Focus on the discovery and development of novel therapeutic strategies to treat obesity and its related metabolic disorders
TORONTO, November 24, 2021 — Clearmind Medicine Inc. (CSE: CMND, FSE: CWY0, OTC Pink: CMNDF), (“Clearmind” or the “Company”), a psychedelic medicine biotech company focused on the discovery and development of novel psychedelic-derived therapeutics to solve widespread and undertreated health problems, is pleased to announce it has signed an agreement to fund a new research and development project with the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s Obesity and Metabolism Laboratory, to evaluate the Company’s proprietary compound, MEAI’s direct effect on binge eating including food and water intakes as well as activity and metabolic parameters.
The study, which will be overseen by Prof. Joseph (Yossi) Tam, D.M.D., Ph.D., head of the Obesity and Metabolism Laboratory and Associate Professor of Pharmacology at the Hebrew University’s Institute for Drug Research, will focus on testing the potential of MEAI to treat binge eating and related behaviors, and will support the discovery and development of novel therapeutic strategies to safely treat obesity and its associated metabolic disorders.
Increasingly prevalent in developed nations, the conditions of being overweight and obese are a serious health concern as they contribute to so many other conditions, including heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, fatty liver disease, and certain types of cancers, some of the leading causes of preventable, premature death in the US. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that about 74% of adults in the US are overweight1 and over 40% are considered obese2. According to a recent study published in 2020, this phenomenon is also accompanied with the high and rising costs of obesity to the US Health Care system at an estimated annual medical cost for the full non-institutionalized population of adults, in 2013, equaling $342.2 billion3.
Adi Zuloff-Shani, Ph.D., CEO of Clearmind, commented on the announcement, “The medical community has yet to establish an effective therapeutic or preventative treatment for obesity, despite its increasing prevalence and severe negative impacts on the medical and economic health of people around the world. Clearmind has been able to demonstrate the positive influence MEAI has on binge behavior with regard to alcohol use, and our preliminary research indicates it may have a similar effect on metabolic disorders.”
Prof. Tam added, “I have spent my career exploring the biological mechanisms underlying obesity and the metabolic syndrome, intending to develop an effective drug therapy. After viewing the early data on MEAI, I am optimistic that this compound has the potential to be a building block for a real solution and look forward to working with the Clearmind team to advance our shared objective.”
The first phase of the three-stage study will focus on assessing the direct effect of MEAI on food and water intakes as well as its ability to modulate activity and metabolic parameters.
Following the initial screening, the study will evaluate MEAI’s efficacy as a therapeutic metabolic agent on a high-fat diet-induced obese mouse model, by measuring MEAI’s potential to treat obesity, hepatic injury, glycemic and hormonal imbalance. Lastly MEAI’s binge eating and drinking mitigating properties will be determined by comparison of cumulative food and sucrose preference, respectively.
About Clearmind Medicine Inc.
Clearmind is a psychedelic pharmaceutical biotech company focused on the discovery and development of novel psychedelic-derived therapeutics to solve widespread and underserved health problems, including alcohol use disorder. Its primary objective is to research and develop psychedelic-based compounds and attempt to commercialize them as regulated medicines, foods or supplements.
The Company’s intellectual portfolio currently consists of four patent families. The first, “Binge Behavior Regulators”, has been granted in the U.S., Europe, China and India, with pending divisional applications in Europe and the U.S. The second, “Alcohol Beverage Substitute”, has been approved for a European patent, with pending applications in the U.S., China and India. The Company intends to seek additional patents for its compounds whenever warranted and will remain opportunistic regarding the acquisition of additional intellectual property to build its portfolio.
