Mental health is integral part of the life extension agenda, says longevity VC firm.
Biotech fund LongeVC has invested in psychedelics startup Freedom Biosciences. Founded by Yale University professor Dr John Krystal and PsyMed Ventures co-founder Dina Burkitbayeva, Freedom Biosciences is developing next-gen therapeutics to treat mental health conditions. The company is supported by other psychedelics, biotech and longevity-focused funds and angel investors, including Marat Kichikov.
Longevity.Technology: While many psychedelics are associated with recreational use, a growing body of research supports their powerful healing effects on debilitating mental health indications. Ketamine, for example, is highly effective in treating treatment-resistant depression, and the Longevity Science Foundation recently offered funding for projects related to using existing or novel psychedelics to manage, delay or reverse age-associated mental and brain diseases.
Krystal’s research into the anti-depressant effects of psychedelics, and his clinical work at Yale were instrumental in developing Janssen’s Spravato Esketamine spray, which received FDA approval for patients with treatment-resistant depression in 2019.
Many patients have not been able to access these life-changing therapeutics due to their high cost, limited availability and the need for high frequency of administration. Freedom Bioscience’s approach to therapeutics prioritises accessibility; for example, its ketamine treatment program FREE001 potentially offers longer-lasting anti-depressant effects, reducing the need for time-consuming clinic visits.
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“Clinical research has already shown how powerful psychedelics can be in managing difficult-to-treat mental health conditions,” Freedom Biosciences co-founder and CEO Dina Burkitbayeva said. “We are harnessing their power to offer new, more effective medicines to patients in need [1].”
“Better mental health is essential for healthy longevity and should be treated as an integral part of the life extension agenda,” LongeVC co-founder and managing partner Garri Zmudze said. “By tackling some of the most pressing psychological conditions, we strive to support lives that are longer and healthier, both physically and mentally [1].”
Longevity.Technology reached out to LongeVC’s founding partner, Sergey Jakimov.
“It’s time for the longevity industry to look beyond physical health and focus on the imperative role of mental health in peak human performance,” he told us. “Mental health projects need enthusiastic backing from longevity investors and leaders, and LongeVC is proud to catalyze industry action in this area by supporting Freedom Biosciences.”
We’ll be hearing more from Sergey on mental health and longevity in a couple of weeks, and you can read our Meet the investor profile of him HERE.
Interested in longevity investment? Visit our investment portal HERE
[1] https://longevc.com/news-media/tpost/8nk2sczs61
