Delix Therapeutics Partners with the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) to Advance Research on Non-Hallucinogenic Therapies to Treat Substance Use Disorders

BOSTON, Dec. 7, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Delix Therapeutics (the "Company"), a neuroscience company developing novel disease-modifying therapeutics for psychiatric and neurological conditions, today announced a partnership with The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), a federal scientific research institute under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' National Institutes of Health (NIH), to test one of Delix's lead clinical candidates, a non-hallucinogenic and non-toxic ibogaine analog, for use in treating a range of substance use disorders.

The research will be conducted under NIDA's Addiction Treatment Discovery Program (ATDP). This program works with industry partners to perform preclinical screening, evaluating novel and promising pharmacotherapies that may be more effective treatments for the medical management of substance use disorders.

"Partnering with NIDA is an important step towards further uncovering the diverse pharmacological benefits of psychoplastogens, above and beyond our own in-house clinical development programs, and represents the potential for Delix to more rapidly advance our innovative CNS treatments to patients who need them," said Delix CEO Mark Rus. "Delix is deeply committed to broadening access to safe, fast-acting, and long-lasting medicines for many of the leading causes of disability worldwide, including to help the roughly 20 million people in the U.S. suffering from substance use disorders."

Delix is rapidly advancing its library of more than 1,000 novel compounds into scalable, orally-bioavailable, take-home therapies. The Company's most advanced compounds have been shown to produce both fast-acting and long-lasting beneficial re-wiring of neural circuitry associated with depression and other psychiatric disorders, without the costly in-clinic care, safety issues, and abuse potential inherent to first- and second-generation neural plasticity-promoting compounds such as ketamine, psilocybin, and MDMA.

"Preclinical results published in Nature last year demonstrated that DLX-7 reduces alcohol- and heroin-seeking behavior, and we are thrilled to collaborate with NIDA to further evaluate its potential as a novel treatment for addiction across a variety of substances and models," added Delix Co-Founder and Chief Innovation Officer David E. Olson, PhD.

Delix's extensive library was built upon Olson's groundbreaking research on psychoplastogens, novel neuroplasticity-promoting therapeutics, to better treat brain disorders at scale. The company's compounds are easily manufactured small molecules capable of rapidly inducing structural and functional neural changes in targeted areas of the brain. Initial data from NIDA's research on DLX-7 is expected in early 2022.

About Delix Therapeutics
Delix Therapeutics is a neuroscience company focused on harnessing the power of psychoplastogens—novel neuroplasticity-promoting therapeutics—to better treat mental health disorders at scale. The company's compounds are easily manufactured small molecules capable of rapidly inducing structural and functional neural changes in targeted areas of the brain. Many of these molecules are inspired by psychedelic compounds and preserve their efficacy-promoting mechanisms while avoiding their hallucinogenic properties and other safety liabilities. Delix is rapidly advancing these compounds through preclinical and clinical development to bring patients FDA-approved, take-home medicines that will serve several unmet needs. Headquartered in Massachusetts, Delix is building a world-class biotechnology company by combining an experienced team with innovative treatment strategies and scientific rigor to address the significant and growing mental health challenges impacting society.

Media Contact:
Abby Berger
KCSA Strategic Communications
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SOURCE Delix Therapeutics