Before we get to today’s update, we’re excited to share with you some big news!

We have just participated in a $13.5M Series Seed Preferred funding round for ProNovo, a biotechnology company developing precision medicines targeting major depressive disorder, treatment-resistant depression, and schizophrenia.

ProNovo’s team is actually the one that discovered and developed Spravato for depression at Janssen (a division of Johnson & Johnson). Spravato is the company’s esketamine-based nasal spray for treatment-resistant depression in adults, generating $1.08 billion in revenue in 2024. That’s not trivial.

The team has since taken what it learned from Spravato and used that knowledge to create a pipeline of optimized and de-risked CNS assets addressing depression, schizophrenia and other CNS disorders. The company’s lead, PNV-001, is an oral therapeutic designed to succeed Spravato by targeting a downstream mechanism avoiding dissociative and cognitive side effects, while improving efficacy and market potential.

We’re incredibly enthusiastic about what ProNovo has in store. Indeed, this is going to be a big one for JLS.

Now let’s move onto today’s update …

Researchers from the University of Michigan published a new study indicating that a single dose of 25CN-NBOH, can enhance cognitive flexibility for weeks after administration.  

If you’re unfamiliar, 25CN-NBOH is a selective serotonin 2A receptor agonist which is indirectly derived from the phenethylamine series of hallucinogens.

Using mice, researchers discovered that with just one dose, the mice adapted more quickly in rule-switching tasks, indicating enhanced neuroplasticity in the prefrontal cortex.

The findings suggest that certain psychedelics may offer lasting cognitive benefits, with potential applications for treating depression, PTSD, and neurodegenerative diseases. Both male and female mice benefited, and the study’s advanced testing system may accelerate future research into targeted psychedelic therapies. Here’s more: https://genomicpress.kglmeridian.com/view/journals/psychedelics/aop/article-10.61373-pp025r.0002/article-10.61373-pp025r.0002.xml

Scientists announced that, for the first time, they’ve been able to map brain activity during lucid dreaming: the experience of being consciously aware that you are dreaming while you are asleep.

In a new study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, researchers were able to map the brain’s electrical activity during lucid dreaming, offering unprecedented insights into this mysterious state of consciousness. The findings reveal specific brain regions and electrical patterns that activate when dreamers become aware they’re dreaming.

During lucid dreaming, researchers observed decreased beta wave activity in the right temporo-parietal junction—a brain region vital for self-awareness and distinguishing between self and others. This change indicates a shift in how we perceive ourselves within dreams when we become lucid.

Researchers also detected gamma frequency activity in the precuneus region during the first moments of lucid dreaming. The precuneus plays a key role in self-awareness and visual imagery. This gamma spike occurred exactly when dreamers first recognized they were dreaming – essentially capturing the brain’s “eureka moment” of lucid insight. Check it out: https://www.jneurosci.org/content/early/2025/03/27/JNEUROSCI.2237-24.2025

Did you know that scientists have created a new color that humans are now seeing for the first time?

Researchers from the University of California, Berkeley discovered a way to manipulate the human eye into seeing a brand-new color called olo.

Utilizing a new technology called Oz, scientists were able to stimulate individual photoreceptor cells in the human eye to create an entirely new, ultra-saturated color never seen in nature.

Using microdoses of laser light, Oz activates specific combinations of cone cells to generate a vivid blue-green hue, which vanishes the moment the precision targeting is disrupted.

This new technology allows researchers to explore the fundamental nature of human color vision and could one day aid in treating vision disorders or simulating sight loss. Beyond its scientific utility, the experience of seeing olo has been described by participants as “visually striking” and “deeply immersive.”  Check it out: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.adu1052