Rigorous science done transparently
NOW RECRUITING FOR MICRODOSING PSILOCYBIN STUDY
Our team is conducting a clinical trial on microdosing psilocybin in patients with Major Depression who have previously been unresponsive or unwilling to pursue standard treatment options for their depression. The trial will occur once a week for nine weeks in a controlled setting where medical and mental health professionals will monitor participants. Throughout the trial, participants will be asked to take cognitive and diagnostic assessments to track the effects of psilocybin.
If you have had a recent Major Depressive Episode, or have been diagnosed with Major Depression, and have not found success in standard treatment options - or are unwilling to pursue them- you may be eligible to participate in our study.
Eligibility:
Age 18-65, live in or around Toronto, do not smoke cigarettes, are not currently taking antidepressants or other psychiatric medication, have a diagnosis of Major Depression or are willing to get one by a study psychiatrist
If you are interested, please click the button below
RESEARCH
The science of psychedelic microdosing
MICRODOSING PSILOCYBIN
Self-report measures shows that microdosing is associated with improved mood and enhanced well-being, however there is almost no scientific evidence for the effects of this practice. We are preparing a study that will measure the empirical effects of microdosing. Our design will be a double-blind placebo-controlled crossover washout trial. We aim to have 100 participants in our first study.
NOW HIRING A CLINICAL COORDINATOR!
PUBLICATIONS
We have published some of the first academic research on psychedelic microdosing. Click on the publication link at the top of the page or on the document icon to the left to check them out. You can also scroll down to find media covering our research.
CONSULTING
Helping industry remain scientific and open
OUR TEAM
ROTEM PETRANKER
Co-Founder and Director
Rotem Petranker is a psychology PhD Student in David Shore's lab at McMaster University. His main research interests are sustained attention, emotional regulation, and creativity, all of which may be affected by psychedelics. Rotem is passionate about establishing a rigorous framework for the study of psychedelics using the principles of Open Science. His clinical interests include disorders amenable to psychedelic psychotherapy, including mood disorders and OCD.
THOMAS ANDERSON
Co-Founder and Director
Thomas Anderson is a PhD Candidate studying Cognitive Neuroscience at the University of Toronto (Toronto, Canada). Thomas is a strong proponent of Open Science and publicly communicating scientific findings. He has shared our research findings and presentations on ResearchGate to communicate about this research with the public.
ADAM BLACKMAN
Psychiatrist, Investigator & Medical Director
Adam is a psychiatrist and adjunct assistant professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Toronto, where he is the medical director of the Psychedelic Research Studies Program and the Canadian Centre for Psychedelic Science. He is passionate about the potential of novel treatments to alleviate mental suffering and is deeply interested in mind-body research into consciousness and theoretical models for psychedelic psychotherapy. As part of his commitment to collaboration towards breakthrough knowledge and solutions, Adam advises multiple healthcare innovation and psychedelic therapy startups.
TATIANA (TANYA) SON
Clinical Coordinator
Tanya is a clinical research project manager with a strong background in leading phase I - III clinical trials. In addition to her work at the CCPS, Tanya is employed at 35Pharma, a biotech company, helping progress innovative drug programs into clinical development. With a bachelor's degree in Psychology and Master's degree in Health Policy she has a passion for advancing science and innovations that lead to effective programs and tangible impact.
ILINE GUAN
Psychiatrist
Iline Guan is a psychiatrist based in Toronto, Ontario. She completed her undergraduate medical education at McGill University and her psychiatry residency training at the University of Toronto.
SALIHA SYED
Pharmacist
Saliha holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from University of Toronto. As a Pharmacist, she has made significant contributions to clinical research. She has led over 20 Phase I –IV studies, demonstrating her exceptional ability to design, coordinate, and oversee complex clinical trials.
DAVID AGHILI
Pharmacist
David Aghili graduated from the Leslie Dan Faculty of Pharmacy at the University of Toronto in 2011. He is a registered pharmacist, Certified Diabetes Educator and Operations Manager at LMC pharmacy. David has been involved in pharmaceutical research since 2013. His research interests first began with studies involving novel diabetes therapies and have since expanded to include Alzheimer's, movement disorders and psychiatric care.
ZEINA BEIDAS
Head Research Assistant
Zeina graduated from the University of Toronto with an Honors Bachelor's degree in Neuropsychology. She is interested in studying the etiology, neuropsychology, and treatment of Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and co-morbid disorders and the re-emerging study of psychedelic substances, especially concerning their potential use in treatment. She is also a volunteer research assistant on a novel project on Love and Psychedelics, as well as the Centre Of Addiction and Mental Health where she receives neuroimaging training. In graduate school, she hopes to explore the intersection between psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy and the treatment of AN.
EMILY FEWSTER
Head Research Assistant
Pursuing psychedelic research has been a vision of Emily’s since high school. Emily recently graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Cognitive Neuropsychology and will attend graduate school at York University’s Brain, Behaviour, and Cognitive Science Program, where she will study visual perception and cognition.
BRITTANY DEMIRCAN
Research Assistant
Brittany is a psychotherapist and a neuroscience and psychology MSc student at King's College London. She previously received an Honors Bachelor of Science degree in neuroscience and psychology and a Master of Arts degree in counselling psychology. Her research interests include human connection and psychedelic-assisted therapeutic interventions for complex post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety.
OMER SYED
Research Assistant
Omer is an incoming Graduate student in the Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto. He is currently a research assistant in a psilocybin clinical with the Canadian Centre for Psychedelic Science, and is currently a research assistant in the Gerlai Behavioral Genetics Laboratory at the University of Toronto Mississauga using the zebrafish in high throughput drug screens
ISMAIL KAAN KANCA
Research Assistant
Kaan recently graduated from the University Of Toronto with an Honors Bachelor of Science: Psychology Specialist program. Kaan is currently also volunteering in an emotional support hotline called Certified Listeners Society, where he provides emotional support to callers from various countries and supervision to listener volunteers. Kaan’s clinical interests are in post-traumatic stress disorder and depression, for which he thinks psychedelics could offer a potential treatment pathway. As an aspiring clinician, Kaan believes the clinical research in psychedelic therapy is a step in the right direction.
VALENTYNE SOBOLENKO
Research Assistant
Valentyne graduated with an honors bachelor of science from the University of Toronto as a neuroscience specialist. Valentyne’s main academic interests are in systems neuroscience, the study of brain networking as it relates to behaviour. In his undergraduate honors thesis, Valentyne explored how the mapping of specific neurons in the retina wire to the midbrain in order to modulate visual perception. Valentyne is also keenly interested in neuropharmacological research, especially in possible alternatives to current mental health treatments. Valentyne believes current treatments need improvement, and current drugs have far too many inconsistencies and side effects. As he pursues a PhD in neuroscience, he hopes to continue his research on drug-brain interactions and systems neuroscience to examine the neural decoding of the mind and help inform new mental health treatments.
MEDIA
