Cultivating Psilocybin Consistency: A Deeper Look at Entheogen Biotech

The article Cultivating Psilocybin Consistency: A Deeper Look at Entheogen Biotech was originally published on Microdose.

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Many of the publicly-traded companies, they’re mostly focused on ketamine and MDMA because it’s synthetic and they can reproduce it just like Tylenol, with high repeatability and consistency.”

Efficiency and consistency — a key to production, scalability, supply chains, profitability, and access to future psychedelic medicine.

Can this be achieved with more organically-grown compounds like psilocybin? 

That’s one of the problems Entheogen Biotech is trying to solve. 

Entheogen Biotech is a Canadian-based research and development biotech company, building an integrated approach towards modern mental health care, with a mushroom production and lab facility in Jamaica, one of the few places in the world where the cultivation of psilocybin-containing fungi is not prohibited by the law. They have also created unique partnership with an established Jamaican cannabis company to explore the potential in combined cannabis and psilocybin treatment.

With experts from universities across Europe, Entheogen’s research team is developing a bank of cubensis mushroooms with improved pharmacogenetics that are candidates for future API (active pharmaceutical ingredient). 

Fungi expertise meets bioreactor technology

With continuous R&D collaboration in partnership with leading researchers from Athens University, led by cannabis physician Dr Vangelis Mitsis in the fields of mycology and phytochemical analysis, Entheogen Biotech has successfully produced a strain belonging to the Psilocybe genus that is able to accumulate considerable amounts of psychoactive tryptamines under controlled and totally aseptic laboratory conditions via a bioreactor tank submerged liquid culture, with defined nutrient composition and stable microorganism genetics.

“With the research we’ve done, there’s a real opportunity for market disruption. With our library of strains that we’ve built out, we’ve tested them all, so we know the exact tryptamine content and exactly how much psilocybin.”

Upon ramping up their operation in 2022, they began to discover natural compounds grown in Jamaica that offered substantial synergistic action with psilocybin, synergies that increased the metabolism of the psilocybin, creating quicker onset and more stable effects, with shorter downtime after treatment. 

“The traditional life cycle of growing psilocybin can be about eight weeks from spore. But in our bioreactor, it only takes one week. What’s unique about the two mycelia we’ve discovered is how it grows in the bioreactor, is that it’s sterile, highly repeatable, and scalable — which sets up perfectly to be an active pharmaceutical ingredient.” 

“In the bioreactor, our mushrooms can achieve the same consistency as a synthetic compound but in a natural mushroom” 

Psilocybin Production For Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient in 1 week vs 8 weeks production circle

Entheogen Biotech has successfully produced a strain belonging to the Psilocybe genus. Through extensive breeding and experimentation, taking place in aseptic laboratory conditions in a bioreactor tank submerged in liquid culture, with defined nutrient composition and stable microorganism genetics — it accumulates considerable amounts of psychoactive tryptamines. The production circle in the bioreactor is 1 week in contrast with the conventional method of 8 weeks.

qNMR Methods For The Analysis Of Psilocybin

Entheogen has developed novel qNMR methods for the analysis of psilocybin and psilocin-containing fungi. Α qNMR method is utilized for the analysis of psilocybin, verifying the presence and quantity of these characteristic metabolites, without the need for any purification steps. These highly efficient and versatile qNMR methods can be useful tools for psilocybin and psilocin analysis for medicinal, recreational and forensic purposes.

Some more quick facts and quotes on Entheogen’s operations:

Could you give some more info on your research facilities? 

We have a 100 sq meters mycology lab, a facility with several various pieces of equipment (Laminar flow hood, autoclave, growth chambers, rotary evaporator, ethanol and BHO extractor’s, vacuum ovens and pump, compressor, dry freezer etc)

Some more info on bioreactors and how they work?

Our initial experiments with bioreactors were at the university of Athens, and are currently exploring the possibility to continue experiments with universities in Jamaica, and purchasing bioreactor to produce commercial scale active pharmaceutical ingredients based on our existing studies and findings. Along with more breeding, we have over 100 varieties of fungi, 2 mycelium that produces active compound (psilocin/psilocybin) in one week vs 8 weeks

 Future plans or upcoming milestones?

• We plan on building our collaboration with institutions and companies for further our understanding of fungi universe

• Selling the established analytical standards of psilocybin and psilocin we achieved as they are more efficiently than current methods.

• Commercialize our findings of proprietary knowledge and techniques in fungi production.

• Explore funding opportunities available to expand, conduct more R&D/studies, and commercialize current and future findings.

“With Jamaican legislation we’re able to explore and unlock the potential of fungi without an added level of bureaucracy. While our highly trained team continues to discover proprietary knowledge and techniques. “

– Co-founder Anthony Bailey

“Breeding and uncovering the world of fungi is like exploring an alien universe hidden in plain sight, a secret kingdom beneath our feet, where the vast diversity of these enigmatic organisms, including psychedelic varieties, offer endless possibilities for unlocking new frontiers in medicine, agriculture, and environmental sustainability.” -M.Sc. Agronomist & Mycologist Romanos Antonopoulos

“The potential of these fungi-based solutions continues to expand as new research and development continues to explore their benefits for conditions like PTSD, anxiety, depression, and addiction. With psilocybin gaining widespread acceptance worldwide, Entheogen Biotech remains committed to advancing this field of study and developing innovative solutions that have the potential to transform mental health treatment.” – Co-founder and Chief of Marketing, Jimmy Yu

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