Tryptamine Therapeutics Ltd (ASX:TYP, OTC:TYPTF) has recruited another highly specialised medical practitioner for its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB), bringing eating disorder and obesity expert Dr Phillipa Hay MD into the fold for a three-year term.
Professor Hay is an academic psychiatrist internationally recognised for her expertise in reducing the public and personal health burden of eating disorders and obesity, with more than 400 peer-reviewed articles published and several awards, including the 2015 Australian and New Zealand Academy Lifetime Achievement award.
“I am very pleased to join the Scientific Advisory Board and be part of furthering understanding of novel interventions such as the psychedelics which have potential to enhance psychological therapies and care for people with eating disorders,” Dr Hay said.
Highly specialised expertise
Professor Hay is currently focused on researching interventions for anorexia nervosa and other eating disorders, including the application of psychedelic treatments to achieve improved health outcomes.
Her work has a particular emphasis on reducing barriers to accessing care programs through public health and community interventions.
“We are thrilled to welcome Professor Hay to the Scientific Advisory Board board,” Tryptamine Therapeutics CEO Jason Carroll said.
“Her appointment reflects the ongoing commitment by the Tryp Therapeutics Board and management team to recruit best-in-class practitioners to help guide the strategic direction of the business by providing key insights that leverage their specific area of expertise.
“This is a core strategy of the business and one which we believe provides Tryp with a unique advantage in pursuit of our stated clinical development pathway.
“We look forward to working with Professor Hay - one of the world’s foremost authorities on how to achieve improved health outcomes for people suffering from eating disorders – and leveraging her insights to inform the development of our proprietary development suite for the application of psilocin to achieve improved health outcomes.”
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Dr Hay has a doctorate of philosophy in psychiatry from the University of Oxford and a doctorate of medicine from the University of Otago, as well as being a fellow of the Academy for Eating Disorders (AED).
Psychedelic compounds for therapy
TYP is a clinical-stage biotechnology company focused on developing novel formulations of psilocin in combination with psychotherapy to treat diseases with unmet medical needs.
Tryp’s lead program TRP-8803 is a proprietary formulation of IV-infused psilocin (the active psychedelic metabolite of psilocybin) with potential to reduce the negative aspects of the treatment, including reducing the time to onset of the psychedelic state, controlling the depth and duration of the psychedelic experience, and reducing the overall duration of the intervention to a commercially feasible timeframe.
The company is currently targeting the treatment of binge eating disorder, fibromyalgia and the treatment of abdominal pain and visceral tenderness in patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
A Phase 2a clinical trial at the University of Florida demonstrated an average reduction in binge eating episodes of greater than 80%.
Tryp is also pursuing a Phase 2a clinical trial in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital for IBS and another Phase 2a clinical trial for the treatment of fibromyalgia in collaboration with the University of Michigan.