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Healing through psychedelic therapies
Alvarius is an Irish bio-pharmaceutical company researching and developing unique therapies to target addiction through the pioneering use of 5-MeO-DMT medicines.
About Us
Alvarius is an Irish bio-pharmaceutical company researching and developing unique therapies to target addiction through the pioneering use of 5-MeO-DMT medicines.
Alvarius aims to help patients overcome addictive substance-related behaviours with ground-breaking pharmaceutical solutions combined with tailored therapy. Together with our collaboration partners in University College Dublin, we are utilising the latest scientific methods to unlock the potential of psychedelics and associated therapy in treating addiction and other mental illnesses, and exploring the many associated benefits of these underused, misunderstood, and often stigmatised substances.
The therapy includes acute administration of 5-MeO-DMT coupled with expertly guided psychotherapy sessions designed to maximise the anti-addictive benefits of the psychedelic treatment.
By placing the power of recovery back in the hands of patients, our therapies can enable those suffering with stimulant addiction to retake control of their healing process.
Cutting-edge research into psychedelic treatments is reimagining the pharmaceutical approach to a wide-range of mental illnesses; Alvarius is pioneering study into the anti-addiction properties of 5-MeO-DMT and developing treatments that utilise the power of psychedelics to empower patients toward a life free from substance dependency.
We are at the precipice of harnessing the true healing potential of safe, natural psychedelics, and Alvarius is proud to be at the vanguard of establishing these incredible substances as widely used treatments in mental health.
Our Medicines
5-MeO-DMT
Often labelled ‘toad venom’ due to being naturally produced by the Sonoran Desert Toad species, the substance can also be harvested through a wide variety of plants.
Closely related to N,N-Dimethyltryptamine, better known as the psychedelic ‘DMT’, 5-MeO-DMT has a long history of use in South American shamanic rituals to enhance spiritual awareness and understanding of the self.
How it works
Our treatments aim to molecularly ‘reset’ neural pathways in the brain affected by the chronic use and abuse of addictive substances.
Our studies show that 5-MeO-DMT can normalise 75 percent of chronic cocaine-mediated protein expression changes in key, addiction-associated brain regions.
Pre-Clinical & Clinical Pipeline
Completed
- Characterisation of 5-MeO-DMT induced reversal of the detrimental effects of stimulant exposure on neural development in an in vitro 3D cerebral organoid model.
- Comparative study of the capacity of 5-MeO-DMT to other psychedelic agents in reversing the molecular changes associated with addiction and other mental illnesses
- Studies identifying the damage to human brain development caused by stimulant use, and the ability of 5-MeO-DMT to counter these detrimental effects
Ongoing
- Genomic and proteomic profiling of acute psychedelic treatment of stimulant, opioid and alcohol addiction.
- Genomic profiling of 5-Meo-DMT and other psychedelics in in vitro models of chronic stimulant, opioid and ethanol exposure utilising 3D cerebral organoids.
- Preparation for phase 1 study commencement Q2, 2023.
Upcoming
- Phase 1 of our clinical trial will examine the safety of 5-MeO-DMT in humans, while also identifying further the benefits for those living with cocaine, heroin and alcohol addictions.
- Assessment of addiction-associated behavioural changes and how they can be reversed.
- Studies into 5-Meo-DMT analogues. We have a library of analogues of interest that have variant effects to those of 5-meo-DMT, that may be beneficial for different conditions also.
- Phase 2a of the clinical trial will determine the clinical efficacy of 5-Meo-DMT for patients suffering from addiction, as well as provide more safety and dosing data.
Meet the Team
Dr James Linden
Chairperson / Founder
James holds a PhD in Biochemistry from Queen’s University Belfast. With an expert knowledge of plant medicine, clinical research, and the pharmaceutical/med device industries, James successfully founded a generic drug company and a medical cannabinoid R&D company, GreenLight Pharmaceuticals Ltd. James has since built a string of over 25 investable companies in the medical R&D space over the last decade. His practical and clinical knowledge of psychedelics alongside his global research network makes him an international leader in this field.
Graeme McFarlane
CEO
30+ years in the pharmaceutical industry, holding senior positions at Astrazeneca, GlaxoSmithKline and Bristol Myers.
Specialises in Market Access, having brought in excess of 60 products to market and has a particular interest in growing ‘start-up’ organisations primarily in the psychedelic space, attracting investment and building the commercial framework and associated partnerships.
Nadia Van der Heyden
COO
Nadia is a high performing relationship facilitator with a passion for sales, investor relations, business development and promoting cohesive teams. Previously, the Director of Sales and Marketing and first employee at Psygen, a dedicated psychedelic CMO. She developed a deep understanding of the life science industry emerging markets and created positive relationships with key players and industry leaders. For the past 20 years, Nadia served as a Critical Care Paramedic with 6+ years of education in advanced/critical care medicine. This experience created sharp instincts and interpersonal skills which fosters connections and rapport with both internal and external stakeholders.
Professor Keith Murphy
Head of Pharmacology
Keith is Professor of Neuropharmacology at University College Dublin (UCD). A former Head of Pharmacology and Head of School of Biomolecular and Biomedical Science at UCD, Keith is Principal Investigator of the UCD Neurotherapeutics Research Group.
His work examines mechanisms of synaptic plasticity to develop novel treatments for drug addiction, schizophrenia, and multiple sclerosis. Keith has several drug patents, including one for an MS treatment that is patented in the US and Europe, and is currently going into Phase II clinical study in optic neuritis.
Professor David Nutt
Chief Psychedelics Officer
David Nutt is a psychiatrist and the Edmund J. Safra Professor of Neuropsychopharmacology in the Division of Brain Sciences at Imperial College London.
A former President of the European Brain Council, the British Association of Psychopharmacology, the British Neuroscience Association, and the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology, David is currently Founding Chair of DrugScience.org.uk.
He also holds visiting Professorships at the Open University and University of Maastricht.
Dr Le Roy Dowey
Advisor
Dr Le Roy Dowey has joined Alvarius from Ulster University, where he worked with various academics and agenciesto deliver Innovation Vouchers and Commercial Contract Research, including nutritional and clinical trials.
Le Roy obtained a BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry from Queen’s University, Belfast and a PhD in Nutritional Biochemistry at Ulster University (2002). After a period of post-doctoral research, he became Quality Assurance Officer for Ulster’s Biomedical Sciences Research Institute (BMSRI). Le Roy set up the BMSRI Core Facility Units to support academic and commercial research, and has secured over £17.5m of research and innovation funding.
Dr David Gibson
Chief Science Officer
Dr David Gibson is a biochemist with over 20 years of experience in arthritis clinical research. He is passionate about finding new ways to treat and monitor adult and childhood forms of arthritis, so that pain and long term disability can be reduced. Dr Gibson has over 50 internationally recognised publications, including patents and book chapters and has held research posts in both the USA and UK.
He was awarded a prestigious fellowship in 2010 by Arthritis Research UK to perform diagnostics research in the University of Colorado, Denver, USA. He holds a PhD from Queen’s University Belfast, awarded in 2001 for work on drugs to reduce spread of brain cancers.
Prof Jo Neill
Clinical Advisor
Jo Neill is Professor of Psychopharmacology at the University of Manchester. She is Chair of the Medical Psychedelics Working Group at Drug Science, a Trustee for Heroic Hearts UK, and a scientific advisor for the Conservative Drug Policy Reform Group. She is also a co-founder of b-neuro, a University based Contract Research Organisation developing new treatments for mental health conditions. Jo is working with Policy at Manchester University and Drug Science to educate the public about the urgent need for drug law reform and suspension of Schedule 1 restrictions to enable research into the medicinal properties of currently illegal drugs.
Prof Sara Tai
Clinical Advisor
Sara Tai is a practicing Consultant Clinical Psychologist, Director of the Psychedelic Substances Research Unit at the University of Manchester, and a member of Medical Psychedelics Working Group for Drug Science with an international reputation as a researcher, practitioner, trainer, and supervisor of psychological interventions for people who have experienced serious problems affecting their mental health. Sara has specific expertise in running clinical trials and experimental research on the science and practice of psychotherapeutic interventions, including understanding key mechanisms of change. She is leading in running large controlled trials of psychedelic assisted therapies.
Dr. Grace Blest-Hopley
Clinical Advisor
Dr. Grace Blest-Hopley is a Neuroscientist with 10 years experience researching cannabis, cannabinoids, and psychedelics. Grace completed her PhD in Neuroscience at King’s College London and currently serves as the Chief Scientific Officer at NWPharma Tech. She is the Research Director at Heroic Hearts Project, a charity that
supports combat veterans with mental health challenges resulting from trauma and is also the founder of Hystelica, a community focused on understanding women’s biology for safe and effective psychedelic use. Her work contributes to improving the well-being of individuals in need, particularly combat veterans, while also promoting a better understanding of women’s biology in relation to psychedelics.
Contact Us
If you have any questions or want to learn more about us, you can get in touch through the contact form below. We’d love to hear from you!
