On August 17 and 18, 2021, researchers from MAPS Public Benefit Corporation (MAPS PBC) conducted the official site initiation visit for the MAPS-sponsored Phase 2 study of MDMA-assisted therapy for U.S. Veterans with PTSD. The study takes place at the James J. Peters Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Bronx, New York. Researchers are planning to screen their first participant before the end of 2021.
This Phase 2, open-label randomized controlled comparative study on the effectiveness of MDMA-assisted therapy in U.S. Veterans with chronic PTSD is led by PTSD researcher Rachel Yehuda, Ph.D., Director at the Mental Health Patient Care Center, James J. Peters VA Medical Center, and Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital. The study is moving through the investigator-initiated research program of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The study will enroll 60 veterans and will collect further information on whether there is a difference in two versus three sessions of MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for safety and therapeutic outcome. This study will also act as a training ground for VA clinicians and therapists on the MAPS modality, and will include blood collection samples for later analysis of hormones, molecules, and other biological markers that may be related to having or recovering from PTSD. View the study timeline on our website.