Brain scanning technology is now ready for use in clinical psychedelic experiments thanks to a new “all-London partnership.”

MYndspan and Clerkenwell Health have partnered to provide medical researchers with direct access to MYndspan’s magnetoencephalography (MEG) brain scanning technology. Clerkenwell Health opened Europe’s first commercial psychedelic clinical trials facility in London last Autumn.

It is believed that this is the first instance in which commercial MEG scanners have been made available for use in commercial clinical trials to aid in the development of pharmaceuticals.

As part of experiments conducted at Clerkenwell Health’s facility in central London, MYndspan’s technology will offer previously unheard-of levels of accuracy in observing a participant’s brain activity and function (both before and after ingesting psychedelic drugs).

Psychedelics work by altering neural networks in our brains – the first of its kind partnership will help understand this link definitively, and provide insights into the complex ways in which psychedelic treatments affect the brain. Globally there 81 upcoming clinical trial completions in 2023, of which 46 are commercially sponsored or affiliated.

This new partnership will provide Clerkenwell Health’s clients with valuable new information for understanding the mechanisms of action of the drugs they are developing, and their effectiveness.

This will be crucial in furthering the understanding of the role of psychedelics in tackling a range of complex mental health and neurological conditions – like depression and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) – for the pharmaceutical companies running clinical trials from Clerkenwell’s facility.

The partnership firmly places London at the heart of Europe’s nascent medical psychedelics sector, and Clerkenwell’s establishment of their European-leading commercial facility in the capital.