atai Life Sciences announces the launch of PsyProtix, to develop a precision psychiatry approach for Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD)
October 11 2021 - 8:00AM
atai Life Sciences (Nasdaq: ATAI) (“atai”), a clinical-stage
biopharmaceutical company aiming to transform the treatment of
mental health disorders, announced the launch of PsyProtix, a new
platform company formed with Chymia LLC, a Duke University
biotechnology spinout. PsyProtix is a precision psychiatry company
focused on developing therapeutics for treatment-resistant
depression (TRD) and other mental health indications.
PsyProtix takes a precision psychiatry approach, an emerging
field that aims to treat disorders by factoring each patient’s
variability in genes, metabolism, environment, and lifestyle.
Traditionally, psychiatric patients are diagnosed and treated
based on guidelines and protocols designed for the majority, which
can often lead to trial and error as physicians attempt to best
meet each individual patient’s needs.
Precision psychiatry is designed to allow physicians to
prescribe treatments specifically targeted to the individual,
rather than relying on the trial and error approach and/or adding
on treatments, such as antidepressants or antipsychotics, in the
quest to achieve a therapeutic benefit.
Over 300 million people suffer with a major depressive disorder
(MDD) worldwide, with a third of these patients diagnosed with TRD.
Direct medical costs for TRD patients are estimated to be two to
three times higher than non-TRD MDD patients. These statistics
highlight the importance and potential of a mechanistically
targeted therapeutic approach. PsyProtix will focus on metabolomic
mechanisms underlying depression symptoms for certain patients with
the goal of deriving more tailored treatments.
“Our view is that each patient is unique, meaning that any given
patient will likely have specific individual needs,” said Srinivas
Rao, Chief Scientific Officer and co-founder of atai Life Sciences.
“This emerging technology adapts to the variability of conditions,
such as depression, with the aim of allowing patients with
psychiatric disorders to potentially
be diagnosed and treated more accurately and efficiently
according to their specific needs. It’s an honor to be
collaborating with Professor Rima Kaddurah-Daouk and her team at
Duke, given their great work in advancing the research of
metabolomics and their study of neuropsychiatric disorders.”
Dr. Kaddurah-Daouk, is a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral
Sciences in Duke’s School of Medicine. She leads large NIH funded
consortia to implement a precision medicine approach for the study
of neuropsychiatric diseases where the metabolome is used to
capture net influences of diet exposome gut microbiome and genome
on brain health and disease.
The work licensed by Duke to start PsyProtix captures efforts of
a large number of scientists working collaboratively under the Mood
Disorder Precision Medicine Consortium which is led by a Duke
principal investigator (PI). Their approach has the promise to
potentially optimize the selection of drugs most effective for each
patient, easing the healing journey in important and impactful
ways.
About atai Life Sciencesatai 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 mission is to
bridge the gap between what the mental healthcare system currently
provides and what patients need. atai has offices in New York,
London, and Berlin. For more information, please visit
www.atai.life.
Forward-Looking StatementsThis 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 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, as such factors may be updated
from time to time 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.Investor
Contact:Greg Weaveratai – Chief Financial OfficerEmail:
greg.weaver@atai.lifeMedia Contact:Camilla
Dormeratai – VP of CommunicationsEmail: press@atai.life
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