Rosenbaum, MD, Director, Center for the Neuroscience of Psychedelics at Massachusetts General Hospital.
“These agents are forerunners to a future of novel compounds that will depend on the advance of science to lead to deeper understanding of the underlying neuroscience to deliver enhanced and more precise treatments. For this we need a new generation of scientists and for this goal, the atai Fellowship will be an essential contribution.”
About atai Impact
atai Impact was launched by atai Life Sciences, in October 2021, to harness the power of innovative mental health approaches for positive social change.
The key pillars of atai Impact’s activities are: advancing education, expanding access, and supporting the wider ecosystem of mental health care. atai Impact has an initial focus on the psychedelics sector, given its emerging potential in tackling the growing mental health crisis.
The establishment of atai Impact is based on atai Life Sciences’ position that harmonization across commercial and non-profit entities represents the best path forward to address all aspects of the escalating global mental crisis.
About atai Life Sciences
atai is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company aiming to transform the treatment of mental health disorders. atai was founded in 2018 as a response to the significant unmet need and lack of innovation in the mental health treatment landscape. atai is dedicated to acquiring, incubating and efficiently developing innovative therapeutics to treat depression, anxiety, addiction, and other mental health disorders.
atai’s business model combines funding, technology, scientific and regulatory expertise with a focus on psychedelic therapy and other drugs with differentiated safety profiles and therapeutic potential. By pooling resources and best practices, atai aims to responsibly accelerate the development of new medicines across its companies, seeking to effectively treat and ultimately heal mental health disorders.
atai’s vision is to heal mental health disorders so that everyone, everywhere can live a more fulfilled life. atai has offices in New York, London, and Berlin. For more information, please visit www.atai.life.
References:
- atai Life Sciences to Collaborate with Massachusetts General Hospital to Accelerate Discovery of Mechanisms Underlying Therapeutic Effects of Psychedelic Agents. [Press Release] https://ir.atai.life/news-releases/news-release-details/atai-life-sciences-collaborate-massachusetts-general-hospital. Published January 26, 2021. Accessed November 12, 2021.
- Rehm J, Shield KD. Global Burden of Disease and the Impact of Mental and Addictive Disorders. Curr Psychiatry Rep. 2019;21(2):10.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any express or implied statements contained in this press release (including without limitation, the atai Impact program and any other future philanthropic endeavors by atai) that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, including, without limitation, the important factors discussed under the caption “Risk Factors” in atai’s prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on June 21, 2021, and in atai’s other filings with the SEC. atai disclaims any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, other than to the extent required by applicable law.
