Prof. Nutt appointed Head of Research to Lead Awakn’s Next-Gen Psychedelic Molecule Development
London, United Kingdom–(Newsfile Corp. – March 9, 2021) – Awakn Life Sciences Inc., a clinical-biotech company researching, developing, and delivering psychedelic medicine to treat addiction and other mental health conditions, today announced the acquisition of significant proprietary research data on next generation candidate MDMA and Ketamine molecules from Prof. David Nutt’s Equasy Enterprises. In addition to the acquisition of the data, Prof. Nutt has been appointed as Head of Research to lead Awakn’s next generation psychedelic molecule development programme.
This latest development adds significantly to Awakn’s already strong research programmes, with the world’s first Phase II b MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy trial initiated and further research planned on Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy. This milestone is in addition to Awakn’s recently announced exclusive licence of the intellectual property form the world’s only Phase II ab trial of ketamine for Alcohol Use Disorder from the University of Exeter.
Prof. Nutt, Head of Research and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board, Awakn Life Sciences, stated, “I have worked in novel psychopharmacological molecule development for many years and have completed over 5 years of research specifically on next generation MDMA and Ketamine candidate molecules. I am delighted to be able to bring the research forward, to lead this activity in Awakn, and to significantly accelerate the development of new compounds to better treat Addiction.”
Anthony Tennyson, CEO Awakn Life Sciences, commented, “This is another great step forward for Awakn. Adding next generation drug development to our already strong research division and soon to be launched UK and EU clinics platform positions us firmly in the top tier of this industry.”
About Prof. David Nutt
David John Nutt is an English neuropsychopharmacologist specialising in the research of drugs that affect the brain and conditions such as addiction, anxiety, and sleep. He is the chairman of Drug Science, a non-profit which he founded in 2010 to provide independent, evidence-based information on drugs. Until 2009, he was a professor at the University of Bristol heading their Psychopharmacology Unit. Since then he has been the Edmond J Safra chair in Neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London and director of the Neuropsychopharmacology Unit in the Division of Brain Sciences at Imperial.
Nutt was a member of the Committee on Safety of Medicines and was President of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology. His book Drugs Without the Hot Air (UIT press) won the Transmission Prize for Communicating Science in 2014.
About Awakn Life Sciences Inc.
Awakn Life Sciences is a clinical-biotech company researching, developing, and delivering psychedelic medicine to treat Addiction and other mental health conditions. Awakn is integrating psychedelic medicine into mainstream healthcare through Research, Clinics, and Ecosystems.