Tryptamine strengthens clinical team ahead of world-first IV-infused psilocin trial

• Tryptamine strengthens clinical development team with two key appointments
• Professor Marcel Mozafari appointed senior formulation scientist and Professor David Castle appointed consultant medical officer
• Appointments come ahead of world-first clinical trial of its psilocin-based IV-infused formulation TRP-8803 for binge eating disorder

Special Report: Tryptamine Therapeutics has bolstered its clinical development team with two key appointments as it progresses lead drug candidate IV-infused psilocin TRP-8803, including a world-first trial.

A highly credentialed scientist in pharmaceutical nanotechnology, Professor Marcel Mozafari has joined Tryptamine Therapeutics (ASX:TYP) as a senior formulation scientist in a full-time capacity.

Distinguished Australian psychiatrist and member of Tryptamine’s scientific advisory board Professor David Castle will also join its clinical team and has been appointed as a consultant medical officer on a permanent part-time basis.

Mozafari was president and founder of the Australasian Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative, bringing 25 years of experience in developing and manufacturing pharmaceutical and biotechnology products.

During his career he has successfully taken several scientific projects from bench through to commercialisation, as both formulation scientist and head of R&D.

His wide-reaching academic work includes more than 200 scientific publications. He was awarded the March 2019 Best Paper Award in Pharmaceutics – a peer-reviewed journal published monthly by MDPI in Switzerland – that was selected as the most cited paper in history of the journal with more than 3600 citations.

Interest in potential of psychedelic treatment

Professor Castle is a leading psychiatric scholar appointed by the Tasmanian Government as professor of psychiatry at the University of Tasmania’s Centre for Mental Health Service Innovation, launched in partnership with the Tasmanian Department of Health.

He previously held the role of Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Melbourne from 2006 to 2021.

In July 2024, he was appointed to Tryptamine’s scientific advisory board for a three-year term to help guide the company’s clinical trial best-practice initiatives, regulatory engagement and grant funding opportunities.

Across his fields of expertise, Castle has a specific area of interest in the potential for the application of psychedelic treatments to treat medical disorders and achieve improved health outcomes.

He is one of Australia’s most published researchers in the field of mental health with publication of more than 900 journal articles and a demonstrable track record of success in attracting clinical research grant funding.

Castle is one of the lead clinicians for multiple ongoing clinical studies using oral psilocybin in Australia and Canada.

His inclusion in the clinical development team as a consultant medical officer is a valued addition to the operations team, TYP said, along with Professor Castle’s continued strategic oversight at the scientific advisory board level.

Perfect timing

Both appointments come at a pivotal time in the Tryptamine’s growth trajectory with a world first clinical trial to assess TRP-8803’s potential in the treatment of binge eating disorder alongside Swinburne University.

Following formal approval from the Swinburne University Human Research Ethics Committee (SUHREC), patient recruitment is underway with first dosing forecast in Q3, 2025 and top-line results in Q4, 2025.

CEO Jason Carroll said the appointment of two exceptional team members comes at a crucial time and aligns with Tryptamine’s strategy to scale its operations team in step with the expected expansion of the TRP-8803 clinical program.

“Importantly, both are based in Australia which will provide a streamlined operational structure, as well as the potential to further leverage R&D tax rebates for more cost-effective research,” he said.

“Activity is ramping up for our world-first trial, in collaboration with Swinburne University, to assess the safety and efficacy of TRP-8803, alongside psychotherapy, in treating Binge Eating Disorder.

“We expect to provide regular updates on clinical progress throughout the next two quarters as we continue to advance the treatment pathway for this novel treatment solution.”

This article was developed in collaboration with Tryptamine Therapeutics, a Stockhead advertiser at the time of publishing.

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