Awakn Life Sciences Corp. , a biotechnology company focused on researching, developing, and commercializing therapeutics to treat addiction with a near-term focus on Alcohol Use Disorder, has announced on June 2nd that they have initiated a larger behavioral addiction study investigating ketamine as a treatment for Gambling Disorder.

Awakn CEO Anthony Tennyson stated that the company is committed to help those who are suffering from addictions, and that the significant research and development milestones they have achieved in recent weeks have inspired them.

Awakn filed a Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) for the treatment of behavioral addictions with ketamine and ketamine-assisted psychotherapy on May 26, 2022.Reported that they had completed a successful pilot study for a variety of behavioral addictions. The larger placebo-controlled study will include 42 patients with Gambling Disorder who will undergo a memory reactivation treatment aimed at weakening the link between reward and addiction memories. This will be the world’s first study that aims to look into this technique for treating Gambling Disorder. In addition, the study will use the latest brain imaging technique EEG to evaluate synaptic plasticity following the administration of ketamine. This aims to determine the window of maximal neuroplastic change. And because of the neuroplasticity, Awakn might be able to forecast when therapy will be most effective. Additionally, the researchers will also gather extensive pharmacokinetic data, examine metabolites, and look at neurological biomarkers as part of the study.