--- title: "Startups Are Biohacking Psychedelic Drugs to Make Sure You Never Have a Bad Trip Again" description: "A number of pharmaceutical companies are experimenting on creating the next generation of psychedelic drugs with the goal of turning them into a safer psychotherapy treatment. As Time reports, researchers at a company called MindMed working on an alternative to MDMA, a popular street drug also known as \"ecstasy\" or \"molly,\" called R-MDMA. Early data […]" date: "2024-10-13" modified: "2024-10-13" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/neoscope/startups-hacking-psychedelic-drugs-safe" categories: - "Cybersecurity" - "Future Society" - "Hacking" - "Health & Medicine" tags: - "depression" - "mdma" - "psychedelic drugs" --- # Startups Are Biohacking Psychedelic Drugs to Make Sure You Never Have a Bad Trip Again ![]() *\Image: Getty / Futurism\* A number of pharmaceutical companies are running experiments in attempts to create the next generation of psychedelic drugs, with the goal of turning them into a safer psychotherapy treatment. As [*Time* reports](), researchers at a company called MindMed are working on an alternative to MDMA, (i.e. "ecstasy" or "molly") called R-MDMA. Early data has shown that R-MDMA has fewer side effects than its predecessor, thus enhancing its potential as a therapeutic drug. Other companies are working on taming other psychedelic drugs — like one attempting to create a synthetic version of the "spirit molecule" DMT — to provide longer-lasting relief for people suffering from depression. These drugs' potential to provide psychedelic experiences that meaningfully improve mental health remains a hotly debated subject, especially considering the potential of an unwanted "bad trip." But the use of psychedelics within the context of mental health, used under a controlled setting, has seen a [huge influx of interest over the years](). While MDMA is still classified as a [Schedule I substance]() — per the DEA, a dangerous drug with no accepted medical use — several studies have found the drug could be an effective way to treat conditions like [post-traumatic stress disorder]() or [depression.]() Beyond America, countries like Portugal and Amsterdam have decriminalized small amounts of MDMA for personal use, and last year, Australia greenlit government-sanctioned [legal trials of MDMA]() for PTSD treatment. Despite the surge of interest, scientists are only starting to understand how these substances alter our brain chemistry. "Psychedelics are very promiscuous molecules," psychedelic drug development company Mindstate CEO Dillan DiNardo told *Time*. They're "very effective, but they’re scary and they’re chaotic and they’re unpredictable." One factor distinguishing Mindstate is their plan to use artificial intelligence to figure out how psychedelic drugs affect the brain. And its efforts are seemingly starting to pay off. Last month, the company [received approval]() to kick off human trials of a compound dubbed MSD-001 by the US Food and Drug Administration. The substance dubbed "Moxy" targets "specific serotonin receptors with high specificity, minimizing broader psychotropic effects," [according to *Microdose*](). "Moxy is not the entire medicine," DiNardo [told the *Washington Post*]() at the time. "Moxy is the first part of a number of different medicines that we’ll be making." Companies like Mindstate and MindMed have a long way to go until their synthetic psychedelics can be prescribed by health practitioners. Human trials will likely drag on for many years, and it remains unclear if they'll ever prove to be effective. But advocates of psychedelic therapy may view this as a small (but meaningful) step forward. **More on psychedelics:** *[Scientist Takes High Dose of Psilocybin, Clambers Into MRI Machine to Scan His Own Brain]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()