Expression of Interest for Observational Trials

Mind Medicine Australia (MMA) is excited to announce a new fund to support the development of observational trials into psychedelic-assisted therapies to treat a range of mental illnesses. The initial commitment of funding of $1 million will be provided by the Hunt Family Foundation with additional funding sought from other philanthropists.

Applications will be assessed and managed by relevant members of the scientific and clinical advisory panel of Mind Medicine Australia chaired by Professor David Nutt, Head of Neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London. Please see members of the Review Committee below.

Applications will be reviewed in order of receipt.

This EOI is for Researchers, Institutions, Academics etc. seeking funding to conduct observational trials into psychedelic-assisted therapies.

Deadline for first round of applications is Friday 21 October 2022.

"*" indicates required fields

Name*

First Last

Address*

Street Address Address Line 2 City State / Province / Region ZIP / Postal Code Country

Role*

Organisation*

Email*

Mobile Phone*

Describe Your Proposal*

Please include summary details of your proposed observational trial (primary illness/conditions being investigated, number of participants, whether proposal is to use psilocybin or MDMA or to have separate streams comparing the use of MDMA and psilocybin and/or other treatments, type and duration of therapy, principal investigator(s) and other key personnel, expected length of trial in days once funding is secured, restrictions on patient eligibility, what data you hope to capture, likely clinical location(s), any other key aspects of the trial that you would like us to consider). Max 500 words.

Principal Investigator(s) and Other Key People Involved*

What makes the proposed principal investigator(s) the ideal person/people to lead this trial? Who else is involved and/or supporting the proposed trial? Have the proposed principal investigator(s) been involved in any other psychedelic-assisted therapy trials and what is their knowledge and experience in this field and in clinical/observational trials generally? Max 300 words plus CVs attached for all key personnel.

Key Personnel CVs*

Drop files here or

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, Max. file size: 10 MB, Max. files: 10.

Outline Timetable*

Please provide by number of days allowed for each segment from commitment of funds through to publication of data. Please note that we would like to see a sense of urgency given the magnitude of the mental health crisis in Australia and that we should also be able to help you secure the necessary GMP pharmaceutical medicine supplies.

Name of Sponsor*

Who will act as the Sponsor of the Trial and details of their proposed involvement? Max 100 words.

Outline Budget*

This should include all sources of funding including any contributions from you and your organisation and other funding sources and proposed use of funds. How much are you seeking from our grant fund?

Additional Information

What else would you like to share with us? (max 150 words)

Additional Supporting Files

Drop files here or

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, Max. file size: 10 MB, Max. files: 10.

I understand that submission of this form does not confirm my eligibility for funding, and that, upon submission of this form, I will receive more information about my eligibility, the program and its requirements.*

Yes

I declare that the information in this EOI is true and correct at the time of submission and I am authorised to submit the application on behalf of the organisation.*

Yes

The information on this form is being collected by MMA. The information is being collected for the legitimate interest of assessing your EOI for funding under this program. The information will be used by authorised staff for the purpose for which it was collected and will be protected against unauthorised access and use.

Deadline for first round of applications is Friday 21 October 2022.

Phone

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Review Committee

Prof David Nutt (UK)

BA, MB BChir, MRCP, MA, DM, MRC Psych, FRCPsych, FMedSci, FRCP, FSB

Renowned researcher, policy advisor and author, Professor David Nutt, is currently Head of Neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London and the Chair of Drug Science.

Under the leadership of Professor Nutt, the Psychedelic Research Group at Imperial College is one of the world’s foremost psychedelic research laboratories, publishing landmark research on psychedelic therapies and neuroimaging studies of the psychedelic state.

Professor Nutt has also held many leadership positions in both UK and European academic, scientific and clinical organisations, including presidencies of: the European Brain Council, the British Neuroscience Association, the British Association of Psychopharmacology, the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology.

He was previously Chair of the UK Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs.

Anouk Koopman-Daemen

MSc, BSc

Anouk is the founder and lead consultant of AK Clinical Research, a niche Clinical Research Organisation based in Melbourne, Australia, providing specialised expertise in all aspects of clinical trial management and monitoring. She is supporting pharma, biotech, CRO as well as academic investigator-initiated projects.

Anouk has close to 20 years of International Pharmaceutical Clinical Trials Experience, including 15 years of Clinical Project leadership in Australia/New Zealand. She worked on a multitude of trials in Asia-Pacific and the Netherlands across a variety of therapeutic areas, including Respiratory, Neurology, Cardiovascular, Haematology, Endocrinology, Gastrointestinal, Oncology, and Nephrology. She has been a strong contributor in various products across the entire clinical trial life span from phase I until IV.

Michael Kornhauser

BPHARM (HONS)

Michael Kornhauser’s research has focussed on psychiatric and neurodenegerative diseases for close to a decade. His aim is to help develop and make available new therapies for people suffering from conditions which are currently poorly managed. As the National Head of Clinical Trial Research at HammondCare, Michael has been at the forefront of ground-breaking Alzheimer’s Disease research and has had the opportunity to be part of unique pre-clinical and clinical trial projects.

His prior role as the Director of Clinical Trial Research at Monash Alfred Psychiatry Research Centre saw him negotiate every aspect of the clinical development process and facilitated collaboration with both big pharma and small biotech in order to bring game changing new therapies to the public. His research knowledge and experience has seen him repeatedly invited to present guest lectures at universities, the most recent being Monash University and Australian Christian University.

Dr Eli Kotler

MBBS MPM FRANZCP Cert. Old Age Psych. AFRACMA

Eli is a consultant psychiatrist and psychodynamic psychotherapist. He is the Medical Director of Malvern Private Hospital, an addiction and trauma hospital in Melbourne. Eli completed the inaugural CPAT course, and has since been on its faculty. He was appointed as the course’s Australian Course Director in 2023.

As a psychiatric trainee, Eli was awarded the Royal College of Psychiatrists Trainee Prize for his Scholarly Project on Depression, as well as a Research Committee Trainee award for his work on Philosophy of Mind. As an adjunct lecturer at Monash University, he oversees medical students on their addiction medicine rotation. He has been invited as a key-note speaker to several conferences and meetings to discuss addictions, trauma and psychedelics. Eli sits on the Committee of the ANZMHA to help organise their yearly addiction conference. He also sits on the inaugural Clinical Advisory Group for the Victorian Responsible Gambling Foundation. Eli is an Associate Fellow of the Royal Australasian College of Medical Administrators, and is a member of the Australasian Professional Society on Alcohol and other Drugs. He also has extensive research experience with novel therapeutics for neurodegenerative diseases.

Due to his interest in trauma, Eli has been appointed an Independent Medical Examiner by WorkSafe Victoria. He has been appointed by the Minister for Workplace Safety to sit on the Victorian Medical Panels, and is an expert witness in historical abuse cases.