A study last month by the United Kingdom’s COMPASS Pathways plc (Nasdaq: CMPS) concluded that a machine-learning algorithm was capable of predicting psilocybin therapy patient outcomes by examining audio recordings of their integration sessions 24 hours later, though further research is still needed.
The paper, published in the journal Psychopharmacology on August 22 and announced by the company Wednesday, evaluated the potential of artificial intelligence for supporting investigational treatment using its psilocybin-like drug COMP360 to alleviate symptoms of treatment-resistant depression (TRD).
COMPASS says AI showed significant potential to accurately assess the therapy’s efficacy for up to 12 weeks post-administration. The study was conducted among 101 participants who were involved in the company’s recent Phase 2B trial on the drug.
The large language model utilized in the study assessed the emotional sentiment of patients and then evaluated its findings using the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale three weeks and three months after the drug had been administered. The company says this model provided it with an 85 per cent and 88 per cent level of accuracy for those time periods respectively and the algorithm used natural language processing (NLP) and an emotional breakthrough index (EBI) for its assessments.
“These results are exciting because they signal that we could potentially use AI technology to predict long-term patient response in the emerging field of psilocybin treatment,” said the company’s CEO Kabir Nath, adding that AI had the potential to offer more personalized care for those suffering from TRD.
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COMPASS recently secured a US$50 million loan from Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE: HTGC) to help support its Phase III COMP360 program for TRD, which is currently underway. The drug has been designated as a breakthrough therapy by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
“In this paper, we demonstrate that we are able to accurately predict treatment response to COMP360 in combination with the associated psychological support model using a logistic regression machine learning model that includes NLP metrics from the first integration session, participant’s self-response on the EBI scale and treatment arm,” says the paper.
COMPASS also recently offered a preview of its Centre for Mental Health Research and Innovation in London last month prior to its official opening later this fall.
We were excited to preview our new Centre for Mental Health Research and Innovation last month in London, ahead of its official opening this autumn. The centre has been developed together with South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM), the largest mental health trust… pic.twitter.com/uPtJdzFwIx
— COMPASS Pathways (@COMPASSPathway) September 5, 2023
The company’s drug has shown promise for the treatment of anorexia nervosa as well. A study on COMP360 published in the journal Nature Medicine in July found that 4 out of 10 participants reported a significant reduction in the disorder’s symptoms after one dose and the majority of them reported significant improvement in their overall mental health from taking the drug (7 out of 10).
In the United States, COMPASS has two offices in New York and San Francisco.
The company’s shares dropped by 1.8 per cent Friday to US$9.45 on the Nasdaq stock exchange and have risen by over 22 per cent since January 1.
rowan@mugglehead.com
