Josh Ismin — Raising the bar

Magic mushrooms: The therapeutics of the future?

With special guest Scott Riddle

Hallucinogenic drugs are being used to treat serious mental illness. Is it possible to achieve a therapeutic benefit without the hallucinatory effects?

Mental illness affects a large portion of our population. The problem is growing, but solutions are not keeping pace. While it may sound radical, psychedelics offer a promising new avenue among the scientific community.

Psilocybin, the active molecule in ‘magic mushrooms’, is being considered as a potential treatment for severe mental illness. While the pharmaceutical industry is divesting in neuroscience programs, Josh’s biotech startup is working to develop next-generation therapeutics inspired by psychedelic compounds from nature.

Join Josh, who will discuss his company’s research, while Scott talks about his participation in a clinical trial investigating psilocybin as a treatment for end-of-life anxiety.

Content warning: this talk will explore the theme of end-of-life anxiety, which some attendees may find distressing.

Bios

Josh Ismin is the co-founder and CEO of Sydney-based biotech startup Psylo. He holds an MBA and BSBA from Washington University. Josh is a repeat founder who has launched operations for a number of tech startups.

Scott Riddle was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer in 2017 and told that statistically his prognosis was terminal. Scott participated in a clinical trial investigating psychedelic assisted therapy as a treatment for end-of-life anxiety. Several years later and now in remission, Scott talks about his experience.