Business
atai Life Sciences and Massachusetts General Hospital Announce Initiation of Clinical Study Investigating Neuroplasticity Biomarkers in Treatment-Resistant Depression Patients Undergoing Ketamine Treatment
NEW YORK and BERLIN, Nov. 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- atai Life Sciences N.V. (NASDAQ: ATAI) (“atai”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company aiming to
About this update from Ataibeckley Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"NEW YORK and BERLIN, Nov. 17, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- atai Life Sciences N.V. (NASDAQ: ATAI) (“atai”), a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company aiming to transform the treatment of mental health disorders, today announced it has initiated a clinical study with Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH). The study will utilize a neuroimaging method to identify neuroplasticity biomarkers in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) undergoing intravenous (IV) ketamine treatment. The main objective of this study will be to develop a novel method to detect neuroplasticity through magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans, electroencephalogram (EEG) collection and clinical assessments. The study will identify changes in the brain at baseline, 24-48 hours post-treatment, and 2 weeks after ketamine administration. The availability of a validated protocol to measure structural plasticity at the neuronal level in the human brain would be a great advancement to the field of neuroplasticity research and may represent a potential tool for drug developers, researchers, and providers as an early biomarker of treatment response and efficacy. “The study results will help guide atai’s efforts to discover personalized mental health treatments. Novel imaging biomarkers during ketamine treatment will enable a deeper understanding of the therapeutic mechanisms of action (MoA) and the pathophysiology of TRD. This knowledge can potentially help improve patient outcomes by informing if and how patients are responding to treatment and eventually which patients will most benefit from treatment,” commented atai’s Chief Medical Officer, Rolando Gutiérrez-Esteinou, MD. “The highly experienced team and technological resources at MGH will be invaluable in this endeavor.” Nearly half of the $350 billion spent every year in the U.S. on mental healthcare is attributable to treatment-resistant patients: those who do not experience relief from their symptoms despite multiple treatments. Treatment resistance reflects both the limitations of our currently available treatments, as well as the likelihood that these patients’ brains are less capable of change in ways that improve mental health. MGH is Harvard Medical School’s largest teaching hospital. Their Intravenous Ketamine Clinic for Depression offers access to ketamine treatment for severe and refractory depr...