Fungi News with Chubz

It’s definitely been a quieter week with the month coming to an end here soon. Had a few things happen this week that are worth covering, with discoveries as to why mushrooms create psilocybin, to Norway opting for generic ketamine over Johnson & Johnsons expensive alternative.

Let’s dive in.

This weeks’ biggest discovery came from the Universities of Plymouth and Ohio State, with their discovery on why psilocybin was actually produced by certain fungi species.

Unlike the Stoned Ape Theory made popular by Terrence Mckenna, scientists are taking a different evolutionary approach. They decided to feed fruit fly larva an extract from Psilocybe shrooms to see how they reacted, let’s just say they didn’t have a magical time.

They also discovered that without the 5-HT2A receptor there is no trip. Suggesting that the magical trip we experience is actually an evolutionary accident, a side effect of a chemical meant to target bugs that we somehow seem to highly enjoy.

Scientists found that Pyronema domesticum has the ability to breakdown tough polycylic aromatic hydrocarbons or PAHs.

By ramping up the specific gene Cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, it gives the mushroom the ability to digest one of the toughest compounds yet.

Here’s why this matters ⬇️

This discovery complicates the conversation on climate change in two major ways:

I will be doing a full article covering this topic later in the week so stay tuned for that!

We’re seeing the FDA be swamped with new psychedelic request, Dr. Tiffany Farchione the FDA’s Division Director stated its now accounting for one third of her division’s total workload.

This is a huge metric signaling strong signs of industry growth for the world of psychedelics.

New Yorks largest healthcare provider Northwell Health opened the states very first “Center for Psychedelics Research and Treatment” facility. Their focus will be creating simulation rooms or environments to study the aftereffects of psychedelics like MDMA and Psilocybin.

Examples include a driving simulator, to monitor how it can affect ones driving ability and interactive social environments such as a mock bar/party setting.

We saw Norway give Johnson & Johnson the big F U this week which is always nice to see. Choosing to opt in on the cheaper, generic ketamine. Meaning they’re willing to reimburse patients for the cheaper alternative, kicking Spravato to the curb.

This is a big shift towards stepping away from those bigger industries who control the market giving the smaller guys producing cheaper drugs the opportunity to shine.

Last but not least we saw Reunion Neuroscience taking a moonshot chance at earning FDA approval for their phase 3 trial of its postpartum depression drug.

Normally the FDA would want to see two previous positive trials for phase 3 approvals, meaning the company must feel extremely confident with their data, taking a big risk and opting for the single trial strategy. Looking forward to seeing how this turns out for them in the near future.

Well, that about wraps up this week’s edition of Fungi News with Chubz!

Excited to take a deeper dive into the charcoal eating mushrooms later this week.

If you’re interested in the bioremediation topic I’ve actually covered this briefly here:

Hope everyone has a good week!! 🍄