Developing, standardizing, and assessing a GMP grade cultivation system for psychedelic mushrooms

Psychedelic mushrooms have recently gained increased interest from the medical community due to promising results in treating various mental health disorders. Health Canada has allowed material to be provided through the special access program (SAP). However, all material must be produced under good manufacturing practices (GMP) to ensure safety and efficacy, but there is little information on how mushroom cultivation fits into this system. The focus of this project will be to establish a highly controlled and standardized production system for psychedelic mushrooms that can feed into the GMP framework and produce safe, effective, and consistent psychedelic mushrooms. Further, mushrooms produced in this system will be evaluated in an animal model system to help unravel the complex mode of action underlying their effects. Overall, this project represents a first step in establishing cultivation standards to help Canadians access these promising medicines in a safe and effective manner.

Faculty Supervisor:

Max Jones;Melissa Perreault

Student:

Partner:

Tidal Care Inc.

Discipline:

Life Sciences

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

University of Guelph

Program: