Psylink
Evaldas Čiplys, PhD
Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer
Topic: Harnessing Nature: Mental Health Treatments through Metabolic Engineering and Synthetic Biology
Advances in metabolic engineering and synthetic biology are opening new avenues for developing next-generation psychiatric treatments by harnessing natural molecules from diverse biological kingdoms.
Compounds derived from fungi, such as mushroom alkaloids, have gained attention for their potential to treat mental health disorders, including treatment-resistant depression and anxiety.
By recreating and optimizing the biosynthetic pathways of these bioactive molecules, we can scale their production in genetically modified organisms like yeast, enabling more sustainable and controlled manufacturing processes.
This approach is not limited to fungi. Other natural sources, including plants contain promising small molecules with neuroactive properties that can be explored as breakthrough therapies. The integration of these natural compounds with advanced engineering techniques offers the potential to uncover novel mechanisms of action that target the brain’s complex chemistry in innovative ways.
As we explore these therapeutic candidates, there is growing potential to deliver more precise, personalized psychiatric treatments with fewer side effects compared to traditional drugs. This convergence of nature and science holds promise for the future of mental health care, offering a new wave of therapies that address the global mental health crisis.
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R106
Harnessing Nature: Mental Health Treatments through Metabolic Engineering and Synthetic Biology
Evaldas Čiplys, PhD (PSYLINK)
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