Safety and Psychological Effects of Psilocybin and D-Serine Formulation in Healthy Volunteers
The goal of this open-label, dose-escalation, prospective study is to evaluate the safety and psychological effects of a Psilocybin and D-Serine formulation in healthy volunteers. The main objectives are: 1. To assess the psychological and physiological effects of psilocybin administered with D-Serine in healthy adults. 2. To determine whether D-Serine modulates or attenuates the psychedelic effects of psilocybin. 3. To evaluate the safety and tolerability of psilocybin and D-Serine co-administration. Study population includes: 10 healthy male or female volunteers aged 25-60 years with no history of psychiatric or major medical disorders and no current evidence of such disorders. The study includes two cohorts. The first cohort of 5 participants will receive 15 mg of Psilocybin and 5 g of D-Serine. Safety data will be collected and submitted in an interim report to the Ethics Committee. If no safety concerns arise, the second cohort will receive an increased dose of 25 mg of Psilocybin and 7 g of D-Serine to help determine the optimal dose for a future Phase IIa clinical trial. This is a first-in-human, Phase I, exploratory clinical trial designed to evaluate the safety, tolerability, and initial psychological and physiological responses to a single administration of psilocybin in combination with D-Serine in healthy adult volunteers. The rationale for this combination stems from preclinical evidence indicating that D-Serine, a naturally occurring co-agonist at the NMDA receptor, may attenuate the acute psychedelic effects of psilocybin while preserving its neuroplastic and therapeutic properties. Preclinical studies demonstrated that D-Serine reduced the psilocybin-induced head-twitch response (HTR) in rodent models and enhanced the expression of synaptic plasticity markers (e.g., GAP43, PSD95, SV2A, synaptophysin) across multiple brain regions, with effects sustained up to 12 days post-treatment. These findings suggest that the combination may improve the safety and tolerability of psilocybin, particularly for populations sensitive to its psychoactive effects. The trial will consist of four sequential components: Screening Phase - to assess eligibility. Preparation Phase - to establish therapeutic rapport and baseline assessments. Administration Phase - involving a single oral administration of the investigational combination (psilocybin + D-Serine). Follow-up Phase - including in-person follow-up visits on Day 2, Day 7, Day 28, and Day 84 post-treatment to monitor safety outcomes, subjective responses, and potential delayed effects.