Psychedelic-assisted therapy is the subject of renewed focus. It involves using psilocybin – a substance found in psychoactive fungi – or LSD to treat mental disorders. Numerous studies are currently underway, with talk rife of a “revolution in psychiatry”. However, doubts also persist. While some patients benefit from this therapy, others do not, and some patients even deteriorate as a result. Scientists led by Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin have now collated experiences from therapists around the world in an effort to identify suitable patients more precisely in the future. The researchers have described for the first time the profile of a good candidate for psychedelic-assisted therapy in an article published in Nature Mental Health*.

Invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells are promising for cancer immunotherapy because they can coordinate broader immune responses, but sourcing enough functional cells is challenging. In a recent study, researchers from Japan showed that combining stem cell-derived iNKT cells with an immune-activating lipid compound can strongly suppress tumors in mice by training the body’s own T cells to recognize and remember cancer. These findings point to a more effective and scalable form of immunotherapy.