New Patent Applications and Research Progress

Since our last news update, we have continued our research into novel compounds and prodrugs. New international patent applications, publications in Europe and the United States, and scientific papers involving MiHKAL reflect this work. Several patents have also been granted for the psilocin prodrugs developed by Matthias Grill.

 

Our goal remains to develop new approaches to treating mental health conditions. One focus is on prodrugs: chemically modified precursors that release an active compound in the body. Through this approach, we aim to influence how a compound is released and metabolised. Whether these changes translate into therapeutic benefits is being investigated within the respective development programmes.

 

Our patent application portfolio has expanded to include further prodrug concepts. On 2 October 2025, international patent application WO2025202481A1, covering lysergamide prodrugs, was published. It describes new approaches to modifying the release and pharmacokinetic properties of this compound class. This was followed on 18 June 2026 by the publication of WO2026125578A1, covering novel phenethylamine derivatives and their prodrugs. MiHKAL GmbH is the applicant for both applications.

 

We have also continued to pursue existing applications internationally. Our phenethylamine prodrug applications were published in Europe as EP4587423A1 in July 2025 and in the United States as US20260085036A1 in March 2026. For our DMT derivatives, the PCT application featured in our June 2024 update was followed by European publication EP4630400A1 in October 2025 and US publication US20260132151A1 in May 2026. These steps support our pursuit of patent protection in key markets.

 

Another milestone concerns the psilocin derivatives with prodrug properties invented by MiHKAL founder Matthias Grill. Within this patent family, GB2613993B was granted in the United Kingdom on 9 October 2024, followed by GB2632056B on 16 April 2025. In China, CN116075499B was granted on 25 July 2025. The South African granted patent specification ZA202301693B was published on 28 January 2026. These patents are held by COMPASS Pathfinder and relate to the invention that formed part of its collaboration with MiHKAL.

 

Alongside our patent work, we have published new scientific data with academic research groups. One focus was the MDMA analogue SDMA. A paper published online in ACS Chemical Neuroscience on 2 December 2025 brought together Matthias Grill with researchers from Europe and the United States. It examined the pharmacology, metabolism and effects of SDMA and the related compound SDA in preclinical models.

 

For SDMA, the study found faster clearance in the metabolic models investigated and no significant rewarding effect in the mouse model used. These preclinical findings provide a basis for further investigation of this candidate.

 

On 15 March 2026, a paper in Drug Testing and Analysis reported on the bioactivation and metabolism of three amino acid prodrugs of MDMA. The work involved MiHKAL, Saarland University and the Helmholtz Institute for Pharmaceutical Research Saarland. It demonstrated conversion to MDMA in several model systems and through the analysis of urine samples following human microdosing. The findings provide additional data on activation pathways and the analytical detection of these compounds. Further studies of their pharmacokinetics in humans remain necessary.

 

Research into DMT derivatives was extended through two further publications. A study published in Metabolites on 14 February 2026 investigated the metabolic pathways of two sulfonated DMT derivatives. On 21 September 2026, Archives of Toxicology published a further paper examining four DMT derivatives, their metabolic stability and their analytical detection. Both studies contribute to a better scientific understanding of these substances.

 

Our project pipeline continues to include the two prodrug candidates MKL001 and MKL002, which are being developed with the aim of treating post-traumatic stress disorder. Both programmes are in preclinical development. In parallel, the published studies broaden our understanding of the compound classes investigated and their properties.

 

Five years after MiHKAL was founded, we continue to advance our chemistry, build our intellectual property portfolio and collaborate with academic research groups. We thank everyone involved for their contributions and look forward to sharing further results.