Startup secures US$4 million to analyse psychedelic therapy for veterans

Denver-based company Invi MindHealth has secured up to US$4m to analyse psychedelic-assisted therapy in veterans using wearable and app-based data.

Invi measures the effects of psychedelic-assisted therapy on veterans by tracking signals such as heart rate, blood pressure and sleep quality before, during and after treatment.

Earlier this year, the company was selected by the US Department of Health and Human Services for a two-year study of psilocybin, ibogaine and psychedelic-assisted therapy.

The project is operated by the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, known as ARPA-H.

Jonathan Wilson, creator of Invi, is a US Navy SEAL veteran who served for 16 years.

He said: “A lot of conflict during that era. I lost a lot of teammates on the battlefield. Today I’ve lost more teammates to suicide.

He added: “We realised we need to change what we’re focused on here and really help this community, our community, and not just the SEAL community, but the veteran population, the first responders and now we’re trying to help as many people as possible because it’s a real challenge.”

Psilocybin is the main active compound in “magic” mushrooms, while ibogaine is another naturally occurring psychedelic compound.

Psychedelic-assisted therapy involves taking a psychedelic substance in a controlled setting, usually with support from trained facilitators or clinicians.

The company will give 50 veterans Oura Ring devices to track their health signals and send them to a healing centre in Mexico, where they will undergo psychedelic-assisted therapy.

Through the Invi app, Wilson and researchers at Baylor University will monitor changes in the veterans’ biometrics and mental health during and after treatment.

Wilson said he had seen in his own data that psychedelic interventions could show changes not only qualitatively but quantitatively as well.

The funding follows an executive order signed in April, in which the Trump administration pointed to high suicide rates among veterans.

The order prioritised the study of psychedelic-assisted therapy and allocated at least US$50m from existing funds to support and partner with state governments that have enacted or are developing programmes to advance psychedelic drugs for serious mental illnesses.

Invi applied for the funding earlier this year and secured the award within a few months.

The ARPA-H programme said the project will use brain activity, wearable and sleep data, mental health questionnaires and social activity measures to study veterans receiving different therapies and identify biomarkers that could predict rapid improvement and how long any effects may last.

The full US$4m award depends on the project meeting aggressive research milestones.