Small Pharma – Study of DMT for Treatment of Major Depressive Disorder

Dr. Carol Routledge, Chief Medical and Scientific Officer at Small Pharma discusses the company’s clinical trials with N, N-dimethyltryptamine (DMT), a naturally occurring psychedelic tryptamine found in plants and the brain of mammals, and the potential benefits of DMT based medicines for the treatment of major depressive disorder. She talks about making a psychedelic into a therapeutic and how to navigate the complexity of neuro-pharmaceutical drug development. 

Dr. Routledge is a dynamic R&D professional and drug development expert with over 30 years’ of experience across UK and US based pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies and the non-profit sector with a focus on drug acquisition and profiling of NCEs and biologics. She has also held multiple leadership roles across drug discovery and development. Her preclinical and clinical experience spans psychiatric and neurological indications, with a strong focus on understanding and treating mental health disorders. Roles in Syntex, Wyeth, BTG and GlaxoSmithKline include leading drug discovery and development activities across several therapeutic areas with a strong focus on neuroscience diseases and an emphasis on translational medicine. Dr. Routledge also has experience managing and sourcing opportunities at a semi-philanthropic dementia discovery fund. Other recent expertise includes leading the preclinical and clinical research strategy across Alzheimer’s Research UK for response-mode, strategic funding and for global projects and building and leading, as Managing Director, an independent and global initiative focused on the early detection of neurodegenerative diseases (EDoN). She joined Small Pharma as CMSO mid-2020 and is responsible for oversight of all clinical, preclinical and associated regulatory functions.  She holds a 1st Class Honors degree in Zoology and a PhD in neuropharmacology.