Sensorium Therapeutics Inc. closed a $30 million series A round to fund the discovery and development of new psychiatric drugs, inspired by human ethnobotanical practices that date back hundreds or even thousands of years.

The potential for psychedelics to deliver long-lasting benefits for people with anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and addiction is being put to the test in Australia, where new research and discovery centers are adding to a global enterprise of nearly 100 clinical trials underway in the space.

Gb Sciences Inc. has received promising preclinical results in an interim report from a study using its plant-based compounds in preclinical zebrafish models of stress at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC).

Enveric Biosciences Inc. has nominated EB-373 as the lead development candidate to emerge from its EVM201 program. EB-373 is under development for the treatment of anxiety disorders.

Wysa Ltd.’s artificial intelligence-based digital therapy received FDA breakthrough device designation for adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain, depression and anxiety. The device delivers cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) via a digital companion or conversational agent on a smartphone.

Blue Note Therapeutics Inc. took a new approach to expanding its pipeline of prescription digital therapeutics (PDT) with an exclusive licensing agreement with the University of Sydney for Conquerfear, a metacognitive intervention that helps cancer survivors cope with the fear of disease recurrence. Blue Note has developed its PDTs internally to date but hopes to convert Conquerfear’s elements, which are typically delivered face-to-face, into a PDT for the U.S. and Canada. As a digital therapy, the program could potentially reach many more patients.